Hosting the Forum for Graduate School Educational Reform 2023

On December 1st and 2nd, 2023, the "Forum for Graduate School Educational Reform 2023" was held at the Tsukuba International Congress Center. This forum, which has been held for many years as the "Program for Leading Graduate Schools Forum," was expanded and renamed as the "Forum for Graduate School Educational Reform " for its third iteration.

This time, our university took on the role of the organizer, setting the theme as "Normalization of Internationality and Interdisciplinarity." The forum aimed to provide a platform for exchange between international and Japanese students, as well as students from different academic fields, fostering discussions that contribute to envisioning the future of graduate education in Japan.
The forum spanned two days, beginning with an opening address by KATO Mitsuyasu, Vice President and Executive Director for Education, on the first day. Greetings were also received from President NAGATA Kyosuke, ITO Gakuji, Director of Higher Education Bureau, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and SUGINO Tsuyoshi, President of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
Keynote Speech was given by NOBORI Daiyuu, a researcher at the Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan. Furthermore, in the Case Study on the WISE Program, Professor KATSUNO Masahisa from Nagoya University presented a Case Study on Convolution of Informatics and Biomedical Sciences on Glocal Alliances, CIBoG.
Subsequently, there were Case Studies by Graduates, Panel Discussions, and Parallel Sessions featuring activities such as Exchange of Opinions, Group Discussions tailored for graduate students, and Poster Sessions for graduate students.
On the second day, following the Results Presentation from the Group Discussions, Workshop and Poster Session judging and awards were conducted. The forum concluded with Closing Remarks from SHIGETA Yasuteru, Vice President and Executive Director for Research.

This edition of the forum brought together participants from across the country, focusing on students and faculty engaged in "WISE Programs" and "Program for Leading Graduate Schools." It was conducted in a hybrid format, combining in-person and online elements, with discussions held in both Japanese and English. The event saw participation from over 240 individuals on-site and 190 online.
Gathering in the research city of Tsukuba, attendees, including current students, program graduates, representatives from universities, businesses, government agencies, and various other positions, engaged in fruitful discussions about the future direction of graduate education. The occasion served as a valuable opportunity to reaffirm the importance of face-to-face discussions on the future of graduate education.