1 Toyohashi University of Technology celebrated its 50th anniversary in October 2026. The University’s halfcentury history has been built upon the tireless efforts of its successive presidents, beginning with the founding president, Dr. Yoneichiro Sakaki, and by its faculty and staff. Above all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and respect to the members of the local community and to all related organizations for their tremendous support and cooperation in the University’s education, research, and student support activities. The University was founded as a unique “new-concept university and graduate school,” that primarily accepts graduates of Colleges of Technology as third-year undergraduate students. As an alternative to the conventional path from general high school to university, the University plays a vital role in Japan’s parallel-track engineering education system, specializing in technological fields, and is highly regarded by Japanese industry as an institution for cultivating highly skilled technical professionals. Today, graduates of Colleges of Technology account for about 10 percent of all university graduates in engineering and science in Japan and are highly valued in industrial settings. Each year, approximately 360 such graduates transfer into the third year at the University, where they study “technological science” through practical learning together with around 80 students who entered in the first year after graduating from general or technical high schools. Many of these students go on to graduate school, where they further refine their advanced expertise. This process has become a firm foundation for developing key professionals who support technological innovation in Japan. Today, we stand at a historic turning point, marked by the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and a shrinking society caused by the declining birthrate. In such uncertain times, engineers and researchers must be able to make full use of AI and create new value to promote the well-being of human society and sustainable development. The University’s motto, “Master technology, and create technology,” does not simply mean learning existing technologies. The true essence of technological science lies in scientifically analyzing inventions arising from new concepts that cannot be explained by conventional theories and then developing new theories from those analyses to drive further innovation. During the decade since its 40th anniversary, the University has continued to pursue technological science and to strengthen its role as an institution for cultivating people who can contribute to innovation. It has accelerated its globalization, established international degree programs through initiatives such as practical training at overseas institutions and participation in the Erasmus Mundus Master’s Programme, and enhanced students’ global competencies. In research, with support from programs such as the National University Management Reform Promotion Project, the University has deepened collaboration with Nagaoka University of Technology and the National Institute of Technology, Japan. In 2023, it reorganized the Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute and established a framework that consistently promotes activities spanning basic research on semiconductors and sensors through social implementation. This marked a major step forward in strengthening the University’s distinctive integrated prototyping and development environment for semiconductors and sensors, while advancing toward its goal of becoming a national hub for training next-generation semiconductor professionals across universities, Colleges of Technology, and industry, as well as a center for the development of AI chip design and manufacturing technologies. In addition, the agricultural-engineering collaboration that the University has pursued in response to regional needs has borne fruit in the formation of a regional co-creation research center led by young researchers, promoting the creation and social implementation of next-generation agritech that contribute to sustainable agriculture and regional development centered on people, in collaboration with diverse stakeholders. Looking ahead to the next 50 years, the University is determined to continue pursuing the essence of technological science and to meet society’s expectations by cultivating highly skilled professionals who can contribute to a value-creating society through the full use of advanced technologies, including AI. I sincerely request your continued guidance and support in the years to come. Commemorating the University’s 50th Anniversary – Pursuing the True Essence of Technological Science and Looking Ahead to the Next Half-Century – President Akihiro Wakahara
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