A Japanese delegation, including Mr. Yuji Nishikawa, Advisor for International Relations and Cooperation for the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Sakura Science Program, and Mr. Takashi Konishi, Program Officer at JST, visited IIT Kanpur on 6th August 2025 to explore new opportunities for research collaboration. The delegation was welcomed by the Director and the faculty members from various departments. The purpose of their visit was to strengthen joint research efforts by fostering collaborations and building networks between IIT Kanpur and Japanese institutions, and to discuss the newly launched LOTUS Program.

The LOTUS Programme (India-Japan Circulation of Talented Youths in Science Programme) is a new initiative under the Japan Science and Technology - Sakura Science Programme. The program supports talented young researchers from India to participate in joint research exchanges in Japan.

The meeting was attended by several IITK faculty members, including Prof. Tarun Gupta (Dean of Research and Development, DORD), Prof. Javed N Malik (Department of Earth Sciences), Prof. Ishan Sharma (Department of Mechanical Engineering), Prof. S.P. Rath (Department of Chemistry), and Prof. Rohit Medwal (Department of Physics). After the discussions, the delegation met with Professor Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur, and had a detailed exchange on future collaboration and joint research exchange initiatives between Japanese institutions and IIT Kanpur.

To gain insights into IIT Kanpur’s research, the delegation visited:

• NCFlexE (National Centre for Flexible Electronics) – exploring advancements in the field of flexible electronics.

The visit marked an important step in building stronger academic and research exchange cooperation between the two countries.