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On April 15, 2025, Tohoku University hosted a ceremony with colleagues from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) to mark the establishment of the TU-IITB Joint Institute of Excellence (JIE). This institute was created to be a platform that promotes industry-academia co-creation through the pursuit of academic and research excellence.

At the ceremony, Tohoku University was represented by President Teiji Tominaga, Executive Vice President Toshiya Ueki, Vice President Masahiro Yamaguchi, and other executive leaders and faculty members. IITB was represented by Dr. Sharad Kumar Saraf, the Chairperson of its Board of Governors, as well as IITB Director Shireesh B. Kedare, Deputy Director Milind Atrey, Dean Sudarshan Kumar, Dean Suvarn S. Kulkarni, and Professor P. Sesh.

The university was extremely honored to also welcome His Excellency Mr. Sibi George, the Ambassador of India to Japan, who made the time to participate in the establishment ceremony. Other esteemed guests included Mr. Shin Okuno, a Deputy Director-General within the Higher Education Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Mr. Kanji Fujiki, the Director-General of the Japan Science and Technology Agency's Sakura Science Exchange Program; and Mr. Kazuhiro Aoki, a Managing Director at 77 Bank, Ltd. In total, the ceremony was attended by more than 50 guests.

At the event, President Tominaga and Director Kedare signed a joint statement outlining future efforts of the JIE. These efforts will be based upon three main pillars: education, research, and industry-academia co-creation.

President Tominaga began the ceremony with remarks that highlighted the goals of the JIE. Firstly, he shared that through the JIE, Tohoku University and IITB will strive to cultivate talented individuals who will be able to play an active role on a global stage in the future. Secondly, he touched on the JIE's goal to promote research in fields such as disaster science, robotics, semiconductors, AI, and quantum-related fields. Lastly, he emphasized the JIE as a platform through which Tohoku University and IITB can further strengthen the frameworks for industry-academia collaboration, creating a virtuous cycle in which education, research, and industry mutually promote each other's development.

After remarks from Director Kedare and messages from the honored guests, Vice President Yamaguchi presented on the history of the relationship between Tohoku University and IITB as well as the institutions' shared vision for the JIE. Thereafter, Professor Daisuke Komori, who is conducting joint research on disaster science with colleagues at IITB, introduced his project as well as the process that led to the launch of the double degree program with IITB. Professor Komori was followed by IITB's Professor P. Sesh, who shared a roadmap for more multidisciplinary efforts for the JIE to tackle in the future.

The final presentation was given by two Tohoku University students who visited IITB in March to participate in the 2025 IITB-TU Global Immersion Program. They gave a vivid report on the meaningful and valuable experiences they gained through their intercultural exchanges with IITB students.

The JIE's future initiatives are expected to create new value that contributes to both the amelioration of global issues and the sustainable economic development of Japan and India.