During this term, I have repeatedly emphasized the keywords "international" and "interdisciplinary"—which are both strengths that our university has painstakingly cultivated—not only in my annual policy statements, but also in external communication. The University of Tsukuba is the only national university that was created with the purpose of becoming a world-class university. Delegations of government officials and academics were sent to study universities in Europe and the United States when designing our university to study their areas of excellence for unprecedented adoption in Japan. Specifically, the university introduced a system of teaching and learning that was unparalleled in Japan (separation of organization for faculty and educational programs, numbered academic groups, dual system of graduate schools), and a modern system of university autonomy (vice presidential system, representative councils, university-wide personnel committee, etc.), while abolishing the liberal arts school.

The university made full use of the Project for Establishing Core University Network for Internationalization (G30) to develop English programs and enhance education for international students with the slogans of "Coexistence with the World" and "Everyday Internationalization." In addition, through the Project for Promotion of the Global Human Resource Development, we have dramatically increased the number of Japanese students studying abroad. In parallel, through four Inter-university Exchange Projects (Japan-Germany-South Korea, ASEAN, Russia and Central Asia, and Latin America), we are promoting active, interactive exchange with these specific regions. In South America and Russia/CIS, where we have demonstrated outstanding performance, we represent all Japanese universities for MEXT's Study in Japan Global Network Project. Building on these achievements, the university has developed our Campus-in-Campus (CiC) initiative as a strategy to provide internationally compatible education and world-class research as part of our Top Global University Project Type A. CiC is an alliance of global universities to share education and research resources across all barriers. Our Course Jukebox allows mutual sharing of classes, teaching staff, degree programs, research units and office space among CiC partner universities.

In terms of interdisciplinarity, the University of Tsukuba was the first university in Japan to introduce the separation of organizations for faculty and education programs. This was done to eliminate the negative effects of vertical silos that separate faculty in different academic fields that were prevalent in former imperial universities. Taking full advantage of this system, the university created a transdisciplinary school system with the numbered academic groups. University curricula also incorporated courses that transcend the boundaries of academic groups and departments. For many years after our founding, we did not create independent, affiliated research institutes. Instead, we developed a system to promote transdisciplinary research through time-limited special projects. However, in 2007, the university dismantled the numbered academic groups that had been in place since its inception, and adopted a discipline-oriented academic group/class system that emphasized specialized education in specific fields. In 2004 University of Tsukuba shifted to a system in which faculty members belong to doctoral courses in graduate schools and departments. While this clarified the university's position as a research university, it also weakened the separation of teaching and research that had been in place since the university's founding. However, in 2012, organizations for faculty and education programs were again separated. In 2020, the university then became the first university in Japan to shift to a degree program system where we reorganized our graduate programs into three graduate schools and eight degree programs. On the research front, we have created and utilized an incubator system of academic centers for transdisciplinary research.

However, in formulating our goals and plans for the Fourth Mid-term Goals and Plans period, we are also considering our university's strengths and whether they are being fully utilized through the above-mentioned activities as well as measures to ensure that they are.

Toward Building Engagement with Society

On the other hand, I have noticed that there are some areas of our founding principles that have not been addressed in the past and have reaffirmed their current relevance. One of these is "free exchange and close relationships in both basic and applied sciences with educational and research organizations and academic communities in Japan and overseas." This can be rephrased in a more modern way as "engagement." Engagement means a contract, a promise, etc., but essentially it means "attachment and immersion" in a subject, or "voluntary willingness to contribute." This is not a unilateral promise of something by or to the university, but rather a "good (warm) mutually beneficial relationship" between the university and its diverse stakeholders.

The University of Tsukuba's greatest advantage in terms of engagement is its location in Tsukuba Science City. As a core institution in the Science City, the University of Tsukuba has been promoting education and research in collaboration with national research and development agencies and companies, including working on social implementation projects. The University of Tsukuba has a long track record of research collaborative in the Science City. We introduced Japan's first Cooperative Graduate School System in 1992, and our own Collaborative Graduate School system based on a consortium-style of collaboration with companies and research institutions in 2015. In 2009, we established the Tsukuba Innovation Arena (TIA) with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) and the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), all of which are research institutions with world-class research capabilities located in Tsukuba Science City, and with the support of Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation). (The University of Tokyo and Tohoku University have since become members.) The aim of this organization is to promote industrialization focused on innovation. In 2011, Tsukuba Science City was designated as an International Strategic Zone, and in 2019, it was selected for the Smart City Model Project and the Smart Mobility Challenge Project. The city is becoming a testing ground for the creation of the city of the future.

