Five universities—Kobe University, Tohoku University, Niigata University, Kanazawa University, and the University of Tokyo—are planning to establish "Contract Departments," educational programs that also aim to recruit graduates.

　A "contract-based department" is an educational program established and operated through industry-academia collaboration, which brings together resources from industry (such as funding and dispatch of practitioners) and resources from universities (such as collaboration with other departments and faculty members) to develop a cutting-edge educational and research environment, while also considering the employment of graduates.

　The universities selected are Kobe University, Tohoku University, Niigata University, Kanazawa University, and the University of Tokyo. These five universities and their partner companies will design curricula based on the ideal human resource profile set jointly by the universities and industry, and conduct research and development as "contract departments."

　In recent years, we have moved from an era of the "linear model," in which the state made large-scale investments in science, to a new era that can be described as the "proximity of science and business," in which not only the state but also industry (business) invests in science. In Japan, too, there is a growing need for universities, which are the "source of knowledge" indispensable for innovation, and industry, which has extensive experience in the social implementation of research results, to collaborate in order to create innovation, implement research results in society, and cultivate human resources.

　The five projects selected consist of three hub formation projects and two youth support contract department-type projects. The hub formation projects aim to support research and development through the provision of subsidies, promote the social implementation of research and development content, create an environment that leads to the creation of deep tech startups, and expand the base of industry-academia collaboration, with the goal of forming industry-academia collaboration hubs centered on universities. While it is not mandatory for proposals to involve a contract department, all of the selected themes involved the establishment and operation of a contract department.

　The Youth Support Contract Department type project will, in addition to providing subsidies, mandate the establishment and operation of a "contract department," a new form of industry-academia collaboration. The aim is to contribute to the creation of new industries by fostering highly specialized personnel who can strengthen industrial competitiveness and by enhancing industry-academia collaboration. The contract department will bring together resources from the industrial sector (funding, dispatch of practitioners, provision of information on industry trends, etc.) and university resources (collaboration with other faculties and faculty, securing faculty and students, etc.) to develop a cutting-edge educational and research environment. Furthermore, with an eye on employing graduates, the project will enrich its curriculum through internships in the industrial sector and student participation in industry-academia joint research.

　The five research themes selected are as follows:

<Base of Operations>
● "Formation of a co-creation and development base for future mobility and robotics"
Kobe University x Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

● "Establishing a practical process development base that connects the discovery of 0 to 1 to the production of 1 to 100"
Tohoku University x Japan Association for the Promotion of New Chemical Technology, Nisshin Oillio Group, Ltd., Resonac Corporation (a chemical materials-related company), etc.

● "Research and development of 'food tech innovation' that transforms 'challenges' into 'value'"
Niigata University x Oisix Co., Ltd., Shidax Food Service Co., Ltd., Future Food Fund Co., Ltd.

<Youth Support Contract Program for Departments>
● "Research and development of material separation, conversion, and functionalization technologies to accelerate implementation in the biomass value chain"
Kanazawa University x Daicel Corporation

● "Research on Deep Tech Innovation Platforms for Doctoral Graduates through Industry-Academia Collaboration"
The University of Tokyo x Sony Group Corporation

Reference: [New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization] Initiatives including the establishment of a "Contract Studies Department," a new form of industry-academia collaboration, are being launched.