Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo Medical and Dental University officially announced on the 9th that they will begin discussions for integration.
Top-class universities in science, technology, and medicine are expected to further enhance their research capabilities.
Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo, which have announced the start of discussions on integration,
"In addition to strengthening the priority areas and strategic areas of each university, we can combine various fields of natural science with free ideas to create new academic fields."
Medical and Dental College.
The integration plan is said to have been decided after repeated discussions between President Kazuya Masu of Tokyo Institute of Technology and President Yujiro Tanaka of Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
The aim is “international research capabilities”
In the past, university integration was often done to improve management issues against the backdrop of the rapid decline in the birthrate.
However, the major aim of the two universities that have moved toward integration this time is not to improve management efficiency, but to strategically aim to become a university with high international research capabilities.
The government plans to establish a fund of 10 trillion yen, a "university fund", and plan to support universities with investment profits of 300 billion yen. can be used for research and improving the research environment.
To be selected, one of the requirements is to produce internationally excellent research results. It is hoped that extensive research will be conducted.
Only two Japanese universities are in the top 100 of world university rankings
On the other hand, the decline in the research capabilities of Japanese universities has become a major issue.
According to the latest ranking of universities in the world compiled by a British journal, the University of Tokyo is ranked 35th, and Kyoto University is ranked 61st, leaving only two Japanese universities in the top 100.
The Times Higher Education, a British educational magazine, publishes rankings of the world's universities every year based on indicators such as research content and the number of citations of papers.
The 1st place is the University of Oxford in the UK, the 2nd place is the California Institute of Technology in the United States and Harvard University in the United States, and the 13th place is occupied by universities in the United States and the United Kingdom.
In Japan, the
University of Tokyo ranks 35th, and
Kyoto University ranks 61st, leaving only two places in the top 100.
Tohoku University ranked 201st to 250th,
and Osaka University and Tokyo Institute of Technology ranked 301st to 350th. ,
▽ From 501st to 600th, Tokyo Medical and Dental University etc.
While Japanese universities are struggling in the world rankings, the impact of this merger will be large, and it is expected to affect domestic universities in terms of strengthening their research capabilities.
Students: “Expanding the range of research”, “I can do what I couldn’t do”
A first-year student studying life science and engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology said, "I was very surprised by the news of the merger. The field I'm studying is closely related to medicine, and I think I'll be able to do research that I couldn't do before." I have high hopes," he said.
A third-year student of telecommunications said, "I hope that the integration will allow for better research without destroying the strengths and individuality of each university. I'm a little worried about the name of the university changing. , I think it will lead to new developments mainly in the medical field, such as medical equipment and artificial intelligence."
A first-year female graduate student at Tokyo Medical and Dental University said, "Personally, I am very much in favor of this. In my field of research, machines are weak, so if you could compensate for that, I would be able to expand my research even further." I think it will spread," he said.
A man in his fifth year of university said, "I was a little surprised when I heard that it was going to be integrated. Since the fields are different, I think it will be important to collaborate. I think that research is important, so it's okay. I don't think so," he said.
Integration of designated national universities will be the first time if it is realized
On the 9th, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo Medical and Dental University officially announced that they would start talks for integration.
The announcement from the two schools said, "It is a decision that requires multifaceted verification, and the final decision will be entrusted to discussions between the two corporations."
According to the people involved, the method of integration is to become one university or to integrate only the operating corporation.
Both universities are one of the "designated national universities" designated by the government as having the highest level of research capacity in Japan. .
In order to increase the international competitiveness of universities, the government will establish a 10 trillion yen "university fund" and will openly invite universities to receive support by the end of the year.
The two universities are considering applying for this fund, and are expected to further enhance their research capabilities in fields such as science and engineering, medicine, and dentistry by promoting an integrated concept.