INTERNATIONAL: East Japan Railway has signed a memorandum of understanding to work with the UK’s University of Birmingham on innovative technology and staff skills development.
Shunzo Miyake, Director General of International Affairs at JR East, said the partnership announced on February 19 aims to ‘develop railway technology and generate innovation that will change the future of the rail industry’.
JR East specialists will join their counterparts in the Rail Innovation Cluster at the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education to work with start-up companies in Europe.
The partnership will also establish an innovation hub at Takanawa Gateway City in Japan, which opens to the public later this year.
There will be an educational programme for railway staff, and joint research into fields such as digital transformation and decarbonisation.
‘Working with leading international partners opens several opportunities for academia and industry to work together and showcase the impact of applied R&D’, said Professor Stephen Jarvis from University of Birmingham.
