Community and Regional Affiliations

As our specific collaboration policy for the areas surrounding our campuses, we at Ritsumeikan University have up until now focused on entering into comprehensive agreements with local public bodies, and implementing lectures open to the public. In particular, at our Biwako-Kusatsu campus (BKC), established with the public and private cooperation of the university and local public bodies (Shiga prefecture, Kusatsu city), we have continued collaborations with Shiga prefecture, Kusatsu city in various fields, including local industries. Following the approach of our “Saturday lectures” at Kinugasa campus, we have also established “Biwako lectures”.

Our Osaka Ibaraki campus (OIC), established in April 2015, is located in the urban area maintenance zone and disaster prevention park, which are under the control of Ibaraki city. There are no walls or gates dividing the university from the local area, and the facilities are laid out in such a way that the general public can come and go through it as they please. So in a tangible way the arrangement of the campus provides many points of contact with the local community. As the specific activities for regional collaboration at the OIC, we are undertaking many different projects, including collaborations with Ibaraki city/Ibaraki city Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Agreement), AEON Ibaraki, NEXCO West Japan, Osaka Gas, Toshiba, and civic NPOs.

At our Kyoto campuses as well, we are expanding our Kyoto-specific collaborations, including preserving Kyoto’s cultural heritage through the Tomorrow’s Kyoto Cultural Heritage Platform, the Kyoto Community Museum “Historic Corridor” Project, the Institute of Disaster Mitigation for Urban Cultural Heritage, and the Art Research Center, and contributing to the inheritance and preservation of traditional culture through digital archives. In particular, the “World heritage PBL”, a joint undertaking by the University Consortium Kyoto, which is set against the backdrop of Kyoto’s world heritage sites, and Tomorrow’s Kyoto Cultural Heritage Platform, is gaining attention for its efforts to turn world heritage into a field of study for university students.

In addition, we are collaborating with municipalities and local companies in the North East region for disaster restoration assistance activities. We are also collaborating with various municipalities in Hokkaido, Shima city, Himeji city, etc., through work including the R-GIRO research project, studies in food related areas, recruitment support, Institute of Disaster Mitigation for Urban Cultural Heritage activities, each college’s PBL, fieldwork, internships and affiliated schools’ field work. Furthermore, we are carrying out activities across all areas, such as the collaborative course at our Tokyo campus that we have created in collaboration with Japan’s professional association soccer league (J.League) for the cultivation of human resources in the world of sports.

Our third mission following university education and research is contribution to society. To ensure that our education and research contributes to society we want to expand the breadth of our activities and coordination, and continue various activities with municipalities through our regional collaboration offices at each campus. We will continue to create a university that contributes to society by deepening cooperation with municipalities, groups, and private enterprises, etc.; supporting regional revitalization; and confronting the world’s problems, all via the PBL and fieldwork that takes places on every campus, no matter its location, and our laboratory/research center research projects.