UW–Japan engineering and technology forum bridges gaps and showcases Wisconsin industry innovation

On Oct. 22 and 23, 2025, UW-Madison, the Japan–America Society of Wisconsin (JASWI), and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) co-hosted more 80 attendees at the 2025 UW–Japan Engineering & Technology Forum.

Organized by the College of Engineering, Grainger Institute for Engineering and Office of Corporate Relations, the College of Letters and Sciences, and the UW-Madison Office of Business Engagement, the forum brought together U.S. and Japanese industry, academia and government and featured university innovations in clean energy, quantum and artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing. The event showcased cutting-edge UW-Madison research capabilities, facilitated connections between academics and companies with aligned interests, encouraged mutually beneficial funding and hiring, and emphasized the unique role of the university’s institutional organizations—among them, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

“We chose the innovation focus areas because those are where Japan has many aligned objectives and strong interests,” says Russ Johnson, College of Engineering corporate relations director. “It worked out very well to partner with JASWI and WEDC to bring in executives from Japanese-based companies that have a presence in Wisconsin, the Midwest, and across the United States. These are companies that may not have known about the capabilities of UW-Madison or the College of Engineering. I think we succeeded at that.”

Held at the Discovery Building on campus, the Oct. 23 program included remarks and presentations from keynote speakers, student poster sessions, and breakout tours based on the clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and quantum and AI technology areas.

Notable speakers included UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, Grainger Dean of the College of Engineering Devesh Ranjan, Erik Iverson and Greg Keenan of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, acting Consul General Naoya Kishi of the Japanese Consulate in Chicago, Sam Rikkers of WEDC, College of Letters and Science Dean Eric Wilcots, and Andrew Seaborg of the Honorary Consul of Japan in Wisconsin. Presenters all underscored the university’s growing commitment to partnership with Japan and its recognition of Japan’s importance to Wisconsin’s innovation and economy.

In-depth tours and accompanying presentations created direct interaction among faculty, PhD students, and Japanese corporate representatives with shared research interests, highlighting UW-Madison’s labs and ongoing projects. Cross-institutional collaboration was a key element in the forum, which showcased faculty research that also could benefit from funding or corporate support, as well as students who might be good fits for internships or open positions.

The forum established UW-Madison, WEDC and JASWI as central platforms for ongoing knowledge sharing, relationship building, and collaboration among academia, industry and government.

JASWI is a newly launched nonprofit organization and one of the most recent additions to the 41 total Japan–America Societies belonging to the National Association of Japan America Societies in the United States. JASWI’s goal is to promote and strengthen U.S.-Japan relationships in Wisconsin. Through the forum, JASWI connected corporate representatives and academic researchers while illustrating Wisconsin’s engineering and technology expertise to the Japanese government. Although individual collaborations already exist sporadically, the forum put interested parties in the same room, allowing organized opportunities for communication.

Kerry Clark, JASWI executive director, says Japanese representatives were impressed with what they saw and especially valued their interactions with UW-Madison students. “The energy in the room was palpable,” she says. “I noticed many conversations between professors, students and Japanese companies who all seemed to appreciate the opportunity for focused connection.”

Johnson noted the personal interactions facilitated through the poster session. “I think that was one of the highlights of the whole trip for the folks who were visiting us,” he says. “The success of this forum is evidence that we need to do this more often. The capabilities of the university—and particularly the College of Engineering—are incredible. When companies come to campus, conversations can continue, resulting in sponsored research and deeper partnerships.”

In addition to the formal forum, an Oct. 22 “early-bird” program allowed Japanese visitors to experience even more of Wisconsin. It included tours of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Dairy Cattle Center and of the Exact Sciences automated laboratories, as well as welcome drinks at Octopi Brewing, which manufactures iconic Japanese beer Asahi Super Dry in Waunakee, Wisconsin.

Top photo caption: Stephanie Diem, nuclear engineering and engineering physics assistant professor, gives forum attendees a tour of her Pegasus-III fusion energy lab—part of the clean energy interest area. Photos: Todd Brown.