Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto, Japan; President Yoshio Nakatani) has been selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for its Support Program for Strengthening the Functions of Universities and Colleges of Technology (Growth Sector Transition Fund).

This program provides ongoing support to universities and colleges of technology that are committed to developing highly specialized professionals in growth sectors such as digital technologies and green innovation. It is designed to respond to Japan's projected shortage of more than one million science professionals by 2040 in light of the declining birthrate, aging population, and anticipated changes in the country’s industrial structure.
By way of this program, Ritsumeikan University will further strengthen the education and research framework centered on its College of Life Sciences and promote the development of highly skilled science and engineering professionals capable of addressing social issues in growth sectors such as environmental and energy sciences, biotechnology, and healthcare.

As part of its successful proposal, Ritsumeikan adopted the theme of "Transforming Chemistry and Life Sciences Education to Advance Human Health, Promote a Sustainable World and Society, and Realize Well-being." To address increasingly serious global issues, including climate change, energy issues, food security, and the needs of a super-aging society, Ritsumeikan will strengthen education and research in the College of Life Sciences while fostering highly skilled science and engineering professionals equipped with the convergence of knowledge.
Specifically, beginning in AY2028, we plan to increase the total enrollment capacity of the College of Life Sciences by 65 students across the Department of Applied Chemistry, the Department of Bioinformatics, and the Department of Biomedical Sciences. In addition, we will expand and reorganize the Department of Applied Chemistry into the Department of Advanced and Applied Chemistry (tentative name) and expand and reorganize the Department of Biotechnology into the Department of Applied Biosciences (tentative name). These changes will strengthen education and research in fields including Green Transformation (GX), carbon neutrality, food and environmental issues, the relationship between AI and biotechnology, and next-generation medicine. The plans for the establishment of these departments and the increase in enrollment capacity are currently in the planning stage, so the details outlined above are provisional and subject to change.

Since its establishment in 2008, the College of Life Sciences at Ritsumeikan University has advanced education and research in chemistry and the life sciences under its guiding principle of “contributing to human well-being and the realization of a prosperous, sustainable society in harmony with nature.” The College comprises four departments—Applied Chemistry, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, and Biomedical Sciences—and based on the integration of the life sciences and information science, it develops talent and conducts research across a broad range of fields, including drug discovery and medical science, biomanufacturing, and the environment and energy.
The Department of Bioinformatics, in particular, promotes education and research combining the life sciences and information science, leading the field of biotechnology-driven digital transformation (bio-DX) in areas such as AI-assisted drug discovery, genomics, and digital twinning. Furthermore, the Department of Biomedical Sciences conducts advanced research in fields including health technology assessment (HTA) and clinical epidemiology.
The College also promotes industry-academia collaboration with local governments and companies in Shiga Prefecture. Internationally, it actively cultivates science and engineering professionals capable of thriving in the global arena through joint research and student exchange in the life sciences, including education and research collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH).

I am deeply honored that Ritsumeikan University has been selected by MEXT for the Support Program for Strengthening the Functions of Universities and Colleges of Technology (Growth Sector Transition Fund). Cultivating highly skilled professionals who can advance chemistry and the life sciences is essential to addressing a range of increasingly complex social issues, including climate change, food and energy issues, and the needs of a super-aging society. Using this program as a springboard, Ritsumeikan will further strengthen science education and research centered on the life sciences, and we will contribute to realizing a sustainable society and well-being as a next-generation research university that creates social impact.