Event Report

KYUDAI NOW Bangkok and the Recurrent Education Program

February 16, 2026

Kun Qian

On Tuesday, January 27, 2026, Kyushu University held the forum “KYUDAI NOW Bangkok” in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Organized by the Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies (hereafter Q-AOS), this forum marked the third time the event has been held in Thailand, following those in 2023 and 2024. This year’s forum was co-organized in collaboration with King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT). The event was supported and endorsed by the Embassy of Japan in Thailand, the Kyushu University Thai Alumni Club, the Club “Gao” Thailand Alumni Association, and the JSPS Bangkok Research Center. Nearly 100 participants attended, including representatives from Thai universities and research institutions, including KMUTT,  industry partners, Kyushu University alumni, and former students who had studied in Japan.

In the opening session of KYUDAI NOW, a welcome address was delivered by Prof. Shuji Shimizu, Vice President of Kyushu University, followed by guest remarks from KMUTT President Suvit Saetia and Mr. Hiroki Akasaka, Director of Japan Information Service at the Embassy of Japan in Thailand. Prof. Kimiyo Kikuchi of Q-AOS then introduced Kyushu University and the activities of Q-AOS, after which a group photo was taken with all participants.

The symposium was organized into two sessions—“Social Science & Design” and “IoT, AI, Life Science & Innovation.” Presentations were delivered by Prof. Johan Lauwereyns (Senior Vice President, Faculty of Arts and Science), Prof. Melanie Sarantou (Faculty of Design), Associate Prof. Kun Qian (Q-AOS), Prof. Yutaka Arakawa (Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering), Assistant Prof. Kuboki Thasaneeya (Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering), and Dr. Scott Rowan (Kyushu University OIP Co., Ltd.). These talks highlighted cutting-edge research at Kyushu University as well as its broad social engagement and industry–academia collaboration initiatives. Dr. Kajornvut Ounjai, who studied at Kyushu University and obtained his PhD before becoming a lecturer at KMUTT’s Faculty of Engineering, shared his experiences of studying at Kyushu University and living in Japan. Closing remarks were delivered by Prof. Supaart Sirikantaramas (Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University), on behalf of Prof. Surin Phongsupasamit, President of the Kyushu University Thai Alumni Association. A reception was then held at the same venue, where Kyushu University alumni, current Kyushu University students studying in Thailand, researchers and students who had previously visited Kyushu University through various projects, and participants from diverse sectors engaged in active networking and deepened mutual connections through informal discussions.

On the following day, Wednesday, January 28, a visit was made to KMUTT’s main Bangmod Campus. In the morning, a university-level academic exchange agreement (MoU) signing ceremony between Kyushu University and KMUTT was held. This was followed by an executive meeting between the two universities and a series of research meetings in which professors and researchers from both institutions were matched and divided into four groups. These sessions enabled in-depth and concrete discussions on future joint research and collaborative initiatives.

In the afternoon, the Kyushu University Recurrent Education Program (Q-REP), organized by Q-AOS, was implemented in Thailand for the first time. Six lectures were delivered by Kyushu University faculty members, attracting more than 50 KMUTT students and staff participants, and the program concluded successfully with strong engagement.

Photo 1. Group photo of KYUDAI NOW Bangkok (Afternoon, January 27, 2026)

Photo 2. Reception of KYUDAI NOW Bangkok (Evening, January 27, 2026)


Photo 3. Signing ceremony of the university-level academic exchange agreement between Kyushu University and KMUTT (Morning, January 28, 2026)

Photo 4. Kyushu University Recurrent Education Program (Q-REP) held at KMUTT (Afternoon, January 28, 2026)

Photo 5. Group photo of all lecturers and participants after the Recurrent Education Program (Afternoon, January 28, 2026)