2024 New Year’s Greeting

Happy New Year from Kyushu University.

As we welcome the new year, I am delighted to share that we are making steady progress with Kyushu University VISION 2030. Our journey forward is marked by various initiatives, and in the year ahead, I am committed to ensuring they move forward smoothly as we launch new incentives. To do so, I will engage in thoughtful dialogue and discussion with our stakeholders and the university community.

Last year marked a significant turn as we witnessed the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling us to return to our daily lives. Yet, as 2024 begins, we find ourselves faced with the protraction of many wars and conflicts around the world, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip. The heart-wrenching reality of children and civilians caught in these conflicts weighs heavily on our hearts. We hope for swift resolutions to these conflicts, which continue to exert a profound global impact.

Here in Japan, we face steep increases in utility costs and inflation. Kyushu University, too, has been directly affected, with our utility expenses soaring by more than 50%. This challenging situation poses a significant threat to our research and educational activities, and we are diligently working to minimize these impacts.

On the brighter side, since the end of the pandemic, we have seen a resurgence in face-to-face interactions, bringing a sense of momentum to a variety of fields. Last year, we had the honor of welcoming several distinguished guests to our university. These included President Wen-Chang Chen of National Taiwan University, Chancellor Robert J. Jones of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Vo Van Thuong, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The resumption of these in-person exchanges has been a source of great joy and optimism for us.

At Kyushu University, we remain steadfast in our mission as outlined in Kyushu University VISION 2030, and we are building a foundation capable of driving social change with integrative knowledge. Our focus centers on resolving social challenges in three key areas: decarbonization, medicine and health, and environment and food. Furthermore, we are committed to advancing digital transformation (DX) across education, research, and medicine.

In our pursuit of decarbonization, we achieved a significant milestone last November with the public launch of a hydrogen fuel cell bus. This project is part of our initiative to develop technologies that contribute to creating a regional model for a hydrogen society.

In medicine and health, we established the Infectious Disease Drug Discovery Center in October. This center is dedicated to developing a swift transition system from infectious disease research during the “peacetime” between outbreaks to emergency medical and research operations during outbreaks. It also focuses on establishing a dependable supply chain for safe, homegrown vaccines and medications in Japan. Additionally, the Kyushu University Beppu Hospital in Beppu City is set to unveil new renovations this March. We are intent on bolstering our commitment to regional medical care by deepening our collaboration with the local community.

Regarding issues surrounding the environment and food, we are making substantial progress in addressing regional challenges. Among them is the Munakata Sea Urchin Project, a collaborative effort with Munakata City to tackle the problem of sea urchin overpopulation and coastal degradation. We're also ramping up our edible insect research to address the abandoned bamboo forest problem in Kama City.

As part of our DX initiatives, we've launched a system for managing and storing research data, streamlining the process of saving and sharing this vital information. In the realm of medical DX, we're making strides in bringing comprehensive precision medicine to life by merging clinical, genetic, and environmental/lifestyle data within our "Learning Health System" medical service.

We are focused on rapidly translating our research findings into practical applications, facilitated by our "Open Innovation Platform," a collaborative organization uniting industry, academia, and government. We plan to incorporate the Open Innovation Platform as an external entity starting in April, with an aim to bolster its structure and capabilities.

In the field of human resource development, we established the "Promoting Organization for Future Creators" last April, offering extensive support, spanning from high school to doctoral education, with the objective of fostering individuals who are adept at creating value. Additionally, in June, we set up the "Education Center for Semiconductors and Value Creation." This center is committed to research aimed at improving semiconductor performance and preparing experts skilled in using these semiconductors to drive new value and innovation.

This past year has been pivotal in laying the groundwork for co-creation with the local community. In March 2023, all 11 national universities in the Kyushu and Okinawa regions united to form the Kyushu-Okinawa Open University (KOOU). This collaborative platform is primarily aimed at enhancing research capabilities and addressing fundamental challenges in the research environment that individual universities struggled to tackle alone. Furthermore, we entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement with the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST). Our goal is to foster outstanding research outcomes through exchange between various research fields. By leveraging the unique strengths and characteristics of both institutions, we aim to translate these research findings into practical solutions for social issues.

Last year, the university sought accreditation as a "University for International Research Excellence," but unfortunately, we were not selected as a candidate. However, our pursuit of this accreditation has shed light on a range of challenges facing our institution. We are steadfast in our commitment to university reform to tackle these issues and will continue to address them. With each emerging challenge, I am committed to working together with all of you to shape a renewed Kyushu University in 2024. Thank you.

 

January 1, 2024

Tatsuro Ishibashi
President of Kyushu University