Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) has joined hands with Miyazaki University, one of Japan's most prestigious universities, to conduct world-leading research in the field of zoonotic diseases.

To this end, Tatsuo Suganuma, President of Miyazaki University, and Masugi Maruyama, Vice President for International Exchange, visited JBNU on December 7, met with President Seo Geoseok and Jo Du-yeon, Director of the Institute of Zoonotic Diseases, and signed an academic exchange agreement.

Miyazaki University was founded in 1949 and merged with Miyazaki Medical College in October 2003. It is ranked among the top ten universities in Japan. The relationship began when President Akinobu Sumiyoshi visited in 2008 to discuss cooperation, and in December 2009 the two universities signed an academic exchange agreement.

The agreement is intended to carry out world-class research on zoonotic diseases, a mutual area of interest for both universities, following the start of institutional-level cooperation. Miyazaki University has shown particular interest in benchmarking JBNU's world-class Institute of Zoonotic Diseases and its specialized veterinary medicine programs.

Under the agreement, the Institute of Zoonotic Diseases and Miyazaki University will jointly carry out research projects on zoonotic diseases and actively engage in education, personnel, and material exchanges in related fields.

President Seo Geoseok said, "The Institute of Zoonotic Diseases is a research institute leading cutting-edge research on zoonotic diseases that cause fatal harm to humans and animals," and added, "Through this agreement, I expect the two universities to engage in close collaboration in the field of zoonotic disease research and produce world-class research outcomes."

Tatsuo Suganuma, President of Miyazaki University, said, "We are very pleased to sign an agreement to conduct world-class research on zoonotic diseases with JBNU, which possesses a world-class Institute of Zoonotic Diseases and excels particularly in agricultural life sciences and veterinary medicine," adding, "Through this agreement, I hope the two universities will closely exchange their outstanding research capabilities and achieve strong results in the field of zoonotic diseases."