In terms of engagement with international education and research institutions, we have introduced two notable initiatives. The first, launched in 2013, is our International Tenure Track system which gives young faculty members the opportunity to devote two or more years during their tenure track period to conduct joint research with leading international researchers. It is part of MEXT's Realization of Strengthening Research Capabilities Initiative Program for top Japanese universities. The second is our initiative to invite top research units from international universities to develop labs in our university as part of our Super Global University Project. So far, a total of nine research units have been invited, including those researching Buddhism, cancer, particle physics, marine biology and sports science.

We are also making progress in our engagement with society. The transdisciplinary nature of our university is a major strength for meeting the needs of industry. We are taking advantage of this strength of ours to enforce systematic efforts to obtain external funding and increase the scale of joint industry-university research. We established the International Industry-Academia Collaboration Headquarters in 2014, and have been working to increase the scale of joint industry-university research through special joint projects and R & D Centers. As a result, in 2015 we jumped to second place in Japan in terms of the amount of funds received for joint international research. In 2018 we achieved a 4.5-fold increase in the amount of such funds compared to 2014. Despite our such success, I think it necessary to review whether what we have been doing is sufficient when formulating our 4th Mid-term Goals and Plans.

The Engine of Social Change

There is another important part of our founding principles that has not been addressed. It is the challenge imposed by the phrase "creating polarization, stagnation." The issues defined by this expression has many ramifications including a hierarchy of universities based on deviation scores, companies' fixation on their pursuit of profits, and the division of society caused by inflexible personal values. In terms of corporations, investors are beginning to understand the limits to being overly focused on profits. The idea that profit is a condition for corporate survival and not the sole objective is spreading. As a result, companies are rapidly shifting to the view that no matter how profitable they are, they cannot continue to play a role in society unless they contribute to SDGs and green recovery. Universities are also expected to challenge such fixed societal models. The transformation of a rigid society triggered by infectious diseases can create a path for a new model for everyday life. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we at the university need to be aware of our responsibility as an empowering source of power for building a new model for social change.

As a Designated National University

I would like to express my basic thoughts on our application for becoming a designated national university. I have always believed that in order for universities to survive in the future, it is essential that they continue to play a role in society through research and education, rather than through a hierarchy of rankings based on deviation scores and rankings, with the former imperial universities at the top. I believe that it is of great significance to us and all other universities that aim to take on the status quo that a non-former imperial university such as the University of Tsukuba was able to receive the designation.

When we applied for the designation, I pondered the societal role that the University of Tsukuba plays through research and education. The image I envision for the university is that of a truly comprehensive university that solves global issues. Generally speaking, a transdisciplinary university involved in a wide range of diverse fields is called a comprehensive university. However, merely having a collection of various disciplines does not make a university comprehensive in the true sense of the word. A comprehensive university must have disciplines that work together to conduct research and education. The University of Tsukuba has already developed a system in which the barriers between academic disciplines and educational organizations are low through the separation of our organizations for faculty and education programs, and has made transdisciplinary research and education its strength. As I have already mentioned, the ultimate meaning of trans-disciplinarity is the creation of new academic fields. Based on this thought, the University of Tsukuba more than satisfies the necessary condition for being a truly comprehensive university which is being able to create academic disciplines that can resolve emerging crises and challenges. The University of Tsukuba, as a designated national university, aims to play a vital society social role in the Fourth Mid-term Goals and Plans period by strengthening each academic discipline, enhancing transdisciplinary collaboration, creating new academic disciplines and promoting research and education based on this spirit. These measures will be implemented not only in Japan but also globally. This is our role. To this end, it is important to have good relationships, or engagement, with society. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the cooperation and support of many faculty members in the application process.

With the above in mind, the following is a list of measures to promote research, education, and social contribution aimed at becoming a truly comprehensive university.

