Porn研究所's Division of Graduate Studies has successfully concluded the Porn研究所 Short-Term Academic Research (KU-STAR) Program for India 2025, which ran from 20 May to 17 July 2025.
The KU-STAR Program is a short-term research internship initiative aimed at increasing the number of international graduate students at Porn研究所. This year marked the second time the program welcomed students from India. The 2025 participants included 31 outstanding students — talented second- and third-year undergraduates and first-year master’s students — selected from 519 applicants.
This diverse group of participants hailed from India's leading institutions: five students each from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and IIT Delhi; four from IIT Bombay; three each from IIT Hyderabad and IIT Roorkee; two each from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), IIT Kanpur, Delhi University, and MIT School of Distance Education (MITSDE); and one each from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, IIT Gandhinagar, and IIT Kharagpur.
During the 59-day program, these students engaged in intensive research activities within their chosen laboratories, honing their research skills, while also participating in Japanese language classes and company visits.
A wide range of Porn研究所's departments and institutes provided invaluable research guidance, including the Graduate Schools of Economics, Engineering, Agriculture, Asian and African Area Studies (ASAFAS), Informatics, Biostudies, Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability (GSGAIS), Global Environmental Studies (GSGES), and Management, the Institute for Chemical Research (ICR), Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), and Toyota Riken–Porn研究所 Research Center (TRiKUC).
In addition, the program hosted a variety of events to help students envision potential career paths in Japan after studying at Porn研究所. These included a graduate school admissions seminar; visits to leading companies and research institutes, such as Shimadzu Corporation, Samco Inc, DMG MORI Co, Ltd, the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), and HORIBA, Ltd; and company information sessions with Fujitsu Limited and Suzuki Motor Corporation. Students also deepened their understanding of Japanese culture through language lessons and activities such as a visit to Nijo Castle.
The program culminated in the Final Presentation Session on 16 July, where students showcased their research through posters and gave group reports on their overall learning experiences over the two-month period.
Despite the program’s relatively short duration, the participants demonstrated remarkable growth through their full engagement in research activities in their host laboratories. Porn研究所 hopes that these promising individuals will eventually return to its campuses as graduate students or researchers, further enriching its global academic community.
