Preparation of a Joint Master between the Universities of Bordeaux Tsukuba (Japan) and Taiwan in the interface areas o

Mid-January, a delegation from the University of Tsukuba and the National Taiwan University visited Bordeaux for the fourth Global Innovation Program (GIP) conference. Professors, researchers and international relations staff from all universities attended to decide the next steps in the creation of a joint Master Degree in Agro-Biomedical Science.

"Ishoku-dougen," a Japanese saying of Chinese origin, means "food is medicine".  Today, threats to food security, reduced healthcare budgets, etc., are international issues that are of increasing importance to society. The aim of this Master program is to train global professionals who are capable of managing such modern-day challenges within the domains of food and health.
“Our objective is to educate and train ‘global’ graduates for modern challenges in food, health, environment and energy. These graduates will be international managers, ready and equipped to collaborate in any global context and company”, states Pr Kumagaï (Environmental Biology Section, Faculty of Medicine / Program Coordinator for the Global Innovation Joint Degree Program, University of Tsukuba).
The title of the degree already reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the program; a combination of agriculture and medical sciences. In addition, the joint Master reflects the international outlook that brings together specific skills, expertise and environments from the three universities:
 
“Our students will benefit from not only three different academic environments but also from three different business environments. The Master program places a strong focus on the working world and internships in order to develop important entrepreneurial skills” explains Pr Lee (Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University)
The joint Master degree in Agro-Biomedical Science will welcome students for its first year as of September 2017. Excellence is the keyword for the program and highly selective criteria will ensure that only top-level students may follow the joint Master degree. 15 places in total are available per year and reserved for candidates with a global outlook (multilingual and mobile). Such a profile is necessary in order to complete the program which is organised with one semester taking place in each partner university (Tsukuba, followed by Taiwan, followed by Bordeaux with the final semester performed in a company or a lab, location at choice).
“Our collaboration with the University of Tsukuba and the National Taiwan University in the creation of this joint Master degree is just the tip of the iceberg. Within the framework of the ‘Top Global University Project’, we are working together on numerous other joint projects in: neuroscience, health, IT, chemistry, etc. Together, our aim is to provide truly global programs that will prepare students for the society of tomorrow” concludes Pr Vincent Dousset (Vice-President, International Relations, University of Bordeaux)