Okayama University Institute of Plant Science and Resources (IPSR) and Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research (BTI) (Ithaca, NY, USA) signed formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) document in a short ceremony held on Aug-26, 2015.
BTI, which has been established in 1924, is an internationally highly recognized plant research institution. In a signing ceremony moderated by Professor Ivan Galis of IPSR, BTI’s Vice President for Research, Prof. Dr. Eric Richards and the director of IPSR, Prof. Dr. Masahiko Maekawa presented and signed the document, respectively. In his speech, Professor Maekawa remarked “It is a highly meaningful fact that the two institutes with approximately century long history agreed on making international collaborative efforts to improve food security by scientific approaches”. After the ceremony, an informal reception was held to celebrate the establishment of MoU. In addition, Professor Richards gave a special lecture on his research field, plant epigenetics and stress responses, attended by over 50 participants from both, inside and outside, the University.
In the future, both institutes are planning to organize collaborative research and symposium, aiming the intensification of interactions between both institutes.

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