On September 24, 2025, Kyoto University’s Division of Graduate Studies (DoGS) welcomed a delegation of ten members from Clust-ER Innovate of the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy. The visit was made possible through the introduction of Kyoto City, and focused on exchanging ideas related to adult education, reskilling, and upskilling.

DoGS plays a central role in systematically organizing educational programs for working professionals across the entire university. Based on this foundation, the Division has launched the Social Innovation Human Resource Development Course, which offers cross-disciplinary recurrent education opportunities. By serving as a hub that connects diverse educational and research resources, DoGS enables professionals to pursue flexible and stage-appropriate learning throughout their careers.

The session began with an address in Italian by Professor Akira Murakami (Dean of the Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability, and Vice Director of DoGS). This was followed by a presentation from Professor Takashi Sekiyama (Director of the Center for Recurrent Education, DoGS / Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability), who introduced the overall concept of Kyoto University’s recurrent education initiatives.

Next, Professor Norio Sawabe (Dean of the Graduate School of Management) shared examples of practice-oriented education programs targeting working professionals. Drawing upon his long-standing academic exchange with the University of Bologna, he highlighted both the educational needs of practitioners and the potential for future international collaboration. The Italian participants raised many questions about Japan’s framework for recurrent education and the role of universities in building partnerships with industry, leading to a lively and fruitful discussion.

This exchange provided a valuable opportunity to explore new forms of collaboration between Italian industrial clusters and Japanese higher education institutions. Kyoto University’s Division of Graduate Studies is also able to design tailor-made programs for working professionals in collaboration with overseas universities and companies. We warmly encourage institutions and individuals interested in such collaboration to contact DoGS for further discussion.