6th SOUTH AFRICA-JAPAN UNIVERSITY FORUM (SAJU 6)

Fostering Sustainable Partnerships in Research, Innovation and Impact

Date: 27 – 29 August 2024

Location: Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Background
The South Africa-Japan University Forum (SAJU) provides a structured framework for collaboration between the higher education institutions of the two countries. As platform of engagement and exchange, its goals are to: (1) increase the mobility of researchers and students; (2) increase joint R&D collaboration; (3) establish exchange programmes among universities; and (4) institutionalise cooperation among universities between the two countries.

Launched in 2007 with the first meeting taking place in Hiroshima, SAJU has been held on regular basis as primarily a gathering of higher education institution representatives, with alternate hosts in Japan and South Africa. The 4th SAJU meeting saw the scope of the Forum expand to include representatives from government, industry and funding agencies.

The 5th SAJU Forum of 2022, held virtually, carried the theme of ‘Open Collaboration and Innovation with Trust.’ It built on the initiative of the preceding Forum and sought to strengthen networking between academic, industry and government stakeholders in Japan and South Africa.

The 6th SAJU Forum hosted by Stellenbosch University on 27-29 August 2024 aims to consolidate and extend this dialogue among the multiple institutional partners in research and innovation. It takes as point of departure the commitment towards deepened and broadened collaboration made at the 5th SAJU Forum.

The Format

The Forum will be a combination of an abstract-driven academic conference with oral and poster presentations, panel discussions and interactive networking sessions.

It will be an in-person conference with live-streaming of selected sessions. Academic and networking sessions will be held in plenary and thematic (parallel) format.

Under the main conference theme, papers and contributions are invited under the following sub-themes: Health and wellbeing; Social justice and development; Systems and technologies for the future.

Timeline

February 6, 2024

Save the Date

February 15, 2024

1st call for Abstracts

April 8, 2024

2nd call for Abstracts

May 2, 2024

Notification of Selection Results

May 3 – August 1, 2024

Conference and Speaker Registration

SAJU 6 Venue and Logistics  

Are you interested in attending SAJU 6 in August? You can find all the necessary information related to the event on our venue and logistics page. This includes details about:  

  • Event Venue: Details about Technopark and its location.   
  • Accommodation: Options for finding a place to stay during your visit.   
  • Logistics & Transportation: Information on getting to Stellenbosch and navigating the area.   
  • South African Weather & Climate in August: What to expect weather-wise during the event. 

SAJU 6 is organised in association with representatives from the following institutions: 

  • Embassy of Japan in South Africa 
  • Embassy of South Africa in Japan   
  • Institute for Developing Economies-Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO)   
  • Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)   
  • Kyoto University   
  • Stellenbosch University   
  • Tokyo University of Foreign Studies   
  • Tsukuba University   
  • Universities South Africa