Town Campuses

2024/03/29

Image: Shin-Kawasaki Town Campus (K2)

In addition to its six main campuses, Keio University has several satellite campuses. Among these, campuses established to conduct cutting-edge research in close cooperation with undergraduate and graduate schools, and to create new regional industries and improve Japan's science and technology through industry-government-academia collaboration activities, are called "Town Campuses." Currently, there are three Town Campuses—Shin-Kawasaki, Tsuruoka, and Tonomachi—which serve as activity bases for the "Keio University Square for Advanced Research and Education" established in 2000, where cutting-edge research is conducted.

In February 1999, an agreement was signed between Keio University and Kawasaki City, and it was decided to establish the "K2 (K-Square) Town Campus" (K2 signifies the synergy between the two Ks of Keio University and Kawasaki City) as a core advanced research base for Kawasaki City's "Shin-Kawasaki/Sozo-no-mori (Woods of Creation) Project." In July 2000, the Shin-Kawasaki Town Campus (K2) was established. Since its opening, research on plastic optical fibers and electric vehicles has been conducted, attracting significant attention from the industrial world. Since then, a wide range of advanced and practical research has been widely carried out, such as real haptics technology research that allows the sense of touch from a robot to be felt at a remote location.

In 1998, the Governor of Yamagata Prefecture visited Keio University to discuss a partnership regarding the concept of establishing a "publicly-built, privately-operated" four-year university in the Shonai region. This aligned with Keio University's intention to explore the possibility of satellite campuses, leading to the decision to establish a new university in Sakata City and an advanced research center in Tsuruoka City. In March 1999, an agreement was signed with Yamagata Prefecture and 14 municipalities, including Tsuruoka City. Amidst a growing mood of welcome from the local community, the Tsuruoka Town Campus of Keio (TTCK) was opened in April 2001. The Tsuruoka Town Campus of Keio (TTCK) houses the Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB). The "Tsuruoka Science Park" was built around this IAB, and it continues to produce many bio-venture companies, such as Spiber Inc., which has attracted attention for its development of new synthetic protein fiber materials.

In April 2016, the Tonomachi Town Campus was opened as a new Town Campus at the "Tonomachi International Strategic Zone KING SKYFRONT" in the Tonomachi district of Kawasaki City. As a core base for the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) "Research Complex Promotion Program," various industry-government-academia institutions have integrated here to practice well-being research. Furthermore, plans are underway to promote research on regenerative medicine, cell therapy, and genetics, and facility renovations are currently in progress.

(Yasuki Kaneko, Director, Office of Research Development and Sponsored Projects)