The Canton of Basel-Stadt and the Toyama Prefecture have been exchanging ideas and information regularly at the political level since 2006. This relationship was formalized in 2009 when the two signed a declaration. The Canton of Basel-Landschaft participates in this cooperation. On 24 August, Basel-Stadt councillor Conradin Cramer and Toyama Prefecture governor Takakazu Ishii renewed and extended the agreement.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two locations have agreed to a regular exchange in the pharmaceutical field as well as new exchanges in biotechnology. Joint activities between universities in these areas will also be promoted, as well as cooperation in the fields of academia, arts and culture.
Basel and Toyama are both considered important locations for the pharmaceutical industry, and the universities in Basel and Toyama have long been working together in the life sciences. An example of this is the Toyama-Basel Joint Symposium on Pharmaceutical Research and Drug Development, which takes place every two years. The fifth symposium was held in Toyama on 23 and 24 August 2018.
