Future vision
- Message from the President
- Toyohashi University of Technology mission, and ideal situation for university being aimed for (vision)
- Technological Science Strategies: 15 Key Strategies
- 1. Education (Key Strategies 1, 2, 3, 4)
- 2. Research (Key Strategies 5, 6, 7, 8)
- 3. Co-creation with society (Key Strategies 9, 10, 11)
- 4. Realizing lively campus where different cultures and diversity are respected and students can live together harmoniously (Key Strategies 12, 13)
- 5. Strengthening organization and management capabilities by making use of university resources (Key Strategies 14, 15)
Message from the President
Toyohashi University of Technology (TUT) was established 1976 in order to respond to society's need for the fostering of leading engineers who possess practical and creative abilities. As such, we were founded as a graduate school-focused engineering university that engages in education and research with an emphasis on the development of practical technologies, based on the novel concept of mainly targeting graduates of technical colleges. Our philosophy and objectives were pioneering at the time of our establishment, and they are still on point for today. In order to realize our ideas, we have carried out education and research in technological science and produced a large number of engineers and researchers thus far, and we have also contributed to society through research, technological development, industry-university collaboration, and so on. Nevertheless, social conditions surrounding universities have been significantly changing, so, in order for universities to fulfill their missions, they have needed to accurately understand such conditions and appropriately respond to changes. In order to enable our school to serve as a university that responds to social changes and continues to constantly make contributions as we approach our 50th anniversary, and eventually our 100th anniversary, we will need to cultivate a mindset of proactively taking on all kinds of challenges in an environment with freedom of thought and expression. We will also need to strengthen our fostering of human resources who are leaders capable of opening up new horizons. These human resources should have broad perspectives with which they explore the roots of problems from many angles, and an ability to make penetrating observations about the future over the long term. Furthermore, it will be important for our school to promote a wide range of education and research, and lead Japan in the social implementation of research results and applied research, and to present our achievements in this regard to the world.
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In order to build our school as a sustainable university that is able to respond to social changes and environmental changes, which have been remarkable in recent years, we have compiled the concepts that we set forth at the time of our founding, into our basic philosophy. Based on this philosophy, it will be essential for us to not only further strengthen the strong points and characteristics of our school, but also to bring about innovations by making reforms under which we take on new challenges. In particular, we will need to focus even more on overcoming the weak points that have been difficult for us to resolve independently. We should aim to overcome these by building platforms for co-creation activities based on strengthening collaboration with nationwide technical colleges, local governments, advisory bodies, industries, international research institutions, and alumni. When I was appointed as president, I set forth the slogan "creating a vibrant university that contributes to society: changing the world through technological science." Contributing to society means sending excellent students out into society, and presenting excellent research results, and moreover, it means contributing to the world and to local communities. Creating a university that contributes to society requires creating a vibrant university, and in order to achieve this, above all else it is essential to cultivate environments on our campus where the members of our school, namely our faculty members and students, can energetically and cheerfully engage in activities. Based on the abovementioned slogan, we are declaring that our school shall aim to serve as top-class engineering university that brings light to the world, and shall change the world through technological science.
In order to fulfill the above going forward, we have proposed taking an approach of "collecting, connecting, and shining light on." This refers enabling our school to achieve each of our objectives by supporting our university in the following ways: collecting external funds in order to cultivate excellent students and faculty members and better environments; creating optimal connections for developing our entire organization and individuals by skillfully organizing networks not only within our school but also together with technical colleges, local communities, partners in international collaboration, partners in industry-university-government collaboration, alumni associations, and so on; and setting objectives and shining light on their focal points.
As president, it is important for me to do the following. I must boost the motivation of the members of our school by clearly setting forth the direction in which our school must go both now and in the future, and I must provide leadership that enables the optimal adjusting of top-down and bottom-up opinions, based on listening closely to the opinions of the members of our school. Furthermore, it is important for me to quickly detect environmental changes and silently-approaching crises, and to carry out decision-making based on predictive abilities. During such decision-making, I intend to always strictly question myself about whether the decision to do something is "not simply based on my own self-interest, helpful for everyone, and fair."
