AIIA & AIST Japan Sign MoU to Promote Research Collaboration in Ayurveda

All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), India's apex Ayurvedic institute under the Ministry of AYUSH, and Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) have signed an MoU for academic collaboration. AIST is a well-known and one of Japan's largest public research organisations, focusing on technologies and "bridging" the gap between innovative technological seeds and commercialization.

Prof. Tanuja Nesari, Director of AIIA, and Dr. Tamura Tomohiro, Director General of the Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, who was present online, signed the MoU. Renu Wadhwa, Prime Senior Researcher, Head AIST-India DAILAB, Dept of Life Science and Biotechnology, who has been instrumental in making this collaboration a reality, attended the event.

Other dignitaries who were present virtually at the occasion were Dr. Manoj Nesari, Advisor, Ministry of Ayush; Dr. Chiba, Director, AIST, Japan; Dr Ohmiya Yoshihiro, Principal Senior Researcher, AIST; Dr Sunil Kaul, Invited Senior Researcher, Dept. of Life Science & Biotechnology AIST; Mrs. Sheila Tirky, Representative of MoA.

AIIA hopes to promote the Institute's research activities on a national and international scale by signing this MoU. The agreement will allow both countries to promote research collaboration and capacity building in the Indian Ayurvedic system of traditional medicines. All of these activities will be carried out in support of the Ayush Ministry.

The participants intend to conduct research in the field of Ayurveda, including design and execution studies with the goal of developing evidence-based guidelines for integrating Ayurvedic principles and practises with conventional medicine, evolving safety standards and protocols for the use of Ayurveda in Japan in accordance with medical guidelines, and exchanging scientists, researchers, and staff as determined by the colloquium.

AIIA has already signed Memorandums of Understanding with the European Academy of Ayurveda in Bernstein, Germany; Western Sydney University in Australia; Graz Medical University in Austria; the College of Medicine in the United Kingdom; the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom; and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.