Global

NAIRL Hosts Joint Workshop with Japan’s RIKEN AIP and Canada’s Vector Institute

July 6, 2026

Participants gather for a group photo at the RIKEN-AIP, Vector, and NAIRL Joint Workshop, held on July 5 in Seoul. [Source=NAIRL]

National AI Research Lab (NAIRL) hosted the RIKEN-Vector-NAIRL Workshop on July 5 in Seoul, bringing together researchers from three institutions across Korea, Canada, and Japan: NAIRL, Canada’s Vector Institute, and Japan’s RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP). The workshop was held to share recent research and explore avenues for collaboration among the three research communities.

Following opening remarks, each institution introduced its mission and research directions. Representatives from NAIRL, the Vector Institute, and RIKEN AIP shared how their organizations pursue research excellence and connect it to real-world impact, offering a foundation of mutual understanding for the collaboration ahead.

Pascal Poupart, Research Director at the Vector Institute and Professor at the University of Waterloo, introduces the Vector Institute during the workshop. [Source=NAIRL]

The research presentation session featured nine talks, with three presenters from each institution, spanning a broad range of frontier AI topics from the theoretical foundations of machine learning to real-world applications.

The afternoon program continued with a networking lunch, a lightning talk and poster session, and open exchange among participants, providing a foundation for practical research collaboration across the three institutions.

Masashi Sugiyama, Director of Japan’s RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP), introduces the institute during the workshop. [Source=NAIRL]

During the workshop, NAIRL and the Vector Institute also held a ceremony to mark their memorandum of understanding, formalizing a partnership to advance international collaboration in AI research and education.

NAIRL extends its gratitude to the RIKEN and Vector Institute delegations for joining the workshop. NAIRL will continue to connect Korea’s research community with leading frontier AI institutions worldwide, fostering an ecosystem where research drives both scientific discovery and industrial innovation.