Minister Lawless to begin week long mission in Japan and Singapore to build research and innovation connections
-
From: Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
- Published on: 22 July 2025
- Last updated on: 22 July 2025
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless will today begin a week long mission to Japan and Singapore, focused on building research and innovation connections and promoting Ireland as a location for international research collaborations.
In Japan the Minister will meet with Mr Minoru Kiuchi, Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy as well as visiting the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and the RIKEN Centre for Computational Science, location of the world’s leading supercomputer.
Minister Lawless said:
“I am very excited to be travelling to Japan, which is Ireland’s closest partner in Asia. Research and innovation have long been recognised as the engine of sustainable economic growth, and I believe that building international research and innovation collaborations is crucial in addressing the global challenges we face. I look forward to exploring opportunities to strengthen partnerships between our research and innovation communities both under Horizon Europe and bilaterally.”
While in Japan the Minister will also visit Ireland’s pavilion at EXPO 25 in Osaka where he will meet with a number of this year’s Young Scientists prize winners whose award-winning ACT (Aid Care Treat) emergency response app drew national attention. The Minister’s programme builds on the Taoiseach’s recent visit and official opening of Ireland House Tokyo, expanding Team Ireland’s presence in Japan.
The Minster will continue his programme with a series of engagements in Singapore, the business and innovation hub of the south-east Asia region. Here he will meet with Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Education to exchange experiences on the role of their respective departments in promoting research and innovation in Singapore and Ireland.
He will also meet with representatives from leading research institutes A*STAR and the National Research Foundation, as well as engagements with Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore Management University and Skills Future Singapore.
Minister Lawless said:
“I see skills as foundational to the innovation journey. The opportunity to meet Skills Future Singapore is an important opportunity to identify how Singapore and Ireland may face the same challenges when it comes to skills, and how we can learn from each other in delivering these skills to contribute to the prosperity of our respective countries.”