Research Development That Transcends the Boundaries of Disciplines

To support our young researchers, we will expand our international tenure track system. Young researchers can grow remarkably in a new environment overseas. The number of top 10% and top 1% papers by international tenure-track faculty members at the University of Tsukuba is much higher than that of RU11 researchers. We will expand this system in two ways. One is to strategically increase the number of international tenure-track faculty members. The other is to introduce the option of international lab rotation to further promote brain circulation across different fields.

We will further strengthen research fields in which we excel. The University of Tsukuba has adopted various measures to address this issue, but one of the most important is to significantly increase the number of international research units invited to set up labs at our university. Since the start of this program in 2014, we have invited 13 outstanding researchers from leading international institutions through cross-appointments and other means to open their laboratories in our university. We have selected researchers in the fields in which the University of Tsukuba has strengths, such as Buddhism, cancer, and marine biology for this initiative. This initiative has contributed to an extremely active international brain circulation of young researchers, including deputy PIs, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students.

We need to strengthen our research capabilities not only individually but also organizationally. To this end, we will continue our research circulation system. This is a system in which research centers are classified by level (R1: world-class research centers, R2: national-level research centers, R3: priority training research centers, R4: training research centers). These centers are evaluated every five years for recategorization or abolishment. Several centers have already achieved the level of R1. In order to enhance their achievements even further, we will provide university-wide backup in terms of recruitment of visiting research fellows and internationalization of their administrative organizations through the newly formed Organization for Development of Global Research Centers.

Efforts to provide new value to society through research are also important. We will establish B2A laboratories on campus to promote basic research needed for deployment of innovations by inviting corporate research departments to the university. B2A stands for Business to Academia. They are expected to produce excellent research papers by collaborating with industry. Internationally co-authored papers generally have a higher citation rate than single-authored papers, internally co-authored papers and domestically co-authored papers. However, studies by outstanding universities in Europe and the United States, such as Oxford University and Harvard University report that the number of citations for industry-university co-authored papers is higher than that for internationally co-authored papers. The University of Tokyo and Kyoto University show a similar trend. We expect the B2A Research laboratories to produce similar results.

While implementing the above strategy, we will take on the challenge of creating new research fields, by utilizing the Academic Center System to accelerate transdisciplinary collaboration. We hope to create research fields, such as those involving post-AI science and technology through the integration of knowledge.

Human Resource Development Transcending National Borders and Organizational Boundaries

Recently, I have been using the phrase "solving social issues and human resource development to create the future" instead of "human resource development to support society and research to create the future." Neither is wrong, but as an academic, my thinking is more in line with the former. I believe that the motivation of students supports the development of human resources, or in other words, the discovery and demonstration of talent. From this point of view, I am planning to introduce tutorial education through problem-based learning (proposition-based) in our bachelor's programs. Tutorial educational involves conveying knowledge through interaction. The Oxbridge method is well known. Faculty members will provide a spontaneous and transdisciplinary learning environment from students' first year through discussions of academic issues. Our university, where collaboration between disciplines is relatively easy, is uniquely able to provide students this opportunity.

It is important to put heart and soul into our graduate schools. It is necessary to devise ways to broaden students' scope of knowledge outside of their own specialized fields. Such perspective is also necessary when we redevelop programs that award doctoral degrees (such as our previous law program) once they have been forced to close. As a research-oriented university, special attention should be paid to encourage students to enter doctoral programs. It is necessary for each faculty member to demonstrate his or her research ability with substantial research results, and to devise ways to make the most of each program so students can enjoy their studies. In addition, various types of financial support for doctoral students are now being considered, as well as other measures to encourage students to seek master's and doctoral degrees. In fact, the University of Tsukuba was able to obtain 31 fellowship slots for doctoral students (including 1.8 million yen for living expenses) under the "University Fellowship Program for the Creation of Innovation in Science and Technology," which was established as a pioneering program for such support. Provision of this support will start from this April.

