As a central pillar of the UZH-KU Strategic Partnership established in 2020, several faculty members and young researchers from CiRA and the Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IREM) attended the University of Zurich-Kyoto University Symposium "Improving Quality of Life - What We Can Learn From Each Other," held at the University of Zurich on February 4-6, 2026.

Before official events began on the first day, CiRA members took the opportunity to visit the Wyss Zurich Translational Center (Wyss Zurich), an accelerator designed to advance innovations in emerging fields of regenerative medicine, robotics, and medical devices/bionic technologies arising from the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich. Amanda Gogates, Managing Director, introduced Wyss Zurich and its unique operational model for supporting the development of promising projects into sustainable real-world applications. Following the overview, the group traveled to the nearby Good Manufacturing Practice facility, where Martin Kayser, Chief Technology Officer, explained the technology platform available to help its project leaders maximize their inventions, taking them from basic scientific discoveries to industry scales and ensuring that they meet regulatory standards.

The CiRA group, including Director Jun Takahashi, Professor Hirohide Saito, and Associate Professor Knut Woltjen, Junior Associate Professor Kelvin Hui, as well as early-career researchers Suji Lee and Denise Zujur, then reconvened with others from the Kyoto University delegation, including researchers in environmental biology, AI ethics, law, and cultural studies, to join a warm welcome reception also attended by the Japanese Ambassador to Switzerland and the leadership of both universities.

The next morning, through the opening plenary session, delegates from both sides shared how the different groups of UZH and KU researchers are combining their knowledge and wisdom to enhance the quality of life. In the afternoon, participants learned about funding opportunities available for collaborative research between the two nations. The first breakout session followed, in which IREM and CiRA members discussed details of future collaborations and listened to presentations from several young researchers on their individual or joint research projects.

The final day of the activities continued with a second breakout session, joined virtually by CiRA members in Japan and several members from other Swiss universities. To facilitate further collaborations between IREM and CiRA and expand our research network to other Swiss universities, as well as collaborators from Belgium, multiple researchers gave flash talks to introduce their research and expertise. Following that, young researchers from both sides participated in a dedicated pitch session, in which they introduced their research projects to the general audience. During the afternoon's closing plenary, representatives from each UZH-KU group summarized their group discussions and outlined plans for future collaborative work.

Bringing together senior and junior researchers as well as university leadership, the symposium proved to be a resounding success--strengthening the partnership between UZH and KU and identifying new pathways forward to improve quality of life in Switzerland, Japan, and beyond.

Symposium participants from IREM and CiRA gather for a commemorative group photo.