An inaugural symposium commemorating the opening of the NAIST Indonesia Office, held in Bogor, Indonesia on August 22, was enjoyed by many researchers, academics, students, and members of the public.

First, President Ogasawara welcomed all the guests and attendees with an introduction of the history and ties between Indonesia and NAIST, which will be strengthened by the establishment of the Office. Then, Rector Suhardiyanto of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) introduced IPB's history and major developments while encouraging domestic and international collaboration among the industrial, academic, and governmental sectors. He stressed the importance of the NAIST Indonesia Office to IPB as a key to further educational and research collaboration between institutions.

Following this, former Rector Mattjik of IPB discussed the continuing successful relationship between IPB and NAIST by introducing the history of MoU signing in 2007, collaborative research activities, and faculty/student exchanges. Afterwards, Dr. Djarat, Director for Research and Development System of Indonesia's Ministry of Research, Technology & Higher Education, shared her outlook for Indonesia, explaining with need for more human capital development in the field of advanced science and technology. She firmly stated that R & D performed through international collaborative research will produce long lasting social and economic impact within the country, and that NAIST Indonesian alumni and the newly initiated Office will play significant roles in this.

Mr. Keiichi Yamaguchi, First Secretary (Education) of the Embassy of Japan in Indonesia, then shared his thoughts on NAIST's role in educating young researchers and engineers and felt that NAIST's dedication to global education can strengthen the bridge not only between NAIST and Indonesian alumni, but also between Japan and Indonesia.

Following a general introduction of NAIST's education and research activities by Vice President Kataoka, Prof. Inoue of the Graduate School of Information Science, Prof. Takagi of the Graduate School of Biological Sciences, and Prof. Kakiuchi of the Graduate School of Materials Science each introduced of their graduate schools and specialties.

In the afternoon, our Indonesian alumni (Dr. Utut of IPB, Dr. Yekti of Gadjah Mada University, Dr. Retno of Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, and Dr. Arry of Universitas Indonesia) represented their universities in introducing each institution's alumni research activities.

The symposium was adjourned after energetic question-and-answer sessions between the audience and the presenters.