We have two main strategies for expanding education in a global environment. Currently, the University of Tsukuba shares approximately 3,000 courses with 10 Campus-in-Campus (CiC) partner universities through our Course Jukebox System. At present, the focus has been on students attending classes on-site at our CiC partners' campuses. Preparations, however, are underway to transform this web-based system into an online interactive education platform. We will increase the number of CiC partner universities and provide students with a variety of opportunities for international exchange. The second relates to recruiting international students. Although we have one of the highest ratios of international students among national universities, we need to further increase the diversity of our students to maintain and improve our country's human resource capacity and to promote the development of human resources who can play an active role in the international community. To achieve this, we will aim to achieve a ratio of international students comparable to that of the top universities in Europe and the United States by setting and increasing the quota of international students, expanding the number of programs that allow students to complete their studies in English-taught courses, strengthening recruitment of international students, and improving Japanese language and culture education.

Higher education institutions in Europe and the United States are rapidly emphasizing internationalization, introducing online delivery and establishing international branch campuses. The University of Tsukuba will be the first national university to establish a degree-awarding international branch campus. In response to requests from the Malaysian and Japanese governments, preparations are underway to open a branch campus in Kuala Lumpur. We will export our educational system to Malaysia and support the development of human resources who can solve the global issues faced by Malaysia, the surrounding region and the world. We will also build a mutually beneficial relationship between the main campus and the branch campus through mutual feedback.

Connecting with Society to Solve Global Issues

The University of Tsukuba Hospital has close ties with society. In accordance with its position as an advanced treatment hospital, it provides cutting-edge medical care and promotes the development of advanced medical technology, while responding to the needs of the community as its bastion of medical care. In the field of medicine, it is necessary to promote the implementation medical research results based on global trends. In this context, we expect to steadily expand the scope of particle beam therapy and introduce new technologies, including those for practical application of next-generation treatment devices. We must also respond to digital transformation in the medical and healthcare fields. For example, one idea is to provide space where AI, big data, and other digital technologies can be incorporated into medical treatments.

Our affiliated schools are also closely connected to society. The basic mission of affiliated schools is to create and demonstrate ideas for improving primary and secondary education based on research in cooperation with the university. Based on this function, the three-center concept of Leading Education Center, Teacher Education Center, and International Education Center is progressing smoothly. The results of their research activities will be deployed in special needs, primary and secondary education schools throughout Japan. To further such activities, it is necessary to establish a new system of management at the Education Bureau of Laboratory Schools.

To implement research results that can contribute to solving today's global issues, we have established four strategies. First, we have developed a venture ecosystem to create and nurture startups and support their overseas expansion. Through this ecosystem, the university provides entrepreneurship education and support to students and faculty. If a university venture becomes public, receives venture capital investment and grows, part of its profits will flow back to the university in the form of investments, donations and joint research funds. This will fuel the ecosystem cycle. Also, as a first step in supporting the international actives of entrepreneurial students and faculty members, as well as university-launched ventures, we have opened offices in Silicon Valley and Boston (Cambridge).

Second, although the University of Tsukuba conducts many joint research projects with industry, most of these are based on the research seeds of faculty members. This is the case with other universities in Japan as well. However, there is a growing demand from society for needs-driven, industry-university joint research that utilizes university's basic research capabilities on a larger scale. The development of research by the B2A Research Institutes mentioned above is exactly in line with this objective. In addition, we can think about establishing an external corporation that will serve as a hub to connect the needs of industry with the university and researchers in the Tsukuba region. This corporation will create a place to carry out research to resolve these issues.

Third, I would like to talk about the creation of new services for the society of the future. The University of Tsukuba would like to transform Tsukuba Science City into a cutting-edge experimental field. Tsukuba Innovation Base will play a role in this transformation as we make steady preparations. Tsukuba Science City is the largest science and technology hub in Japan. It is home to approximately 150 research institutes and research centers and 29 national laboratories. The University of Tsukuba has developed Cooperative Graduate School Programs with 28 institutions including NIMS and AIST. In addition, as the anchor institution of Tsukuba Science City, the University of Tsukuba is promoting the Smart City concept and open innovation through Tsukuba Innovation Arena.

