Reserch Promotion Initiatives

Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities (by MEXT) Okayama University:
Challenging World-Class Universities with Excellent Performance in Research.

Initiatives for research environment reform

・Establishing a special zone for research called the Organization for Global Advanced Interdisciplinary Sciences (the “Global Sciences Organization”) and providing intensive support for researchers

Providing the Global Sciences Organization with intensive support

Intensively investing in management resources in research cores within the Global Sciences Organization
Accelerating research activities by hiring special contract employees (academic faculty)
Accelerating and promoting research by employing URAs affiliated with the strategic office, which acts as a hub
Holding international symposiums, supporting promotion of international collaborative research, etc.
Providing intensive support for administrative aspects by expanding and enhancing the Support Unit for Strategic Programs

Enhancing the Organization for Research Promotion & Collaboration (ORPC)

Enhancing support for industry-academia research collaboration, intellectual properties, research promotion, and relationship with society
Enhancing the support system by increasing the number of coordinators for research promotion and for intellectual property, as well as developing them

Enhancing public relations

Supporting proactive and strategic participation in exhibitions both inside and outside Japan
Publishing on the University website case studies and other information on the enhancement of the research capabilities of the University
Active publicizing of research results
Enhancing public relations by making use of science writers

Enhancing research support by effectively using joint experimental facilities

Improving the environment for the joint usage of equipment
Increasing the number of special contract employees (academic faculty and technical employees), as well as developing them
Providing support for utilities expenses and other costs

Initiatives to secure and develop research management personnel (URAs)

Strategically implementing research management by using URAs as advisers to the University President, while maintaining a leading URA system that is operated using independent financial resources.
Securing through public recruitment skilled personnel who can immediately make contributions and developing them into high-level research management personnel through OJT and other means.
Creating university research facilitators (URFs), who provide operational and other forms of support between experimental sites and administrative divisions in the special zone for research.
Providing high-level support through a flat organization structure consisting of independent URA members. The number of URAs will not be reduced after the termination of this project and they will continue to be employed through the use of independent financial resources.