Science Tokyo Becomes 2nd Univ. Eligible for State Aid

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s education ministry Friday certified the Institute of Science Tokyo as the second university eligible for receiving aid from a government-financed 10-trillion-yen fund aimed at supporting universities. The Institute of Science Tokyo is expected to receive over 10 billion yen in subsidies in the first year after approval of a plan to strengthen its research capabilities that it will submit as early as February. “We hope (the Institute of Science Tokyo) will steadily promote the plan, produce tangible results and work hard as an entity that will lead our country’s research and university education,” education minister Yohei Matsumoto told a news conference. The Institute of Science Tokyo was founded in 2024 through a merger of the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo Medical and Dental University. In its bid for the status of University for International Research Excellence, to which aid is granted from the fund, the Institute of Science Tokyo pledged to carry out reform to promote cooperation between researchers on medicine and engineering following the merger of the two universities. A screening panel set up by the ministry said last month that the Institute of Science Tokyo and Kyoto University meet the criteria for the status. Kyoto University is expected to receive official certification after refining its reform plan with the panel for one year. The University of Tokyo, which has been rocked by a series of scandals, is subject to continued screening whose result is expected to come out within a year. An institution certified as the University for International Research Excellence can receive annual subsidies worth 10 billion yen from the fund for up to 25 years. The aid is designed to help certified universities become world-class research institutions. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]