May 13, 2025
From April 22 to 23, more than 80 university leaders from 16 countries met at the University of Ottawa in Canada for the U7+ Alliance Presidential Summit. Keio University was represented by President Itoh, who attended the summit online for the Presidential Steering Committee Meeting, and Vice-President Tsuchiya, who acted as a presidential delegate on the ground in Ottawa.
The U7+ Alliance Presidential Summit is focused on providing university leaders the opportunity to engage in discussions and make recommendations to governments in order to address common issues and challenges faced by countries around the world.
This year, the U7+ Alliance issued a Communiqué entitled "The Role of Universities in Advancing AI," which contains recommendations about how institutions of higher learning should contribute to the responsible development of artificial intelligence technologies. The presidents of 40 universities, including President Itoh, endorsed the Communiqué, which was then delivered to representatives from the Canadian government who will be chairing this year's G7 summit.
About the U7+ Alliance of World Universities
The U7+ Alliance of World Universities was established in 2019 on the initiative of the Sciences Po in France. As of April 2025, it comprises 54 member universities from 19 countries. Besides universities from G7 nations, there are also member universities from South Korea, India, Australia, South Africa, Nigeria, and other countries.