The National Institute of Informatics (NII; Director-General: Sadao Kurohashi; Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), a research institute under the Inter-University Research Institute Corporation Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS), has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the research and development of large language models (LLMs) with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay)^[Note1] and BharatGen Technology Foundation (BTF)^[Note2], effective July 1, 2026. The MoU is referenced in the Japan–India Joint Statement^[*1] issued on the occasion of the Japan–India Summit Meeting, as part of the two countries’ cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

Domestic and family violence (DFV) rates in the Indo-Pacific are among the highest globally, but there is a lack of focus, both in research and policy, on the issue across the region. 

In the first analysis of its kind centred on the Indo-Pacific, Griffith University researchers conducted a scoping review, mapping the intervention programs that existed for male perpetrators of DFV, examining what they looked like in practice, and where opportunities for learning and collaboration lay. 

Dr Freya McLachlan, Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for The Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW) who conducted the review with Professor Patrick O’Leary, Katy Desmond and Taliah Swart, said while practitioners in the Indo Pacific were trialling innovative intervention approaches to male perpetrated violence, too often programs were developed independently, piloted with limited resources and were unable to facilitate meaningful knowledge sharing. 

“If we want to effectively engage men who use domestic and family violence in Australia and across the Indo-Pacific, we must first examine how we engage the communities in which that violence occurs,” Dr McLachlan said.

Researchers from the Wharton School and Penn Engineering partnered with Sierra Leone’s government to build a low-cost AI tool that optimizes the allocation of essential medical supplies across the country. By accounting for missing data and navigating unexpected supply chain disruptions, the system ensures lifesaving products reach the clinics that need them most.