The future vision below depicts what our school aims to become, and is based on extensive discussions with the faculty members of our school. This future vision considers the period from now, 2022, up to 2032, 10 years in the future, and is based on a human-centered campus concept. Under this concept, our campus has "ecosystems" where students, as well as faculty members and local residents, continuously engage in free and vigorous discussions and generate ideas. Then, through giving shape to these ideas, we create the human resources, technologies, wisdom, and interpersonal networks that society needs. Or course, we will not only be looking ahead to the future, but will also be putting our utmost into carrying out activities in the present without forgetting a mindset of "kyakka-shoko," which means that we will be looking carefully at where our footsteps fall, and it goes without saying that we will be delivering results and outcomes. Our future vision is a declaration by our school to our faculty members, our students and their guardians, and society, and we hope to receive your ongoing guidance and support in this regard.
Toyohashi University of Technology mission, and ideal situation for university being aimed for (vision)
Mission of university
As an engineering university that places an emphasis on the development of practical technologies, we shall cultivate human resources who can drive forward research that meets the needs of society, and shall contribute to the ongoing development of human society by carrying out the social implementation of research results.
University that continuously takes on challenges
As a university that has been introducing innovations into university education, such as industry-university collaboration, and education in collaboration with society, we shall continue to take on bold challenges in modern society, which is facing dramatic changes, and shall aim to serve as a university that cultivates human resources who are able to adapt to social changes.
University that walks hand in hand with local communities and technical colleges
Since the time of our founding, we have had close relationships with local communities and technical colleges, which are our main source for students. We shall raise the level of our collaboration with these entities, and deepen our co-creation initiatives, which even incorporate the regions where technical colleges are located, and we shall thus aim to serve as a university that walks hand in hand with local communities and technical colleges.
What is technological science?
Based on developing new technologies through exploring sciences that support technologies, we create research results that open up the way to the next generation, and promote social implementation, and we thereby contribute to the ongoing development of human society.
Technological Science Strategies: 15 Key Strategies
1. Education (Key Strategies 1, 2, 3, 4)
Based on the specialized knowledge that students have acquired at technical colleges and in their first and second years of undergraduate study, we create places of learning that are tailored to individual students, and this enhances their individuality and boosts their ability to think independently. Then, based on this, we strengthen their ability to continuously learn and ability to respond to science and technology, which are developing rapidly due to the increasing diversification and complexity of modern times. Furthermore, we promote cyber physical systems (CPS)/digital transformation (DX) regarding education at our school, and as a result, we raise the ability of students to create innovations through pairing specialized fields with integrated & combined perspectives as engineers/researchers. In addition, we cultivate human resources (H-type human resources) who have their own single specialized field and are able to create connections with human resources of other specialized fields.
Key Strategy 1: Introducing education programs, etc. that boost the creativity of students
1. Newly building motivation-driven education (new spiral-up-type education) in which students think for themselves and learn from each other
We shall realize motivation-driven education (new spiral-up-type education) by teaching students within diverse groups, and developing co-creation education subject groups and places of learning (learning commons/innovation commons) where students can learn from each other.
2. Realizing "made-to-order-type education" that is tailored to individual students
We shall realize made-to-order-type learning through promoting the multi-stage DX of education (including curriculum development, media teaching materials, hybrid-type classes, and flexible timetables) based on the abilities, wishes, and experiences of students, and shall thereby support career paths.
3. Enhancing education for strengthening social-implementation abilities based on students independently taking on challenges
We shall promote student-centered problem-solving projects in which students work on the SDGs and green transformation (GX), and we shall further strengthen their expertise and practical skills by establishing: combined & integrated subjects that are not limited the student's own program or major, collaborative subjects in which undergraduate students work together with graduate students, and practical collaborative subjects in which students of our school work together with technical college students and local residents.
Key Strategy 2: Enhancing and developing education programs that enable seamless learning for technical-college students and full-fledged members of society
1. Developing seamless education systems that encompass technical college students to full-fledged members of society
Based on education that is consistent from technical college (regular course) through graduate school, we shall promote the compatibility of credits and subjects and the joint establishment of education programs with the aim of strengthening problem-solving skills, and we shall build education programs that address the issues of regions and so on. Thus, we shall establish education programs in our curricula that enable seamless, continuous learning for meeting the needs of stakeholders, namely students, and companies & regions (full-fledged members of society).
