Belgian princely mission to Japan :
HEPL deepens relationships with its partners
Monday, December 19, 2022 - 16:22
The large Belgian delegation which visited the Japanese archipelago as part of this economic mission included members of the academic world, including Annick LAPIERRE, Director-President of HEPL, and Morgane LAMOUREUX, from the International Relations Office of the HEPL.
Renewal of agreements
As part of Erasmus+ exchanges, HEPL has maintained privileged relationships with several Japanese higher education institutions for a little over twenty years.
Thus, on December 5, 2022, Izuru UMEHARA, President of YNU (Yokohama National University) and Annick LAPIERRE, Director-President of HEPL, renewed the agreements concluded several years ago by the two institutions regarding exchanges of students and teachers, during an official signing ceremony in Tokyo, chaired by HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium.
Partner meetings
The HEPL has also entered into agreements of this type with two other Japanese universities: Kanagawa University and Osaka International University. This trip made it possible to visit these institutions and to meet, at Kanagawa University, two HEPL students who are currently doing their Erasmus+ stay there.
These students were invited by Pascale Delcomminette, General Administrator of AWEX (Walloon Export and Foreign Investment Agency) and WBI (Wallonia-Brussels International), to accompany Annick LAPIERRE and Morgane Lamoureux, to the French-speaking cocktail organized on December 4, 2022 in Tokyo, on the occasion of the princely mission and in the presence of HRH Princess Astrid.
Note that HEPL is currently welcoming four students from Kanagawa University, who are taking semester courses in English offered in the economic and technical fields.
Open up new opportunities
During the stay, the HEPL was able to meet with potential institutional partners with a view to opening up new internship and exchange opportunities. At the same time, it collected the expectations of Belgian companies present in Japan, such as Eurogentec, regarding the training of their future employees.
HEPL’s success at the Game Jam
It was on December 9, 2022 that the results of the Game Jam organized by Wallonie-Bruxelles Campus (WBI agency responsible for promoting higher education in French-speaking Belgium), WALGA (Wallonia Game Developers Association), the Liège Game Lab (video game research collective from ULiège), AWEX and the Japan BitSummit Organization Committee.
The ceremony, chaired by HRH Princess Astrid, saw the consecration, in Tokyo, of the work of teams made up of Belgian and Japanese students. Eight participants in this competition, organized as part of the Princely Mission and similar to a hackathon focused on the creation of a video game, were from HEPL and, more specifically, from the Bachelors in Multimedia Writing and e-Business.
The video game “Be careful, Kiko!” », created by the team in which Élena VANDERBRUGGEN, a multimedia writing student at HEPL, worked, won the Best Concept Award. This award also recognizes the work of the game designers, who were able to collaborate remotely for this creative, intensive and 100% virtual adventure.
Please note that the HEPL is working, in close collaboration with the HEAJ (Haute École Albert Jacquard), to set up a transitional Bachelor's degree in video games which will lead to a Master's degree.
