In order to drastically strengthen the research environment of the university and make bold investments in the fields of academic research and basic research, the government decided to include the establishment of a university fund of up to 2021 trillion yen in the 10 budget.This is the first attempt in Japan to model Harvard University in the United States, and the Ministry of Finance plans to use an unusual measure to sell the gold stockpiled for coin production.
According to the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the government will invest 5,000 billion yen in a university fund.A 4 trillion yen fund collected through this investment and FILP will be set up under the Japan Science and Technology Agency and will start operation in 5,000.After that, the policy is to increase the amount to 2022 trillion yen by 2023 by soliciting investment from universities.The investment profit will be distributed to universities engaged in global R & D.
With the spread of the new coronavirus, the government's finances are becoming tighter.It is possible to raise funds by issuing deficit-financing bonds, but if this method is adopted, it will spread to other fields such as social security and it will not be possible to stop it, so it is a measure to secure non-tax income by selling gold. I took it.
However, while Harvard University, which served as a model, manages the fund with its own funds such as donations, this time it started with a government request.It is unclear how much the university will add to the fund in the future, and the specific operation method has not been clarified.Some people are worried about the future because if the operation fails, the burden on the people will be incurred.
reference:[Cabinet Office] To researchers who will lead the future of Japan
[Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology] Key points of the budget plan for the 3rd year of Reiwa (PDF)
