We are strengthening our research links with Japan with the appointment of Professor Claire O’Malley as the UK co-chair of the Japan-UK RENKEI consortium.
Launched in 2012 by the UK and Japanese governments, RENKEI is a strategic partnership between 10 UK and Japanese research-intensive universities aimed at developing collaborations with industry, governments and civil society to address global research challenges.
Professor O’Malley, who is our Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global), will take up the one-year UK co-chair role from 1 October.
We joined RENKEI – which in Japanese means collaboration – in 2021.
Our membership supports Durham researchers in making new connections to address pressing global issues and is offering new opportunities for our students and their counterparts in Japan.
In May 2025, we hosted a three-day Just Transitions to a Net Zero World Workshop, led by Durham’s £5m Strategic Research Fund, the JusTN0W initiative.
We welcomed over 70 RENKEI researchers, the Japanese Deputy Ambassador to the UK, Masahiro Ikegami, and representatives from UK and Japanese funding agencies.
Researchers worked together and pitched proposals on themes including just transitions in urban environments and industry; policy impacts of just transitions; access to affordable energy; and improving environmental public health.
Durham has a longstanding connection with Japan with many research and partnerships across the country.
Over the last five years, researchers across all four of our faculties collaborated with colleagues at some 200 institutions in Japan to produce over 600 joint publications.
Collaborations span a breadth of disciplines to address global challenges including climate change and energy, health, emerging technologies, and space and satellite technologies.
Durham-Japan collaborations have conducted cutting-edge research to improve lives across the world, in fields such as disaster prevention, sea-level change, and fertility science.
Professor Chris Done (Physics) is one of the scientists leading the XRISM mission, a collaboration between the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and NASA, with significant participation from the European Space Agency.
We have student exchange agreements with 11 Japanese universities, while our researchers actively engage with industry partners, including Japanese multinationals based in the North East of England.
Durham’s history of friendship and cooperation with Japan dates back to the 19th century. Given our shared commitment to academic freedom and research excellence, there are tremendous opportunities for us to work even more closely with our Japanese colleagues to address global challenges: from climate change and clean energy to AI and robotics; from quantum and space to health and biotech. Our membership of RENKEI is key to achieving this. As the UK co-chair of RENKEI, I very much look forward to strengthening our research partnerships with Japanese universities.
More about Professor Claire O’Malley.
RENKEI is a partnership between 10 universities in Japan and the UK.
More about the Just Transitions to a Net Zero World Workshop.
Our staff and students come from over 120 countries, creating an outward-looking, globally-minded and inclusive University. See more about Global Durham.
Interested in studying at Durham? Explore our courses and see more about being an international student at Durham.
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