Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Collaboration Between University of Hyogo and the Fukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation (F-REI)
(Left) Koetsu Yamazaki, President of the F-REI; (Right) Makoto Kosaka, President of the University of Hyogo
As a local public university, University of Hyogo has played a vital role in the creative reconstruction process following the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (January 1995). Since then, drawing on lessons learned from disasters in Japan and abroad—including the Great East Japan Earthquake (March 2011)—the university has accumulated knowledge on reconstruction, including disaster prevention and mitigation, regional revitalization, and risk communication.
The Fukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation (F-REI) was established to contribute to the creative reconstruction of large-scale disaster-affected areas—including Fukushima and Tohoku—and the revitalization of local communities, as well as to strengthen Japan’s industrial competitiveness; it serves as the “command center” for Fukushima’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear disaster.
University of Hyogo and F-REI have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on collaboration and cooperation to promote mutual research and development and enhance human resource development, to contribute to the recovery and development of the Hamadori region in Fukushima Prefecture, the creative recovery of Fukushima and the Tohoku region, and the revitalization of Japan.
Moving forward, under this MOU, the two parties will actively advance research, development, and human resource exchanges, while jointly working toward the practical implementation of research results that help solve societal challenges.
Date of Agreement Signing
March 10, 2026
Areas of Collaboration
Both parties will collaborate on the following matters:
- Research and Development
- Human Resource Development
- Commercialization
- Personnel Exchange
- Mutual Use of Facilities and Equipment Owned by Both Parties
- Other collaborative activities agreed upon by both parties
Overview of the Fukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation (F-REI)
F-REI is a special corporation established on April 1, 2023, under the Act on Special Measures for the Reconstruction and Revitalization of Fukushima. In addition to providing dreams and hopes for realizing the reconstruction of Fukushima and other prefectures in the Tohoku region, F-REI aims to become a world-renowned “central institute for creative reconstruction” which drives forward with enhancing the scientific capabilities, technological capabilities, and industrial competitiveness of Japan and contributes to economic growth and improvement in the daily lives of people living in Japan.
The Fukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation (F-REI)