UZH-Kyoto University Symposium 2026
In early February, researchers from the University of Zurich (UZH) and Kyoto University met in Zurich. In their fourth joint symposium, they shared ideas from different fields. Abraham Bernstein and Claudio Tessone, both professors in the Department of Informatics (IfI), joined the workshops with postdoctoral researcher Patricia Kahr.
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For Abraham Bernstein, the meeting offered a chance to explore new ways for collaboration in artificial intelligence. Kyoto researchers shared their experience with AI tools designed to support municipal discussions, while Abraham Bernstein presented his work on AI tools that assist in decision-making. “One of the key contributions from Kyoto is the use of technologies in political discussions among the general population at the municipal level,” Bernstein says. This work has clear synergy with the SNF-funded Project on Digital Deliberative Democracy that IfI is running with others at UZH and its other strategic partner, the University of Queensland.
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In a parallel workshop, which involved Claudio Tessone, blockchain and biologists (including plant and ecology biologists) researchers examined how these socio-technical systems could strengthen all the scientific research cycle: data collection, re-usage, and attribution across biology. “An interdisciplinary approach is key to disrupting processes that have become entrenched, providing suboptimal solutions for all stakeholders. The complementarities between the University of Zurich and Kyoto University are key to having a strong basis for expanded collaboration,” Tessone says.
These workshops represent only two of the five areas in which the University of Zurich and Kyoto University plan to deepen their collaboration.
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