Fostering Global Collaboration

TISI Workshop Participants

Tokushima University hosted the TISI (Tokushima International Science Institute) Research Workshop 2024 from September 11 to 14, in Tokushima, Japan. This pivotal event brought together 19 researchers from the Technion, despite the security situation in Israel. Participants included Nobel laureate Distinguished Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, Distinguished Prof. Moti Segev, Distinguished Prof. Ilan Marek, Technion’s former VP for Research Prof. Koby Rubinstein, Prof. Shulamit Levenberg, Prof. Ido Kaminer, Prof. Yehonadav Bekenstein, Prof. Lev Chuntonov, Prof. Haguy Wolfenson, and the Technion’s Artist-in-residence, Dr. Orit Wolf.

Lecture panel with live classical music: “Music, Science & Inspiration – From the Universal to the Personal.” From left to right: Prof. Shulamit Levenberg, Distinguished Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, Distinguished Prof. Moti Segev, Prof. Ido Kaminer, Dr. Orit Wolf.

Participants had the unique opportunity to share their research, engage in meaningful discussions with their research partners from Tokushima University, and strengthen the collaborative partnership between the two universities. The first half of the event featured inspiring and multidisciplinary presentations. The latter half was dedicated to in-depth individual research discussions and enriching cultural explorations. The workshop also hosted a special gala event in the format of the Technion’s series “Music, Science, and Inspiration” established and directed by pianist Dr. Orit Wolf. The gala event featured live music by Dr. Wolf and a traditional performance of the Awa Odori dance which is one of the highlights of the city of Tokushima.

The workshop was an opportunity to demonstrate the Technion’s pioneering research and its unique views on integrating science and art.

Distinguished Prof. Aaron Ciechanover

Established in 2021 with support from Nichia, TISI has been operating international collaborative research on a two-year cycle and has funded 14 research projects to date. In January 2025, five more collaborative research projects will be funded. The partnership with the Technion is led by Prof. Yasuhiko Kawamura, President of Tokushima University, VP Prof. Kiyoshi Fukui, and Prof. Takuya Sasaki, the TISI director.

In late 2020, an agreement was signed between the Technion and Tokushima University to promote academic collaboration, joint research, and the establishment of a special program for the exchange of doctoral and postdoctoral students. The agreement was facilitated through an intermediary from Nichia Corporation, the world’s leading company in making blue semiconductor lasers and white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) which have changed the world’s lighting. Nichia is headed by its President, Hiroyoshi Ogawa.

Situated in southern Japan, Tokushima University was established as a national university in 1949. Its research spans a wide range of disciplines. Many of its graduates have played important roles in research and cutting-edge product development at Nichia, and their significant contributions have led to Nobel Prize-winning discoveries in blue and white semiconductor light sources.