Meet the World: Startup Insights from EU Science Fellow Ken Matsumoto
2025.6.1
The first Global Startup Seminar was held on Monday, May 19 and Friday, May 30 at the Student Commons. The event began with a presentation by the Social Impact Promotion Office, introducing a variety of initiatives aimed at encouraging collaboration between students from different countries. Throughout the program, students will be working beyond differences in language, culture, and academic disciplines to address social issues together. After the introduction, case studies of actual multicultural co-learning activities from the previous year was explained, including a regional training program held in Thailand and an international design workshop at Université Grenoble Alpes, a CiC partner institution in France. These presentations shared insights into what students learned through the programs and the various cross-cultural exchanges they experienced during their time abroad.
Lecture by Dr. Matsumoto, Science and Technology Fellow at the EU Delegation
Dr. Ikeda explaining the concept of multicultural co-learning.
Dr. Nomura explaining about the multicultural co-learning in Thailand
Dr. Yamada explaining about the Workshop in France
We were also honored to welcome Dr. Ken Matsumoto, a graduate of our university and now active as an EU Science and Technology Fellow. He spoke about the path that led him to a global career and his current work in Belgium. During the Q&A session, he offered practical tips on how to take the leap into international opportunities, engaging in a warm and open conversation with students.
On Wednesday, May 28, the second Global Startup Seminar was held in the BHE Conference Room under the theme “Career Paths After Graduate School That Extend Across the Globe,” targeting graduate students. Most of the participants were graduate students, and the seminar featured Dr. Ken Matsumoto, who spoke primarily about his own research, the path that led him to a global career, and his current work in Belgium. His talk, based on his experience working internationally, was highly insightful. Even after the session ended, he kindly and attentively responded to a wide range of questions from the students, leaving all participants with smiles on their faces as they exited the venue.
Seminar for the Graduate Students
By participating in international and multicultural co-learning activities like this one — both on and off campus — students will have their involvement recorded on the JV-Campus platform under Global Startup Seminar #1 – University of Tsukuba Office for Social Impact Promotion, and will be awarded an open badge (digital badge). We are in the process of establishing this system, and students who participated in this seminar will also receive their open badges at a later date.
Explanation about the Open Badge
While a variety of multicultural collaborative learning activities are already being conducted at our university, Social Impact Promotion Office aims to further embed these initiatives across the entire institution over the long term. We are committed to expanding opportunities for students to engage in problem-solving activities alongside peers from diverse backgrounds—both in Japan and abroad.
Group Photos
Related Links
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特別ゲスト： 松本健 EU科学技術フェロー、筑波大学卒業生
スピーカー： 池田潤学長特別補佐（ソーシャルインパクト推進室） 野村名可男准教授 （生命環境系） 山田協太准教授 （芸術系）
MC: 石原奈保（ソーシャルインパクト推進室）
特別ゲスト： 松本健 EU科学技術フェロー、筑波大学卒業生
MC: 福嶋美佐子（ソーシャルインパクト推進室）