23 3.2 Research Strategy Since becoming a national university corporation in FY2004, the University has maintained and strengthened its education and research environment through proactive acquisition of external funding under the severe financial conditions caused by the continuous reduction of national university operating subsidies. Building on the selection of its projects under the 21st Century COE Program and the Global COE Program as turning points, it enhanced both its research capabilities and its visibility, established the Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute (EIIRIS) in FY2010, and introduced personneldevelopment measures such as the tenure-track system. In FY2013, following its selection for the MEXT Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities, the University further developed the Office of Research Strategy and the Headquarters for Industry–Academia Collaboration, and established the Research Administration Center (RAC). Through the RAC, it has systematically supported the acquisition of competitive funding, management of intellectual property, and effective utilization of research equipment. With interdisciplinary integration at its core, the University has pursued a transition from “problem-solving engineering” to “value-creating engineering,” while integrating reforms in personnel recruitment, internationalization, research fields, and research promotion systems. Since FY2016, the University has promoted strategic research development emphasizing both the strengthening of research capabilities and social implementation. In that same year, it established the Research Institute for Technological Innovation (RITI), thereby creating a system for generating innovation through the promotion of industry–academia collaboration, interdisciplinary research, and advanced projects. As a further medium- to long-term development, the University formulated a “Future Vision” looking ahead to 2032. This vision sets out priority research fields that respond to social needs and aims to strengthen competitiveness through collaboration both within and outside the University. Specifically, the University is accelerating efforts to become a global center in the fields of semiconductors and sensing, to promote social implementation through joint research with regional industries, and to improve the research environment that supports the activities of young researchers and graduate students. At the same time, it is working to expand the research foundation needed to respond to digital transformation (DX) and Society 5.0, and to build regional co-creation demonstration sites that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Going forward, while taking this Future Vision into account, the University will promote the following strategies: • Strengthening research capabilities based on technological science Grounded in the philosophy of “technological science,” the University will promote research that seamlessly connects basic research, applications, and social implementation, continuously generating outcomes directly linked to solving real-world problems and enhancing its presence as a center of knowledge. • Transition to and deepening of research driven by social issues The University will promote the development of research themes that address social needs, such as the declining birthrate and aging population, environmental and energy issues, and changes in industrial structures. It will pursue research aimed not only at advancing individual technologies, but also at transforming society as a whole through systemic change. • Promotion of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research The University will accelerate integration beyond the framework of engineering, incorporating information and data science, life sciences, and the humanities and social sciences. It will also strategically support the formation of flexible research organizations and projects based on collaboration across disciplinary boundaries. • Clarification of priority fields and concentrated support
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