The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is currently accepting applications to the call for…
A key initiative bridging Japan and the EU through young talent in science, technology, engineering and innovation.
A small but unique training programme was launched in 1996 under the name Vulcanus. Since then, with the policy objective of developing young STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) talent who can serve as bridges between European and Japanese industries, our twin programmes — Vulcanus in Europe and Vulcanus in Japan — have been providing R&D-oriented internship opportunities in Europe (for Japanese STEM students) and in Japan (for European STEM students). The alumni network now numbers more than 1,300 and continues to grow. Our Vulcanus alumni are active across many fields — there may even be one in your area!
Like any educational initiative for young people, a programme such as Vulcanus has a long-lasting impact on its participants and plays a significant role in strengthening EU-Japan relations. Both students and host companies benefit greatly from this unique exchange. Vulcanus offers students real, hands-on work experience abroad — an opportunity that brings many “first-time” challenges and, with them, deep learning. It is truly inspiring to see how young STEM talents absorb new knowledge, adapt to unfamiliar environments, overcome obstacles, and grow tremendously over the course of their year abroad. We thank our host companies for their generous support to Vulcanus and its participants.
On 7 November 2025, we were honoured to co-organise the first-ever official EU-Japan Vulcanus Networking Event with Ambassador Kazutoshi Aikawa and the Mission of Japan to the European Union. The EU-Japan Centre is renewing its efforts to keep the Vulcanus alumni network vibrant and to highlight their stories and achievements. We look forward to seeing more and more alumni continue to build bridges between Europe and Japan.
Following are links to the different Vulcanus in Japan and Vulcanus in Europe webpages:
Vulcanus in Japan - for European students
Vulcanus in Japan - for Japanese host companies
Vulcanus in Europe - for Japanese students
Vulcanus in Europe - for European host companies
On above picture: Vulcanus alumni present at the EU-Japan Vulcanus Networking Event (7 November 2025, Brussels).
From left: Peter Buist, EU Agency for the Space Programme (Vulcanus 1998), Antonio Labrador Jimenez, European Commission (Vulcanus 2003), Takuma Sato, nextnato GmbH (Vulcanus 2019), Ms Outi Slotboom (DG GROW), H.E. Ambassador Kazutoshi Aikawa, Jorge Pinho, Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (Vulcanus 2007), Carlos Cunha, IMEC (Vulcanus 2023), Mizuki Okada, Safran Aircraft Engines (Vulcanus 2017)
Published: January 2026
The EU-Japan Centre currently produces 5 newsletters :
Joint venture established in 1987 by the European Commission (DG GROW) and the Japanese Government (METI) for promoting all forms of industrial, trade and investment cooperation between the EU and Japan.
