The 6^th annual ISRF was held September 26~28, hosted this year by the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GUCAS) at their Yuquanlu campus in Beijing. This forum seeks to stimulate graduate student research and training by giving students a chance to present and discuss their research in a group of elite international peers, with the scientific sessions chaired by the students themselves.

　This year 8 graduate students pursuing biomedical research at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Medical Science (IMSUT) and Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) attended the meeting. ISRF hosting duties rotate among the four core member institutions of this forum: GUCAS, The University of Tokyo (spearheaded by IMSUT), the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), and Griffith University in Australia.　The forums intersperse social events with serious science; this year’s participants enjoyed a visit together to China’s Great Wall.

　Feedback from our students was highly enthusiastic, and all felt they had been treated warmly, despite a backdrop of political tensions that happened to coincide with the forum. Many students said they had made new friends and plan to maintain contact. Such exchange and training opportunities are precious; IMSUT will be able to demonstrate its firm commitment next year when it is our turn to host again.