Ceremonial Signing of Memorandum of Agreement for the Mindanao Japan Science and Technology Platform (MJ STEP) Scholarship Program
Feb 2 2021 | TTBDO | Via Zoom
The Technology Transfer Business and Development Office (TTBDO) of UP Mindanao facilitated the virtual Memorandum of Agreement signing ceremony between UP Mindanao and Mindanao-Japan Science and Technology Platform.
The Mindanao-Japan Science and Technology Program (MJ SteP), a newly established non-profit organization represented by Mr. Toyoaki Miwa, launches a scholarship program that will financially support Filipino students/researchers studying in Japan as part of the collaborative project between industry and academe in the region. MJ STeP offers this privileged partnership with UP Mindanao to be one of the four participating universities of the Hyphenated Grant Program.
The objective of the scholarship program is to support the development of the Mindanao region and strengthen the linkage between Japan and the Philippines.
"Mr. Miwa introduced himself as the founder of a company that trains Japanese CPAs to qualify in the US CPA exams. “Knowing that my brother has been working to launch an industry-academic-government collaboration project, my part could be to provide scholarships. I believe that education and technological advancement are essential to long-run economic growth,” he said.
Consul-General Miwa expressed his hopes for the project despite the end of his assignment in Davao. “I am also coordinating with Cagayan de Oro to establish a science and technology park in their city, I hope that both the CDO and Davao projects will be realized so that those two regions will be the growth center in Mindanao, and with a spillover effect in between the areas, Mindanao will develop as a whole,” he said."
"This scholarship offer aligns with UP Mindanao’s mission to be responsive and relevant to the diverse sectors in Mindanao and to sustain Mindanao heritage and biodiversity through innovative systems and technologies," said Chancellor Digal. "Thus on behalf of UP Mindanao, I sincerely commit to fulfilling the obligations of the university as stated in the memorandum of agreement for the scholarship program offered by the Mindanao Japan Science and Technology Platform.”