JICA and Kirin Holdings Launch JICA-KIRIN Fellowship Program to Support Food Science Researcher Training in Asia

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA, President: Shinichi Kitaoka) and Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (President and CEO: Yoshinori Isozaki) just launched “JICA-KIRIN Fellowship Program,”* a joint initiative to support the training of food science researchers in Asia. The fellows chosen for this program will conduct research on their selected research topics for one year under the guidance of the Food Research Institute at the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) in Tsukuba, Ibaraki prefecture.

• *Memorandum signed August 5, 2016

Participating researchers in the JICA-KIRIN Fellowship Program are to be selected by JICA-Kirin-NFRI program committee from a pool of outstanding delegates recommended by Asian universities and research institutions. Along with a one-year training program at the Food Research Institute, the fellows will share their perspectives through participation in conferences and international symposia, helping to build future research partnerships. In addition, the fellows will further understand of Japanese culture and society through visits to Kirin Group research laboratories and production facilities as well as university research laboratories and so on in Japan. After completing the one-year training program, the fellowship program will provide follow-up funding needed for research and development in the participants’ home countries, thereby contributing to long-term exchange through food science research between Japan and other Asian countries.

Kirin Holdings has supported the “United Nations University-KIRIN Fellowship Program” for over 20 years, from 1993 to 2016. This demonstrates the Kirin Group’s commitment as a corporate group that conveys the joys of food and health to supporting the training and development of food science researchers for the purpose of finding self-reliant solutions to food-related problems in Asia.
While respecting this long-running program, Kirin Holdings launched the JICA-KIRIN Fellowship Program with its new partner JICA, and plans further enhancement with consideration for contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at the United Nations summit.

The Kirin Group seeks to create a brighter future along with its customers as it addresses three key social issues: “health and well-being,” “community engagement,” and “the environment.”

For Reference: 2017 JICA-KIRIN Fellowship Program Opening Ceremony Overview

Date and Time: Wednesday, May 17, 2017, 3:30 p.m.–4:15 p.m.

Location: JICA Tokyo International Center Annex Building, Seminar Rooms A and B

Remarks: Satoshi Iwakiri, Vice President, JICA
Dr. Hiroshi Nabetani, Director-General, Food Research Institute, NARO(NFRI)
Ryosuke Mizouchi, Senior Executive Officer, Kirin Holdings Company, Limited

FY2017 JICA-KIRIN Fellowship Program Fellows List