International Collaboration

Pretoria – October 05, 2026 -- The 8th RD20 Conference will convene in Pretoria, South Africa, from October 19-23, 2026, marking the first time the international clean energy research initiative has held its annual gathering on the African continent.

CSIR Hosts First African Edition With AIST of Japan as Co-Organizer

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will host the event at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria, with Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) serving as co-organizer. RD20 (Research and Development 20 for Clean Energy Technologies) was launched in 2019 under Japanese leadership to coordinate R&D collaboration among research institutions from G20 countries toward carbon neutrality.

Conference Theme Targets Africa-Specific Energy Access and Critical Minerals

Under the theme "Accelerating Clean Energy Innovation: From Africa to the World,

Hong Kong – September 30, 2026 -- City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) climbed three places to rank 70th globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, its best result to date.

CityUHK retains world No. 1 in Industry pillar for fourth straight year

The university scored a perfect 100 in the Industry pillar, topping the global ranking for the fourth consecutive year on the strength of patent development, technology commercialisation and its innovation ecosystem. THE evaluated 2,297 institutions across 118 countries using 17 indicators across five pillars: Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, Industry and International Outlook.

Arkansas – September 14, 2026 -- Japan remains the largest foreign investor in Arkansas, operating more than 65 offices, research facilities, and manufacturing plants through over 30 companies, a footprint now extending into agricultural technology collaboration.

IEEE-USA and NARO convene the IWRC Smart Agriculture Technology Summit in Arkansas

The summit brings together NARO leadership, U.S. and Japanese agtech companies, entrepreneurs, researchers, and government officials to address open-field agriculture, controlled-environment farming, and food technology. Breakout sessions will cover advanced farming equipment, international research collaboration, and fertilizers and pesticides.