Tohoku University has developed a "next-generation researcher database" that automatically and efficiently accumulates information on researchers scattered both inside and outside the university, and makes it possible to visualize the necessary information when needed.
The system infrastructure is a data lake using cloud services provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS), and various data such as personnel affairs, research expenses, and educational achievements accumulated on campus, including data from off-campus academic paper information databases. By aggregating in lakes, researchers and evaluators can retrieve information in the format they need, when they need it.Analysis results can be visualized with business intelligence (BI) tools, supporting the automation and efficiency of multifaceted, evidence-based research and educational performance evaluations.
Conventionally, the number of papers, the number of citations, the amount of Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, It was relatively easy to accumulate and analyze researcher uniform indicators such as the amount of donations.On the other hand, universities also have educational and research activities that are difficult to accumulate in external databases, such as joint research with companies that are confidential, student guidance, and administrative work. There is no choice but to divide it and enter it into the database on campus.The amount and quality of the input data differed depending on the researcher, which made it difficult to evaluate and analyze the evidence base, and it was not possible to quickly apply it to multifaceted evaluation.
Through this system development, joint research expenses with companies that cannot be accumulated in an external database, thesis guidance record, the number of lectures, the acceptance record of international students, the management operation record, etc. are automatically accumulated, and a more multifaceted and evidence-based evaluation・Analysis and visualization are now possible instantly.Aiming to become a world-leading research university, Tohoku University plans to start full-scale operation of its database in April 2023. It aims to improve its international presence, recruit young researchers, promote diversity and inclusion, and promote industry-academia collaboration. It is said that it will be used to help solve various issues surrounding the university, such as promotion.