Politecnico launches its first Japan Hub

For years, Politecnico has been cultivating solid connections with Japan on shared topics, such as environmental and seismic risk management, technological innovation, ageing of the population, historical heritage promotion.

With the opening of its Kyoto office, officially inaugurated in July in presence of Rector Guido Saracco and the Italian Ambassador in Tokyo Gianluigi Benedetti, Politecnico – being the first in Italy – aims to coordinate, promote and boost joint teaching, research and third mission activities.

“Our goal is not only to spread knowledge about our University excellence, but also to offer relevant cooperation and development occasions for our firms and institutions. I sincerely thank our Deputy Rector Laura Montanaro, Professor Michele Bonino, Professor Giuseppe Pezzotti and Ambassador Gianluigi Benedetti for making this project real” stated Rector Guido Saracco in the opening of his video greetings, where he stressed the affinities between the two countries – starting from their long-standing democratic tradition - and the whole project’s value.

The following speeches were Rector’s Delegate for International Relations with Asia, Michele Bonino, and Japan HUB’s Co-Director Giuseppe Pezzotti, online from Kyoto. Professor Pezzotti, who has been living in Japan for 36 years, outlined the diversities that can enrich our two culture’s interaction: key being the concept of wabi-sabi, the Japanese perception of beauty as imperfection, to be opposed and combined to western rational approach.

In the second part of the morning, Turin’s Mayor Stefano Lo Russo opened a round table with his greetings: “We strongly support this new effort aimed at spreading the name of our city and being a precious antenna for our local system’s internationalization”. Round table’s moderator was David Chiaramonti, Vice-rector for the University’s internationalization.

The following debate involved some of the main Turin’s entrepreneurial and cultural actors: Unione industriali, Confindustria Piemonte, Camera di Commercio di Torino, Fondazione Torino Musei, Centro di Conservazione e Restauro La Venaria Reale and Ordine degli Architetti PPC di Torino.

The discussion mainly focused on the way Japan is currently opening a favorable season for industrial collaborations involving universities and institutions. “Politecnico di Torino is consolidating and renewing thirty years of activities in Japan through the creation – being the first University in Italy - of an independent office that allows our professors and researchers to profit from this operational base and create new synergies and networks, also involving Piedmontese actors” stated Deputy Rector Laura Montanaro.