Sixty-three research projects at 28 universities have been selected by the Global Center of Excellence (COE) Program to receive state subsidies as internationally prominent university research centers.
In addition to significant research projects, COE universities also place importance on quality as educational institutions for nurturing researchers.
The plans submitted by the selected research bases are tipped to influence the future of graduate school education.
The COE program took over from the 21st Century COE Program, which was launched in fiscal 2002.
The 21st Century program selected 274 research projects over a period of three years, offering an average of 130 million yen in assistance per year.
In contrast, the COE program plans to select about 150 projects, including the aforementioned 63 projects, over three years. With the program becoming more selective about the projects it accepts, the number of selections will be nearly halved, but the assistance will amount to 260 million yen per year.
Of the 28 universities' 63 projects, 50 will be conducted by 21 national universities, three by three public universities and 10 by four private schools.
National universities beat out public and private universities in terms of the number of projects chosen, with Osaka University garnering seven, the most of any school this time, followed by Tokyo and Kyoto universities, with six each. While many universities whose research projects were recognized by the 21st Century COE Program did not make the grade this time, nine universities have been newly selected.
Kansai University, which was chosen for the grants for the first time, hung a banner at the entrance of the university boasting that its humanity and science studies had made the grade. University President Teiichi Kawata said the COE is a symbol that makes students and professors appreciate the university's achievements.
The university's Cultural Interaction Studies of East Asia by Peripheral Approach, which studies cultural exchanges in East Asia, including Japan, China and the Korean Peninsula, was selected.
Research leader Tao Demin, a Chinese professor of literature, said the selection will let some fresh air into the field of East Asian studies, which have tended to focus on China.
Doctoral students must take two Asian languages, in addition to English.
Young researchers also can make their presence felt through organizing international forums.
Kawata said his university requires its students to not only study, but also play a key role in international organizations.
Tokyo Institute of Technology, which houses the country's fastest supercomputer, Tsubame, was designated as a new research base for Computationism as the Foundation of Sciences, which studies computation for all phenomena, such as the reaction of elementary particles and the function of proteins in cells--unprecedented research that will help to pioneer new fields.
The university has set up a framework to recruit students from various fields and nurture them systematically. The school's doctoral students are required to spend at least two months in laboratories in fields other than those of their speciality.
In the past, students were usually taught by one professor under a system similar to an apprenticeship, but Prof. Osamu Watanabe, the project's leader, said exchanges with other fields would help researchers develop broader expertise.
Most universities plan to use the doubled funds to provide economic assistance to graduate students and young researchers.
According to a summary compiled in June by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry, Tokyo University, too, plans to use a large portion of the funds as economic assistance for its students. Keio University plans to hire about 12 postdoctoral researchers, and Osaka University will use the funds to hire second-term postdoctoral students as research associates.
Ryoji Noyori, chairman of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken) and chairman of the committee to select COE university projects, said economic assistance to young researchers also is indispensable in attracting able foreign students. "I hope these research bases will be a good reference for graduate schools in reforming their programs," he said.
(Jul. 1, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/science/20070701TDY03004.htm
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