Greetings

   The International Exchange Center at University of Kochi was established in 2016 primarily to carry ourt the following projects:

1. Supporting incoming international students
2. Supporting our students going abroad, short and longer term
3. Supporting joint research and educational initiatives with overseas organizations
4. Supporting overseas study and training of our faculty and administrative staff
5. Supportibg local initiatives regarding globalization issues

 Recent advances in globalization and information technology have made direct interaction between rural regions and foreign counterparts much easier than it used to be, and have increased the need for cross-border learning. The University of Kochi has been actively promoting exchange with overseas educational and research institutions.
 Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other challenges, the last few years have been far from smooth in terms of such exchange, however, we have been working tirelessly to keep our core activities going, and are ready to put back on track those that were put on hold.
 We believe that an appraisal of one’s roots in local community can and should go hand in hand with learning about and from other values and cultures. Both should be furthered in our increasingly uncertain times.
 Need I add that, essentially, there are no national borders in academic research? Education and research that goes beyond these borders has always been and will to an ever-growing measure be crucial.
 It is our goal to create as many opportunities as possible for our students and researchers to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers, and enable them to learn more and more deeply about the world, on campus and abroad.

Prof. Seisuke Takanishi
Director, International Exchangce Center
Faculty of Cultural Studies