Key Strategy 3: Introducing innovative digital-implementation education programs that make use of CPS technologies
1. Establishing university-wide CPS education and DX education
In order to boost understanding and practical skills regarding advanced theoretical systems within integrated education for undergraduate and graduate students, we shall offer CPS and DX education subjects as university-wide common subjects.
2. Developing and utilizing teaching materials and teaching methods that make use of cross reality (XR)
In collaboration with technical colleges, other universities, external research institutes, and so on, we shall develop teaching materials and teaching materials and teaching methods that make use of augmented reality (AR) and other XR technologies, and shall construct and implement CPS technology education programs (tentative name) that enable the learning of advanced technologies online.
Key Strategy 4: Strengthening education programs for boosting social-implementation abilities based on close cooperation with society
1. Strengthening human-resource development programs based on systemization of industry-university collaborative education and extramural collaborative education
Among our common subjects, we shall systematize and rebuild practical problem-solving programs, including in-service training, MOT, and entrepreneurship education, and we shall develop and enhance semiconductor-related human-resource development programs, green/XR technology-related human-resource development programs, and so on that will be promoted at "integrated Green-niX research & human-resource development bases," which will be built at our school.
2. Developing TUT liberal arts education for resolving regional issues through technological science
In order to realize human-resource development that enables the discovery and solving of the issues of regions and companies, we shall develop and put into practice technological-science liberal-arts education subjects in which students acquire cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge that goes beyond the conventional boundaries of science and engineering fields.
3. Promoting practical recurrent education for learning about new technological science
In order to respond to changes in industries and society, we shall develop and enhance educational contents, programs, master's and doctoral programs, and courses for full-fledged members of society, targeting full-fledged members of society and graduates who are able to systematically and practically learn about new technological science, standardization, and so on.
2. Research (Key Strategies 5, 6, 7, 8)
We shall set priority research fields, and we shall strengthen the research seeds that our school possesses, and work to deploy these. Moreover, we shall support research based on free thinking among faculty members, graduate school students, and the researchers of local companies and so on, and based on this, we shall aim to serve as a top-class research university nationally and worldwide in applied research that is connected with concrete technologies and products, and in the social implementation and practical application of research results.
Key Strategy 5: Setting priority-research areas, and promoting research based on organizing of internal and external research teams
1. Creating innovation and building world-leading semiconductor-research bases
Centering on the Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute, we shall develop bases for scientific research on semiconductors and sensing. Furthermore, we shall create innovation by strengthening our research systems through industry-university collaboration that responds to needs, and this shall include fundamental research, and comprehensive research that incorporates all stages from prototype development to social implementation.
2. Strengthening ability to respond to priority research fields through enhancing research centers
We shall reorganize and enhance our research centers as places that promote priority research based on social needs. By doing so, and by strengthening collaboration both inside and outside of our school, we shall strengthen our ability to respond to research fields that are increasing in diversity and complexity, and this shall include interdisciplinary research.
Key Strategy 6: Promoting social implementation and practical application of research results in collaboration with technical colleges and local industries
1. Building DX bases centering on regions, and contributing to regional revitalization through accumulation and utilization of advanced knowledge
We shall build DX bases that digitize and utilize our school's research results, know-how, researcher information, and regional data, and, based on the accumulation of advanced knowledge, we shall develop innovative manufacturing bases within our school that oversee regional revitalization together with technical colleges and local industries. Based on the above, we shall promote the social implementation and practical application of research results.
2. Organizing research teams that collaborate with technical colleges and local industries, and strengthening their ability to handle diverse research projects
We shall promote the utilization of personnel exchanges, training sessions, and cross-appointment systems between our university and technical colleges, companies, and local governments. Furthermore, we shall organize research teams that are suitable for research projects for resolving the issues of regions and companies both in Japan and overseas, and shall strengthen the ability of these teams to handle such projects.
3. Promoting empirical research with demonstration-experiment fields on campus
In order to promote research & development and empirical research regarding carbon neutrality (CN), for example, we shall construct demonstration-experiment fields on our campus in collaboration with industries. Furthermore, we shall support the achievement of social implementation by utilizing the data that we have accumulated.
