On Thursday, October 9, a site visit by the support team for the "Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities as Regional Cores and Distinctive Research Universities (J-PEAKS)" was held at the Yagami Campus.
The purpose of this site visit was to (1) inspect the research centers and other facilities that form the core of the project to understand the actual situation, and (2) understand the progress and challenges through face-to-face exchanges of opinions with the President and university executive board. A total of 29 people from the J-PEAKS support team visited the Juku, led by Keio University's assigned supporter, Ms. Caroline Benton (Professor, Graduate School of Business Sciences, University of Tsukuba), and including Mr. Michinari Hamaguchi (Director, Strategic Center for Biomedical Advanced Vaccine Research and Development (SCARDA), Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED)), who serves as the chief supporter of the support team for the promotion of regional core and distinctive research universities, and Mr. Masato Murakami (Auditor, Research Organization of Information and Systems), who serves as the deputy supporter, as well as liaisons from the J-PEAKS research university group and officials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
First, in the "Multi-Media Room" of the Sosokan (Building 14) on the Yagami Campus, an explanation of Keio University's J-PEAKS initiatives was given by President Kohei Itoh, Vice-President Toshiharu Saiki, Vice-President Motohiro Tsuchiya, and Vice-President Kotaro Yamagishi, as well as Teruo Nakatsuma, Director of the Keio University Global Research Institute (KGRI), Nobuaki Shindo, Director of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Otea Sampetra, Administrative Director of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), Koji Hase, Director of the Office for Research Coordination and Administration who serves as Keio's J-PEAKS liaison, and Hiromichi Magae, Associate Vice Provost (Research Finance and Administrative Planning) of the Provost Office, who serves as the J-PEAKS liaison for the partner university, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST).
Next, Toshiyuki Murakami, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Kenji Yasuoka, Dean of the Graduate School of Science and Technology, and Munehiro Tada, Professor of the Faculty of Science and Technology, introduced the Yagami Innovation Laboratory (YIL), which started this fiscal year. They presented its efforts in emergent human resource development through industry-academic collaboration and open innovation aimed at solving social issues and creating new industries. Furthermore, focusing on the track record of collaboration between J-PEAKS and the JST Support for Pioneering Research Initiated by Next Generation (Keio-SPRING), they detailed measures to increase the number of students entering Doctoral Programs and methods for developing doctoral talent.
Following this, an exchange of opinions was held with the J-PEAKS support team, centered on Mr. Michinari Hamaguchi, Mr. Masato Murakami, and Ms. Caroline Benton. Active discussions took place on various topics from Keio's J-PEAKS initiatives toward becoming a "research university that creates the common sense of the future," including international inter-university collaboration, OIST collaboration, university-wide implementation systems, methods for cross-disciplinary research between the humanities/social sciences and natural sciences, social implementation of academic knowledge and creation of innovation, and the development and utilization of doctoral talent.
Next, the J-PEAKS support team visited the Quantum Computing Center (KQCC), the Manufacturing Center, and the YIL, which are among the strengths and distinctive research centers of Keio's J-PEAKS project.
At the Quantum Computing Center, the only hub in Asia with access to the latest version of IBM's actual quantum computer "IBM Q," Naoki Yamamoto, Professor of the Faculty of Science and Technology and Director of the center, explained the frontiers of knowledge regarding quantum control, quantum computation, quantum mechanics, and quantum information, leading to various discussions. At the Manufacturing Center, they inspected various machine tools for processing metal materials and exchanged opinions on the results of experiments and research using the latest equipment.
At YIL, they toured the first floor, a place for various "gatherings" such as disseminating research results, industry-academic collaboration dialogues, and educational programs, as well as the second floor, a place where students can daily interact with research equipment related to various research themes and casually "test" various challenges.
Finally, Ms. Caroline Benton and Mr. Michinari Hamaguchi reflected on the day's exchange of opinions and site visit, providing comments on the initiatives Keio University should pursue in the future toward becoming a "research university that creates the common sense of the future," followed by a lively social gathering. The supporters commented that it was a "very interesting and meaningful site visit."
Keio University will utilize the various opinions received during this site visit in its future J-PEAKS project initiatives.
Photography: Aki Takematsu