The MoU was formally exchanged on December 19, 2024, by Prof. Shireesh B. Kedare, Director of IIT Bombay, and Prof. Teiji Tominaga, President of Tohoku University, in the presence of Dr. Sharad Kumar Saraf, Chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT Bombay, along with distinguished representatives from TU Japan. As part of this collaborative initiative, the Dual-Doctoral Degree Ph.D. Program (DDDP)/Cotutelle was launched for the academic year 2025???26, with the MoU signing for this specific program held on April 15, 2025, hosted by Tohoku University. The program aims to facilitate joint Master's and Ph.D. research, offering students dual supervision, access to cutting-edge research facilities, and immersive academic experiences across both institutions.

During Week 1, we welcomed 30 students, while Week 2 saw an increase in participation with 51 students, bringing the total to over 81 participants. Across these two weeks, eleven courses were offered covering diverse topics such as continuous process intensification, financial derivatives, mechatronics, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, sustainability, energy data analytics, network security, and climate intelligence. Participants represented a truly diverse international cohort, joining us from over 16 countries including Bangladesh, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States and from more than 24 universities. Esteemed institutions included KU Leuven, Technical University of Denmark, ESCP Business School, Politecnico di Milano, Kyoto University, Tohoku University, The University of Tokyo, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Birmingham City University, Dhofar University, Financial University, Universidade de Vigo, among many others from around the world.

IIT Bombay had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Koji Yagi, Consul General of Japan in Mumbai, and Ms. Megumi Hamuro, Consul (Cultural Section), on July 23, 2025. The delegation engaged with faculty and leadership across several strategic initiatives, including the IITB Research Park, Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), Japanese-connected start-ups incubated under SINE, Semiconductor Research Group, Technology Innovation Hub, and Disaster Management Team.