Key Strategy 7: Developing environments for promoting spontaneous research by internal & external researchers and students, and nurturing research & development based on new ideas
1. Promoting early-career research projects based on organic collaboration at learning commons and innovation commons
We developed our Multi Plaza (learning commons) as a project to commemorate our 40th anniversary, and as a collaborative project to commemorate our 50th anniversary, we shall develop an "innovation commons" that will be a twin of our learning commons. Through this initiative, we shall promote seeds research, student-initiated research projects, and entrepreneurship (startups) based on cooperation with young engineers and researchers in our region.
Key Strategy 8: Enhancing support measures for research activities in which graduate school students are positioned as researchers
1. Developing organizations that support graduate school student-centered research activities, and enhancing support systems
We shall revise our organizations that plan and implement support measures for research activities targeting graduate school students, and based on these organizations, we shall enhance our support systems for graduate school student-centered research activities. This shall include, for example, introducing fellowship-program systems for graduate school students based on joint research with companies and systems for introducing management partners to persons hoping to become entrepreneurs, creating student-cooperation research projects that make use of open laboratories, and promoting entrepreneurship (startups).
3. Co-creation with society (Key Strategies 9, 10, 11)
While serving as a base for CPS, robots, sensors, and information control technologies, which are the strengths of our school, we shall carry out co-creation together with technical colleges, companies, and the local communities of Toyohashi and Higashi-Mikawa, which feature industries related to agriculture, food, health, and manufacturing industry. Based on this, we shall create new added value for our area, and drive a virtuous cycle for the local economy, and we shall thereby promote the achievement of the SDGs related to regional revitalization, and contribute to the creation of resilient and sustainable regions.
Key Strategy 9: Utilizing regions through building regional co-creation platforms
1. Enhancing development bases that will serve as centers for new technological development, and promoting deployment and implementation of research results
In addition to the bases within our school, we shall develop satellites that will serve as bases for research & development. Moreover, based on joint research and so on together with technical colleges, industries, and international research institutions, we shall carry out CPS and GX research that is compatible with Society 5.0, and deploy and implement the research results, and we shall thereby grow hand in hand together with our local area (Higashi-Mikawa).
2. Promoting regional co-creation programs for leading local problem-solving, and education for full-fledged members of society
We shall enhance "Machinaka" programs and co-creation-type human-resource development programs in which students of our school cooperate with the local communities of Toyohashi and Higashi-Mikawa and nearby universities, and we shall promote the joint development of teaching materials with technical colleges and Nagaoka University of Technology. Furthermore, we shall strengthen joint-use and distribution systems for educational content for full-fledged members of society, and this shall include providing services to remote areas, with technical colleges and so on serving as satellite venues.
Key Strategy 10: Contributing to virtuous cycles for local economies based on collaboration with technical colleges
1. Promoting co-creation with nationwide local communities based on strengthening education and research networks with technical colleges
We shall proactively strengthen our education and research networks with technical colleges, and support industrial revitalization and differentiation not only for Toyohashi and Higashi-Mikawa but also for regions where technical colleges are located. In addition, we shall promote co-creation with local communities, and shall thereby contribute to the nationwide development of new industry creation and regional promotion.
2. Identifying regional issues in collaboration with technical colleges, and promoting joint research for solving such issues
Through collaboration with technical colleges, we shall identify the short-term and long-term issues of regions, and we shall make an effort to resolve regional issues through promoting joint research.
Key Strategy 11: Building international networks, and strengthening global activities utilizing international satellite offices
1. Continuously vitalizing education & research and personnel exchanges based on building strategic international networks
We shall identify universities that are concentrating heavily on carrying out education and research activities such as international collaborative education and international industry-university collaboration, and, based on the focused allocation of activity-support resources, we shall build TUT international network hubs that are always active and productive.
2. Increasing levels of educational attainment through rebuilding global education programs
Based on the DX of education, we shall arrange and reorganize the multiple global education programs that our school is implementing, and we shall work to increase levels of attainment through unified educational curricula in which the quality of global human-resource education is ensured.
3. Building overseas bases that connect Southeast Asia and Europe with our school
We shall revitalize the education and research activities of our overseas base in Penang, Malaysia, and these shall include international joint research and international industry-university collaboration activities in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, we shall develop new bases in Europe, and based on these efforts, we shall build a foundation for implementing substantive education and research exchanges with key partner countries of our school on a global scale.
