• • 
  • 
  • 

［ Editor: Institute for Industrial Research  13th October, 2021 ］

25th September 2021    Online workshop & networking event for young researchers working on EU/Japan

Title: Nothing New Under the Sun? 
Date: 25th September 2021 4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. 
Place: On ZOOM
Guest Contributions:  Dr. Yuko Inada, Lecturer, Faculty of Business Design, St. Andrew’s University
                                 Mr. Richard Kelner, Delegation of the European Union to Japan
Moderator: Dr. Anna Schrade, Associate Professor, Institute for Industrial Research, Kwansei Gakuin University
Language: English
Number of Participants: 6

On Saturday, 25th September 2021, we held an online workshop and networking event for young researchers in the social sciences/humanities working on the EU and/or Japan. We had the pleasure of having participants from four different countries working on entrepreneurship in Japan and the EU, local identity in Japan and Europe, labour economics in Japan and the EU, media studies & international taxation (with focus on Japan and Europe). 

The event started at 4.30 p.m. Japanese time so that scholars from both Europe and Japan could take part, supporting international exchange. After exchanging their latest research and discussing what is special about it, the participants gave feedback on how to improve his/her work through collaboration. The main focus thereby was on how a comparative EU/Japan perspective could enhance the findings and lead to a clearer picture of what’s special. 

The second half of the event was dedicated to supporting other early career researchers in landing a job in academia and getting funding. We had the pleasure to have two invited speakers that provided lot of personal insights. Mr. Richard Kelner from the Delegation of the European Union to Japan started with a very insightful presentation on the many funding opportunities offered by the EU Commission. Dr. Yuko Inada at St. Andrew’s University, shared insight into her job search and how she managed to get a tenured position in Japan. 
Sharing such personal insights was extremely valuable for the participants, and it spurred a heated discussion/ Q&A round on how to be considered for employment at Japanese universities. 

All participants were very happy to have an opportunity to network and get to know other young academics. The workshop ended at 7 p.m. with a big round of applause for the guest speakers, but also for the participants and organiser. 
The verdict: that was very helpful! All participants agreed that the event should be repeated. “Let’s do it again and support each other – and do research together”, said one participant. 

Due to the great interest among the participants, a Facebook group where early-career academics in the EU and Japan can share information, invite each other for events, and find collaborators as set up under the following link: 

Connect, share, collaborate! Network for early career academics (Japan/EU)Link to external site
 

Poster - Nothing New Under the Sun?