Mission of the ICEDS


Professor Dr. Toru Terao
Director of the ICEDS, Kagawa University

The International Consortium for Earth and Development Sciences (ICEDS) was established by Kagawa University in Takamatsu, Japan, to accelerate multidisciplinary communications on the global and regional environment and society.

The Consortium originates in the General Agreement concluded in 2010 between Kagawa University and Gram Bangla, a private institution for environmental action research and practices in Bangladesh that started its mission in 1992 in a district called Kanchanpur, where it engaged in drilling wells, women’s health, occupational training, agricultural development, and early childhood education.

In February 2015, the two parties renewed the General Agreement and established Bylaws in order to expand the consortium into a unique network of academic cooperation agreements based on individually concluded agenda. We welcome new members representing different spheres, and seek collaboration with different groups in Japan and overseas to mutually learn about what is occurring in our world and to explore the necessary responses and solutions. We hope to encourage exchange among students and private entities as well.

Our concept is well described in the following passage by Rabindranath Tagor:

Whatever we understand and enjoy in human products instantly becomes ours, wherever they might have their origin. I am proud of my humanity when I can acknowledge the poets and artists of other countries as my own. Let me feel with unalloyed gladness that all the great glories of man are mine. (Rabindranath Tagore, Letters to a Friend, London: Allen & Unwin, 1928, extracted from Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999)

We look forward to hearing from interested institutions and organizations and joining hands with a diversity of agencies in a wide range of earth and development sciences.

ICEDS past projects and events

Research project on remote education (2007-2008)

Interaction with Gram Bangla has begun with the research theme “Ⅳ. Research for Actual Situation of Remote Education and its Regulation or Engagement in Foreign Countries” of MEXT “Leading Commissioned Project for University Reform Promotion” in 2007 and 2008.

International workshop on remote education (Nov. 3-7, 2008)

Under this commissioned project, we hosted an international workshop of remote education “International Workshop on Water Culture and Distance Learning: Europe, South-Asia, and Japan” from November 3rd to 7th, 2008. We discussed the relationship between onsite research and remote education which was an important challenge in remote education. Also, we talked over the international survey regarding water culture to strengthen the connection with Gram Bangla.

We invited Dr. Khan, who is a chairman of Gram Bangla, to the session to discuss the possibility of remote education which DAC, emerging countries, and developing countries provide information at the same time by developing interactive media.

Participants in this symposium included Dr. Cajee from Northeastern Hill University, India, Dr. Daněk and Dr. Grulich from University of Sough Bohemia, the Czech Republic, and Dr. Rüdiger from University of Feiburg, Germany. These connection also influenced today’s ICEDS research relationship.

Remote education at a comparative research symposium of Water Environmental Society (June, 2009)

As a part of this commissioned project, we conducted the field investigation on July, 2008 and February, 2009 and then held the comparative research symposium of water environmental society to discuss the survey result on Bangladesh in Kagawa University on June, 2009.

Students from Humanity and Environmental Science Course of Kagawa University also participated in this symposium to discuss the theme actively.

Agreement between GRAM Bangla & KUIO (Kagawa University International Office)

Based on these achievements, ”General Agreement to Establish the International Consortium for Earth and Development Sciences” was entered into to found “the International Consortium for Earth and Development Sciences (ICEDS)” on February 10th, 2010.

ICEDS is a consortium in conformity with the Joint Research Agreement of Kagawa University and put Earth and Development Sciences in the center. We defined its activity as:

  • Mutual dispatch of researchers, university students, and graduate students
  • Joint research and educational collaboration
  • Host seminars or workshops

Expansion of the ICEDS

ICEDS have developed researches of use or culture of water under climate change and technologies to tackle water crisis in Asia, such as Bangladesh. We have been achieved steadily some initiatives listed on the Kagawa University’s mid-term plan/target for new environmental society.

In 2013, we held the seminar in BUET and the following meetings or the events in international conferences:

  • International Seminar on Seeking New Way of Regional Study in Globalized World, Kagawa University, Takamatsu, Japan, 10-16 February 2010.
  • The Environmental History of Europe and Japan, The Oxford-Nagoya Environmental Seminar, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan, 7-11 September 2010.
  • International Seminar on Water Resource Management, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 26 August 2013.

Geo-communication projects for building new water cultures and environments

With the international collaboration of ICEDS, the year 2012 saw the foundation of “Geo-Communication Project to Build Water Culture & Environment” (in the rest of this page referred to as “Geo-Communication Project”.)

In the application form of this project in 2012, we defined its research as:

Today, Muroto Geopark was approved as a Global Geopark, and there are some activities to establish Sanuki Geopark. The movement for Global Geopark is based on the idea that a formation of local natural characteristics, including a geological feature, depends on the interaction with the life of local people (“Geo-Communication .”) We will establish an universal Geo-Communication study to build and drive a new international research project which combines the humanities and sciences from Kagawa University by supporting the development and connection of Chugoku/Shikoku Geoparks, such as San’in Kaigan Geopark which was the earliest approved Global Geopark among this region.

We hosted Geo-Communication Symposium in 2013 and 2014 to develop these activities.

New international strategy of Kagawa University

Based on these activities, Kagawa University adopted “Opinion from Sanuki; International Joint Research to Shape Water Culture & Environment for Sustainability Development” as its international strategy in 2014. This strategy is managed by the faculty of education and ICEDS has a responsibility for its pillar.

In the application form of this international strategy, we defined it as:

Under the Kagawa University’s mid-term plan/target “Comparative Study for Local Sustainability Development based on Water Culture & Environment Survey”, we will establish a new universal academic-system as a part of research projects by Sanuki and Kagawa University which have secured water resources and conserved the water environment. The academic-system combines the humanities and sciences in order to shape the water culture and environment. Also, we will spread our achievements abroad mainly on international joint researches or student exchanges to support sustainability developments.

Research collaboration of the ICEDS

Through Geo-Communication Project and Opinion from Sanuki, ICEDS Research Collaboration has been expanding from Kagawa University and GRAM Bangla to inside and outside Japan.

We work together with:

University of Freiburg (Germany), University of South Bohemia (the Czech Republic), North-Eastern Hill University, Indian Institute of Technology (India), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Bangladesh), Eckerd College (the United States), Graduate School of Environmental Studies in Nagoya University, Institute of Tropical Medicine in Nagasaki University, and Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences/Disaster Prevention Research Institute in Kyoto University (Japan).

These collaboration were also the basis for the great development after 2015.

International Symposium “Facing Water Crisis in Asia-Pacific”

ICEDS managed this symposium held from the 10th to the 12th, February, 2015. Based on the international collaboration, we succeeded in inviting over ten foreign researchers to this meeting.

Also, in this symposium, Dr. S. I. Khan from Gram Bangla who is a partner with ICEDS gave us the keynote lecture. Cooperation with Gram Bangla contributes greatly to important initiatives of Kagawa University.

Many researchers participated from various countries, including Mongolia, Nepal, India, and Bangladesh and some of the institutions considered joining in ICEDS.

On February 9th, ICEDS updated its establishment agreement and bylaws. The bylaws will lead ICEDS to work actively and increase the number of its members in the future. Advanced ICEDS will drive initiatives for new environmental society written in the mid-term plan/objective and international strategy of Kagawa University.