To further internationalize Tsukuba Science City we are collaborating with other international science cities. Tsukuba City is a member of the High Level Forum, a network of science cities around the world which was conceived of by the city of Grenoble (France). Tsukuba City is the only Japanese member city and is in a position to promote collaboration with these cities. The University of Tsukuba is providing a platform for international exchange and collaboration through international conferences such as Tsukuba Global Science Week, which has been held annually since 2010. In 2019 we held the first Tsukuba Conference, a young version of the Davos Forum which was hosted by Japan's top leaders from industry, government, and academia, and attracted 1,500 participants from 250 institutions in 65 countries. The second such conference will be held this September.

Strengthening Our Governance and Financial Base to Support Diverse Initiatives

In terms of governance, one of the weaknesses of the University of Tsukuba is its ratio of young faculty members which is lower than that of other research universities in Japan. To address this issue, we will introduce a new strategic plan called the Personnel Point Circulation Plan (tentative) that optimizes the allocation of personnel points through the Personnel Planning Committee (tentative), which is composed of the heads of organizations designated with personnel authority. It has been calculated that this will enable the employment of a cumulative total of 900 young researchers by 2040. As these young researchers age, an appropriate balance of young, mid-career, and experienced faculty members will eventually be achieved.

National university corporations have been funded mainly by public funds from the government and tuition fees. However, as social security costs put pressure on public spending on higher education and the population of 18-year-olds declines, this main source of funding will steadily decline. Other external funds from the national government and joint/commissioned research funds from companies and local governments are also valuable financial resources, but their use is limited. For this reason, strategies to strengthen finances are necessary; the B2A Research Institutes, external corporations, and the venture ecosystem mentioned above will be important sources of funding in the future. On the other hand, if we can solidify our position as a university that creates social value, we will be able to pursue our dreams in collaboration with a wider range of stakeholders. Based on our education and research outcomes, we can establish and expand endowments, actively invest, and effectively utilize our land and facilities. This in turn will generate financial resources that will contribute to future education and research activities. By continuing our current efforts, the cumulative amount of funds received, including joint research funds, and profit from fund management is projected to reach 41% of the education and research expenditure in 2030. This is the scale of external funding that the University of Tsukuba aims to achieve.

With regards to improving governance and finance, we are preparing to establish a Bureau of University Management Promotion (tentative). The University of Tsukuba established the University Strategy Preparation Office in 2015. This was followed by the Office of University Strategy, which became the Office of University Management Reform in 2018; we plan to turn this into this new independent Bureau within a year. We also need to address urgent matters, such as increasing the transparency of financial management of our hospital, strengthening cooperation among our affiliated schools and those of neighboring national universities, and developing measures for strengthening management and activities. I look forward to the new organization's role as a brain to prepare the University of Tsukuba for the unpredictable future and the coming paradigm shift in higher education.

Toward the Future of the University of Tsukuba

I have described the long-term initiatives that we should achieve over the next 10 to 20 years. Those that need to be accomplished in the next six years will be incorporated into our specific plans for the Fourth Mid-term Goals and Plans. After developing a draft of these plans, we will work together with members of the university to refine them.

The COVID-19 pandemic was an opportunity for every being on earth to rethink the state of our world. I am sure we all have been thinking seriously about the future of society, and that we all have many strong thoughts and feelings. In particular, "disparity" and "division" are being clearly manifested in a variety of ways. These disparities include, for example, those between regions; regarding access to education; occupational choices and working environments; and due to gender and race inequality, religious conflicts and differences in values and worldviews.

These disparities and divides propagate other issues, leading to critical differences of opinion regarding global issues, such as energy, pollution and the environment and novel diseases. These issues directly relate to the well-being of individuals and create international conflicts.

The world has encountered crises every 10 to 20 years, and each time academia has played an important role in their resolution. I believe that universities should make efforts to create new values for the society of the future through global communication and the development of science and technology. The foundation of for all future activities, including between individuals, between individuals and society (or organizations, etc.), and between societies (or organizations) is trust. Trust in this context is established by ethics, a sense of responsibility based on empathy for others and society, and reliability. I will call this GLOBAL TRUST. I believe that GLOBAL TRUST should be a central issue in our new daily lives, and that it is something that universities and all people involved in universities must play a central role in establishing as a foundation for the future. For the sake of GLOBAL TRUST, I would like to take on the challenge of creating new academic disciplines and establishing a new transborder education model in collaboration with partners who share our value of academic freedom. Let's transform our university together to create social impact for the new era.