UK open call for RENKEI membership

RENKEI (the Japanese word for “collaboration”) is a partnership of research-intensive leading universities in the UK and Japan, established in March 2012 with the British Council as its secretariat.

The bilateral relationship between the UK and Japan is attracting more attention than ever from governments, industry, and the higher education sector. The two countries have a long history of partnership and share many common interests and concerns. They each have strong economies and are among the world’s foremost producers of cutting-edge research and technology. They face similar demographic, political, social and industrial challenges, and thus are ideal partners in meeting these demands with innovative solutions.

RENKEI’s engagement with both governments over the years has consolidated recognition and support, particularly those activities that nurture and provide early career researchers with international experience and networks to develop research collaborations. RENKEI’s work to seed new areas of collaboration and joint research was referenced in the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee July 2023 report which acknowledges the huge potential for an increase in higher education exchanges between the UK and Japan. The Hiroshima Accord signed at the G7 summit in 2023, confirmed the UK and Japan are ‘the closest of partners and will stand shoulder to shoulder in tackling the unprecedented global challenges we now face’.

UK

• Durham University
• University of Leeds
• University of Liverpool
• Newcastle University
• University of Southampton

Japan

• Keio University
• Kyushu University
• Ritsumeikan University
• Sophia University
• Tohoku University

RENKEI has served as an effective platform for the members to develop close networks, leading to research collaborations, including joint funding applications, and strong partnerships between individual institutions.

Over the years RENKEI members have jointly delivered over 20 international workshops in the UK and Japan, together with stakeholders in the government, industry, and non-profit sectors. These workshops have engaged early career researchers including PhD students as well as more senior researchers in mentoring/advisory capacities. RENKEI maintains connections with these researchers through RENKEI network events and collates a RENKEI researcher catalogue to promote researcher collaborations.

The annual in-person Steering Committee Meeting is another opportunity for members to engage and maintain strong relationships with each other at a more strategic level, and the regularly held RENKEI Coordinator meetings afford members the opportunity to connect and exchange information in a timely and informal manner.

As this innovative form of bilateral research consortium develops, it will result in shared values, agendas and action points among the participating individuals and institutions. The long-term benefits of RENKEI will be a sustainable dialogue and strategic relationship that transcends academic disciplines, industrial/public sectors and national boundaries, leading to increased UK-Japan research collaborations that address global challenges.

As a condition of membership and participation in RENKEI, members are required to pay an annual membership fee. The annual membership fee amount is set in British Pound Sterling (GBP) and is reviewed annually by the RENKEI Steering Committee to assess whether any inflationary adjustments are necessary. The annual membership fee is invoiced by the RENKEI Secretariat (British Council) in April each year. The membership fee for FY2026/27 is confirmed as 6,000.00 GBP.