In collaboration with Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) in Germany, the Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITech) introduced Cotutelle, a joint doctoral program between Japan and Germany, in October 2019. Our Cotutelle program, which is standardized according to the European doctoral degree system, will offer high-value-added “Mono-zukuri” (manufacturing) and “Koto-zukuri” (creating) for not only researching each element of technology but also systematizing them through a compound-eye coursework. The program’s theme and goal are lead-free energy conversion material research and the proposal of an environment-friendly energy conversion system, respectively, through the abovementioned coursework initiated by international and interdisciplinary members.

We expect the “challenge” to doctoral students to be fostered by their practice in transdisciplinary research with new ideas that encourage the innovation and development of an environment-friendly energy conversion system.

Students who participate in the program will have a stay-in research opportunity at the partner university, receive joint research guidance from the supervisor of the counterpart university, and prepare their doctoral dissertations. Participants who successfully complete the program will receive a degree from NITech with a certificate stating that joint research supervision was conducted by NITech and FAU.

Our Cotutelle program has been adopted as a Japanese–German Graduate Externship (JGGE) by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) in Japan, and students who participate in this program can study abroad at FAU with the support of JSPS. On the German side, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) has been adopted as an International Research Training Group (IRTG), and participating students are also supported by DFG.

NITech and FAU have developed cooperatively the Cochutel Program. We have deepened academic exchanges with FAU based on the academic exchange agreement concluded in 2009, and NITech FAU Liaison Office was established in FAU campus in 2013. The number of dispatched people to FAU from NiTech has been 160 faculties and staffs and 110 students. The number of accepted people to NITech from FAU 44 faculties and staffs and 19 students. (As of March 2021)

By implementing the Cochutel program with FAU, which is an overseas partner in Germany, we will be able to provide graduate students with a wider variety of international programs for graduate schools.

Through joint research between Japan and Germany, we will provide sharing state-of-the-art education and research facilities and interdisciplinary learning opportunities (lectures and exercises in English, etc.) to improve the quality of doctoral dissertation research.