People-to-People Exchange

　On May 24, the Launch Event for the Quad Fellowship was held at the Prime Minister's Office, following the 4th Quad Leaders’ Meeting.

　The event was attended by H.E. Mr. Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, The Honorable Anthony Albanese, MP, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, and the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States of America. Dr. Eric Braverman, CEO of Schmidt Futures, Dr. Matsumoto Yoichiro, Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. Umemoto Kazuyoshi, President of the Japan Foundation were also in attendance.

　The Quad Fellowship was announced at the 2nd Quad Summit (September 24, 2021) as an educational and people-to-people exchange cooperation program, and today its establishment was officially declared at the launch event.

　The fellowship awards 100 scholarships for master's and doctoral degrees in the U.S. for outstanding individuals in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) from four countries: Australia, India, Japan and the United States. Schmidt Futures operates and administers the program.

　At the event, Prime Minister Kishida officially declared the establishment of the Quad Fellowship, and stated that human wisdom is the foundation of a prosperous society. He also called on young students and researchers carrying forward our hopes for the future to actively take part in this promising Quad Fellowship, and expressed his expectations that the Fellowship would become a “bridge” connecting the four countries, and would be the driving force for growth, helping to resolve issues arising in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world.

［Reference］
　Website of the Quad Fellowship