Social Impact Kick-off Symposium was held
2025.03.21
Kick-off Symposium for MEXT’s “Multicultural Campus Project Toward Social Impact” was held.
In November 2024, the University of Tsukuba was selected for the “Multicultural Campus Project Toward Social Impact” (hereinafter referred to as the “Social Impact Project“) under the “Type II: Overseas Expansion” category by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
The Social Impact Project was launched by MEXT this fiscal year to create a virtuous cycle where the advancement of university internationalization, the dispatch of Japanese exchange students, and the acceptance and integration of talented international students mutually reinforce each other. This is achieved through the establishment of frameworks for international collaborative learning, both domestically and globally.
University of Tsukuba has previously been consecutively selected for three major global promotion projects initiated by MEXT: the “Global 30” program launched in 2009, the “Go Global Japan Project (GGJ: Faculty-Specific Type)” for nurturing global talent, and the “Top Global University Project (SGU: Top Type).” With its selection for the Social Impact Project, University of Tsukuba has now been recognized in all of MEXT’s global promotion initiatives.
Additionally, University of Tsukuba was appointed as the coordinating institution among universities selected for the Social Impact Projects. To commemorate the launch of the program and to further expand the initiatives of each university and inter-university collaboration, a kick-off symposium was held on March 14, 2025.
Before the symposium, the inaugural meeting of the selected universities was conducted, led by KATO Mitsuyasu, Vice President for Education. Representatives from the 13 universities chosen for the Social Impact Project, as well as officials from MEXT, including SATO Kuniaki, Councilor for International Affairs, participated in discussions and presented their initiatives.
Upper row: Liaison meeting of adopted schools
Bottom row: From left to right: IKEDA Jun, Vice President for Global Affairs; KATO Mitsuyasu, Vice President for Education; and SATO Kuniaki, Councilor for International Affairs of MEXT.
The kick-off symposium was moderated by IKEDA Jun, Vice President for International Affairs. It included opening remarks by NAGATA Kyosuke, President of University of Tsukuba, and YANO Kazuhiko, Senior Deputy Minister of MEXT. This was followed by a keynote lecture by MISHIMA Yoshinao, former Chairperson of the SGU Program Committee and current President of the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). The lecture was titled “The Top Global University Project and the Future of Higher Education in Japan.“
Following this, YAMASHITA Norihisa, Executive Trustee for Planning at Ritsumeikan University and representative of the Secretariat for the Forum for Promoting University Internationalization, gave a presentation titled “Introduction to the Forum for Promoting University Internationalization and Future Prospects.” SATO Kuniaki (Councilor for International Affairs, MEXT) spoke about the ministry’s perspectives and initiatives regarding the Social Impact Project.
Symposium scene: Clockwise from top left: NAGATA Kyosuke, President of University of Tsukuba; YANO Kazuhiko, Senior Deputy Minister for MEXT; MISHIMA Yoshinao, President of AMED; and YAMASHITA Norihisa, Executive Trustee for Planning of Ritsumeikan University.
Subsequently, representatives from universities selected for the Social Impact Projects—namely, TSUBOUCHI Takashi, Executive Officer for Educational Design at University of Tsukuba; MIZUTANI Norimi, Vice President for International Affairs, Planning & Evaluation, and Institutional Research at Nagoya University; SHINODA Hiroshi, Vice President of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University; and TAKEUCHI Osamu, Vice President and Director of the International Office at Kansai University—introduced their initiatives and participated in a panel discussion. During the Q&A session, numerous questions and comments were raised, including topics such as the role of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Participants expressed their expectations and goals for this project. The symposium was a great success, with over 200 participants on-site, and many participants joining online.
Panel discussion: from left, Vice President IKEDA Jun (Moderator); MIZUTANI Norimi, Vice President of Nagoya University; SHINODA Hiroyuki, Vice President of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University; TAKEUCHI Osamu, Vice President of Kansai University; TSUBOUCHI Takashi, Executive Officer for Educational Design of Tsukuba University; and SATO Kuniaki, Councilor for International Affairs of MEXT.
University of Tsukuba’s program, “Nurturing Global Start-uppers through GASSHUKU and DOJO,” supports over 2,400 international students from 116 countries and regions. With a multicultural collaborative learning environment that offers a wide range of courses, the program fosters joint learning between Japanese and international students while facilitating multicultural co-learning between the university, companies, and local governments. Through diverse partnerships and collaboration within and beyond the university, the project aims to nurture global start-uppers equipped with the ability to enact social transformation and practical skills toward realizing an inclusive and sustainable smart society both domestically and internationally.