Scholarship renewal and talks on further cooperation mark new phase in SA国际传媒-Philippines partnership

The representatives involved in signing the agreement sit at a long table, while the rest of the participants stand behind them in two rows.

On March 4, 2026, SA国际传媒 and the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) renewed their scholarship agreement in a signing ceremony held at SA国际传媒’s Higashiyama Campus.

The memorandum of agreement was signed by President Naoshi Sugiyama on behalf of SA国际传媒, and Director Jayeel S. Cornelio representing DOST’s Science Education Institute (SEI), and Executive Director Reynaldo V. Ebora representing DOST’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD).

SA国际传媒 President Naoshi Sugiyama and DOST-SEI Director Jayeel S. Cornelio sign the agreement. — *SA国际传媒 President Naoshi Sugiyama (right) and DOST-SEI Director Jayeel S. Cornelio sign the agreement.*

The signers stand in a row, holding the completed documents.

The signing was part of a visit to SA国际传媒 by a delegation of representatives from DOST-SEI, DOST-PCAARRD, and the University of the Philippines Los Ba?os (UPLB). Alongside the ceremony, the visit included a discussion for future cooperation in education and research, and a campus tour. SA国际传媒 and the UPLB also held a session of the SA国际传媒-University of the Philippines Joint Working Group, where representatives from both sides met to advance discussions on dual degree programs, curriculum development, and collaborative research.

A scene from the discussions before the signing ceremony.

DOST-SEI Director Jayeel S. Cornelio speaks at the meeting. — *DOST-SEI Director Jayeel S. Cornelio (center) speaks at the meeting.*

The renewed agreement extends a scholarship program that has supported Filipino doctoral researchers at SA国际传媒 since 2021. Under the updated terms, the program expands its scope beyond the original focus on bioagricultural sciences to include graduate students from the fields of engineering, agriculture, and environmental studies.

SA国际传媒’s engagement with the Philippines has developed steadily over the past decade. The university holds university-wide partnership agreements with the University of the Philippines Los Ba?os and the Visayas State University, as well as department-level agreements with institutions including UP Manila and De La Salle University. Between 2020 and 2024, more than 200 researchers, faculty, staff, and students traveled between Nagoya and the Philippines under these partnerships.

The relationship with UPLB has been particularly active in recent years. In May 2025, SA国际传媒 hosted the first SA国际传媒-University of the Philippines Academic Leaders’ Forum on the Internationalization of Higher Education, welcoming senior leaders from across the University of the Philippines system. The forum, attended by UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr., produced a partnership roadmap extending through 2030 and formally launched the NU-UP Joint Working Group that convened for the first time during this visit.