Scientific Cooperation at the Heart of Digital Sovereignty Issues

Against a backdrop of intensifying global technological competition and the need to secure supply chains, the European Union and Japan are strengthening their scientific cooperation on the technologies that will shape the economy of tomorrow.
Organized by the University of Grenoble Alpes and the University of Tsukuba, the second symposium of the EU-Japan Network for Digital Foundations is part of the digital partnership between the European Union and Japan. Over the course of two days, it brought together universities, research organizations, industry representatives, and public policymakers around a shared vision for research and innovation in fundamental digital technologies. Participants included European institutions such as the CEA, the CNRS, Inria, the universities of the UDICE network, and IMEC, as well as Japanese partners such as AIST, Tohoku University, and the Institute of Science Tokyo. Also in attendance were invited institutions, notably Fraunhofer, as well as industry partners such as IBM Japan, SEMI Europe, Fujitsu Europe, and Hitachi Europe.

By the numbers:

• 70 participants
• 15 countries represented
• More than 30 universities, research organizations, and industry partners
• 3 international working groups
• 1 Europe-Japan Strategic White Paper to be published

Three Key Areas for a Joint Roadmap

The main outcome of this second edition will be a strategic white paper to be published in the coming weeks. The result of a year of work that began with the inaugural symposium in Tokyo, it identifies the scientific priorities on which Europe and Japan wish to focus their joint efforts, organized around three key areas:

• Artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on the interactions between AI for Science and Science for AI, as well as their applications.
• Computing technologies, including next-generation semiconductors, microelectronics, quantum technologies, and spintronics.
• Sustainable digital technologies, to design digital infrastructures that are more energy-efficient, more effective, and more environmentally friendly.

Each working group identified several research priorities and began forming international consortia to respond to future European and Japanese calls for proposals.

An integrated platform bridging research, industry, and government

The network’s uniqueness lies in its integrated approach. Beyond scientific exchanges, it brings together key players in innovation to accelerate the transfer of knowledge to industrial applications and enhance the appeal of strategic digital sectors to talent.
The symposium received support from the Mission of Japan to the European Union and featured the participation of representatives from the European Commission, as well as major international industry players, including IBM Japan, STMicroelectronics, and Hitachi Europe. The partner institutions include universities in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Japan, as well as major research organizations such as the CNRS, the CEA, Inria, AIST, and IMEC.

Next step: turning priorities into research projects

Following the Brussels symposium, the working groups are continuing their discussions to translate the identified priorities into collaborative projects, promote the mobility of researchers and students, and strengthen partnerships between laboratories, universities, and industry.
The third symposium will be held in Japan in 2027. It will provide an opportunity to showcase the first collaborations that have been launched and to continue building this scientific alliance in support of digital innovation.