Mid-term plan for research advancement
Ritsumeikan University has established a mid-term research advancement plan along with the R2030 Academy Vision.
The Fourth Ritsumeikan University Mid-Term Research Advancement Plan (AY2021-AY2025) was newly developed in AY2021, with the basic goal of “realizing a next-generation research-intensive university that generates new social symbiotic values and emergent human resources.” In order to achieve this basic goal, we have positioned three ideal images of a university as the three goals of the Fourth Mid-Term Research Advancement Plan.
Three Ideal Images of a University
- Ideal image of a university (1)
A university that will enhance the potential of individual researchers by providing support according to the career stage of researchers, from early-career researchers (including doctoral students) to core researchers, and fundamental research support
It is to provide career-oriented support to each researcher so that he/she can exhibit his/her individual capabilities to the fullest, thereby enhancing his/her reputation in each field, which in turn will lead to an overall improvement in the comprehensive research capabilities of the University as a whole. (Figure 1.)
- Ideal image of a university (2)
A university that will become a “knowledge node” by building a global research network and strengthening the international dissemination of research results
The R2030 Academy Vision proposes the establishment of Ritsumeikan Knowledge Nodes (RKN).
It has been ascertained in the RKN that the University will “build a system that enables its Colleges, Graduate Schools, Research Organizations/Institutes, and individual researchers conducting research thereat to realize their research potential to the fullest, while building continuous partnerships expansively through the university-wide visualization of networks with overseas universities/research institutes, international organizations, corporations, NGOs, and researchers in Japan and overseas, and strive to become an important and unique “node of knowledge” in the international network where the cyber and real worlds are interlinked. In order to become a hub of the Ritsumeikan Knowledge Nodes (RKN), Ritsumeikan University is also required to promote the development of research bases that will lead a next-generation research-intensive university, and this university-wide task will be undertaken in conjunction with the Mid-Term Research Advancement Plan. (Figure 2.)
- Ideal image of a university (3)
A university that will contribute to the resolution of social and humanistic issues through the promotion of distinctive interdisciplinary co-creation research and social implementation, and create and utilize “comprehensive knowledge”
To resolve social issues by taking advantage of its unique characteristics as a comprehensive university, Ritsumeikan University has been promoting cross-field, bottom-up research that respects the diversity of research and activities that have a social impact, such as research in areas of regional co-creation, formation of research communities involving regional research, and response to the SDGs. In addition, we will provide support to increase the international recognition of outstanding research projects in these areas, and promote cutting-edge research activities at the Ritsumeikan Global Innovation Research Organization (R-GIRO) and the Ritsumeikan Asia-Japan Research Organization, as well as fused research activities to resolve problems that have been led by the Program for Research Institute Mission and the Program for Core-to-Core Research.
In this diversity-rich research environment supported by a diverse network, Ritsumeikan University will further promote research advancement in collaboration with the University-led research projects and Graduate School advancement measures such as the fostering of early-career researchers. (Figure 3.)