4. Enhancing study abroad programs for students, including credit-granting-type short-term study abroad programs
In conjunction with the school-wide revising of our global education programs, we shall establish credit-granting-type short-term study abroad programs centering on priority exchange schools, in accordance with the wishes of students. This shall be carried out based on surveying current student needs regarding overseas deployment.
4. Realizing lively campus where different cultures and diversity are respected and students can live together harmoniously (Key Strategies 12, 13)
In addition to campus life with foreign students, which is a strength of our school, we shall support student activities that are based on the original ideas and initiatives of students, in which students who possess diverse experiences and have different cultural backgrounds, genders, nationalities, and abilities learn from each other. Based on this, we shall aim to build a campus where students can live a fulfilling university life that is full of vitality.
Key Strategy 12: Accepting students with diverse experiences and enhancing support for campus activities
1. Introducing new entrance-examination systems based on comprehensive judgement, incorporating evaluation of elements other than scholastic-ability tests such as motivation to learn and aptitude for active learning
We shall not only improve our screening methods, but also consider bold plans regarding our entrance examinations, which shall include introducing interview tests for evaluating attainments, experiences, and motivation to learn, as well as quotas for women.
2. Developing learning environments in which students of diverse backgrounds can learn from each other
We shall promote diversity, and we shall organize a campus where students of diverse backgrounds can learn from each other, and develop media teaching materials and flexible curricula. By doing so, we shall develop environments that can respond to a wide range of learning needs.
3. Strengthening support for extracurricular activities engaged in independently by students
We shall strengthen and vitalize support for the extracurricular activities of students, and these shall include circle activities derived from required education programs, such as student-centered projects related to the SDGs and GX.
Key Strategy 13: Enhancing education, career support, and economic support for students
1. Strengthening support for doctoral students
We shall strengthen our steady support for doctoral students, and this shall include implementing joint-research courses (research organizations that work on research issues shared by our university and companies) and joint research that is premised on the hiring of doctoral-student researchers.
2. Supporting career paths through student participation in cooperation projects
We shall create cooperation projects with student participation that make use of our innovation commons, and we shall thereby support the acquisition of career paths by students.
3. Strengthening collaboration with alumni associations
We shall support the enhancement of networks between alumni based on close cooperation with domestic alumni associations and overseas alumni associations. Furthermore, we shall work together with alumni associations to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships between current students and graduates regardless of age and background, and this shall include supporting the job placement of current students and deploying initiatives based on co-creation with our school.
5. Strengthening organization and management capabilities by making use of university resources (Key Strategies 14, 15)
We shall boost our ability to handle university reforms by hiring and cultivating human resources who possess diverse capabilities, and we shall carry out the strategic development of education and research equipment. In addition, we shall strengthen our acquisition of external funds based on returning to society the intellectual property, empirical knowledge, and educational resources that our university possesses, and by doing so, we shall diversify our financial resources and stabilize our management.
Key Strategy 14: Strengthening organization and management capabilities through enhancing and utilizing university resources
1. Acquiring and cultivating human resources who possess diverse experiences and abilities
We shall secure and cultivate human resources who possess diverse abilities and experiences, including practical-work experience and management experience. Through doing so, we shall enhance our management capabilities based on a long-term perspective, and strengthen our ability to respond to university reforms, which require swift action.
2. Establishing stable financial foundation through diversification of external funds, etc.
Amid returning public funds and other university resources to society, we shall enhance our joint research, consigned research, consigned projects, and so on, and work to diversify our external funds, etc. from industries and society, such as investments, donations, and funds, and our management of funds. Moreover, we shall formulate medium to long-term basic financial policies and concrete financial plans and fund management plans, and shall thereby aim to build a stable financial foundation.
Key Strategy 15: Strategically developing facilities and equipment
1. Building environments that enable execution of key-strategy items through systematically developing and refurbishing facilities
Through refurbishing existing facilities and systematically securing common spaces, we shall enhance our spaces for industry-university collaboration activities, including our learning commons and innovation commons, and we shall thereby build the environments that are needed for the realization of our future vision.
2. Developing education and research environments through enhancing master plans for development of education and research equipment
Based on our future vision, we shall formulate plans for the development of the large research equipment that is needed for education and research, and we shall introduce new equipment and systematically update key equipment. Through doing so, we shall promote our environments for education and research.
［Date Created］8 Nov 2023 / ［Date Updated］8 Nov 2023
