Dr. Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, delivered a public lecture titled, Strengthening the ties that bind us - education, research and the question of identity, at Waseda University on 17 May 2016. The lecture attracted an audience of almost 200, including Waseda faculty and students, European and Japanese diplomats, and the general public.

Commissioner Navracsics addressed key issues such as the diversity of education, which is of relevance to both European and Japanese universities, and explained major international exchange programs of the EU such as Erasmus+ and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). In addition, he reflected on the issue of international mobility and the creation of European identity.

The lecture was followed by a roundtable discussion among four Japanese Erasmus Mundus and Marie Curie Actions alumni and the Commissioner, chaired by Ms. Sarah Wooten, Head of PR Section at the EU Delegation to Japan. The alumni shared their international experience with the audience, highlighted major challenges they faced during the exchange programs, and explained how they overcame them.

Many questions were addressed to both the Commissioner and the alumni during the Q & A session, and this is a strong indication of interest of Japanese students and researchers in the EU's flagship international exchange programs.

Waseda University hosts the European Union Institute in Japan, which promotes academic cooperation between Japan and the EU, as part of the its international education and research program. Waseda is proud of its status as the top university in Japan for study abroad, and one of the most international, with 700 partner institutions in over 80 countries worldwide.