The Inter-University Exchange Project (IUEP) is an initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) launched in 2011 in order to cultivate global talent to play active roles internationally and to strengthen the global capacity of university education. It aims to support study abroad by Japanese students and strategic intake of foreign students through international education partnerships with universities in Asia, the United States, Europe, and other regions, while assuring the quality of higher education.
Within this broader initiative, IUEP-ASEAN aims specifically to advance exchange with universities and other institutions in member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Three projects were selected under IUEP-ASEAN in 2011, fourteen in 2012, seven in 2013, and eight in 2016 (each with a project period of five years). Each project has developed/ is developing short-term study abroad programs and double/joint degree programs, to provide numerous Japanese students with opportunities to study abroad, and to accept foreign students funded by MEXT.
The AIMS (ASEAN International Mobility for Students) programme is a student exchange program for undergraduate students pushed by SEAMEO-RIHED (Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation - Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development) and Japan has participated as part of the Inter-University Exchange Project since 2013. It is intended to activate student exchange between ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei) and Japan and promote community-building in ASEAN countries. This programme encourages the boosting of one’s awareness as a part of the community including that of Japan by developing the abilities of students to be active in an international environment and promoting bonding with students in other countries.
