ADB-JSP scholars gather at Nagoya University to discuss innovation for development

Nagoya University’s Graduate School of International Development (GSID) hosted the ADB-Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP) Conference 2026 from July 8 to 10, with the main event held on July 9 at Toyoda Auditorium. Organized in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the conference drew about 250 participants, including ADB officials, government representatives, partner universities, and scholars from across Asia and the Pacific. Established in 1988 with financing from the Government of Japan, the ADB-JSP has funded graduate studies for citizens of ADB’s developing member countries at 27 partner institutions in the region, including in Japan.

In a prerecorded video message, ADB President Masato Kanda told participants that development takes more than financial support. “Development is not only about financing. It is about people,” he said, adding that lasting change also depends on capable leaders, sound institutions and good ideas. Kanda pointed to ADB-JSP’s network of more than 4,000 alumni and called on scholars to treat the conference as a starting point for continued collaboration rather than an endpoint.

Nagoya University President Naoshi Sugiyama delivered opening remarks at the event. The conference also featured a keynote speech by Distinguished Professor Hiroshi Amano, titled “LED Innovation and Sustainable Development: From GaN to Global Impact.” Amano, who shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes, addressed the conference’s theme of “Innovation for Development,” which was also explored through a panel discussion and research presentations by current and graduating ADB-JSP scholars.

The conference was held ahead of the ADB’s 60th Annual Meeting, which Japan will host in Nagoya from May 2 to 5, 2027. The meeting will mark the bank’s 60th anniversary and six decades of partnership between ADB and Japan dating back to the bank’s founding.