"Publicness of Knowledge" and "Knowledge Collaboration": Working Towards a Research Institution that Operates in Tandem with Society
Let's look back at your efforts regarding research, an area that goes hand in hand with education. You have built up frameworks within the University in order to promote what you refer to as the "publicness of knowledge." How would you evaluate your initiatives in this area?
When I came up with the phrases "publicness of knowledge" and "knowledge collaboration," I was consciously aware of the importance of the words I was choosing, just as I had been with my previous phrases. The process of university research becoming useful to society has occurred in a very natural manner. Also, university collaboration with society to create knowledge has become an everyday occurrence when thinking in terms of university cooperation with private companies. However, after witnessing the collapse of Lehman Brothers, which took place just before I assumed the post as president, I became concerned about the roles, responsibilities and limits of knowledge. So, I came up with the aforementioned phrases to convey my hope that the members of the University community would become more conscious of their interactions with society. I believe that after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami disasters and the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, what I meant about becoming more conscious of interactions with society became clear once again. The concentrated efforts we are making to strengthen our research capabilities at the University of Tokyo are not for self-serving purposes. Rather, we are undertaking these efforts with the aim of enhancing the publicness of knowledge.
To strengthen the University's research capabilities, our general role on the Administration Bureau side is to help create a welcoming environment in which researchers can conduct their work. The Administration Bureau contributes to this goal from an organizational standpoint, improving the infrastructure and systems that support researchers through such areas as finance and personnel management. One distinct example of these initiatives is our founding of the University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS; formerly TODIAS) in 2010. We set up the Institutes to ensure that entities which have conducted research at a level meeting extremely high international standards and have invigorated research systems across the University, such as the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU), will continue to operate in more sustainable and stable ways. Also, we have created organizations under the direct management of the Office of the President (these kinds of organizations are called kiko in Japanese), such as the Institute of Gerontology and the Future Center Initiative. I believe that it is important to consider the progress of the research that institutes are carrying out and accordingly decide what kinds of organizational forms would suit them best. For example, the UTokyo Policy Alternatives Research Institute was changed from a kiko to a University-wide center.
An Effective Way to Tackle Financial Issues is for Several Universities to Team Up and Appeal to the Government
Competition to get funds for research activities has become increasingly severe. Under these circumstances, it is becoming more difficult for the Administration Bureau to optimize how resources are allocated in some cases, including how much of the University's budget should be given to basic research fields. For that reason, we have made requests for an increase in resources allocated to indirect expenses. These actions, however, would be more effective if several universities teamed up and asked for an increase together, rather than having each university ask on its own. So, we set up an entity called RU11 (an academic consortium of 11 research universities in Japan), which enables us to work together with other universities to appeal to and communicate with the government and society.
Personnel management systems are also important when it comes to advancing research activities. The structure we have in place for rearranging the number of staff to be employed in response to the progress of research and education in each area is working as it should. In the current research environment, a particularly important task we must address is offering more care and consideration towards younger researchers. The initiatives I promoted in this regard include the special professor system (professors who work on an annual salary basis) and the cross-appointment system. Promoting an environment conducive to carrying out research smoothly through flexible personnel management systems like these, I believe, is also one of the roles of the Administration Bureau.
How do you feel about the University's progress on the tasks you laid out to increase the number of female researchers and researchers from overseas?
Unfortunately, I have to say that we didn't do all that we could to accomplish these tasks, and we have made only slow progress. As for female academic staff members, however, I believe we made a certain degree of improvement. This is because in some of the University's organizational entities―particularly several of the scientifically-oriented ones―I promoted the intentional employment of women by allocating some posts preferentially to women at my deliberation. Nevertheless, if we don't continue to actively take measures to advance the employment of female researchers, then we will still be far from the point at which we will be able to see a visible change in this area. The same can be said about increasing the number of female students. My impression lately is that we cannot expect a boost in the number of female students unless we take bold measures without hesitation. Also, the employment of outstanding researchers from overseas is not an easy task, because, frankly speaking, there are aspects of their employment that are difficult to manage, including those related to salaries and working benefits. However, regardless of how difficult it may be, we must move forward to increase the number of foreign researchers by utilizing the cross-appointment system and other measures, including the fixed-term employment of overseas researchers. Having outstanding researchers from other countries and their diverse viewpoints at our University is very important not only for education but also for research. I believe that without enough of this kind of stimulation, it will be difficult for any substantial advancements to be made in the areas of education and research in Japan.
As you were making efforts to improve the University's research environment, some serious problems surfaced in relation to research ethics. As the president and also as a researcher, you probably had many thoughts about this.
We Can't Establish a Firm Foundation for Research Ethics If We Can't Accept Criticism without Hiding or Running Away
It is extremely regrettable that a considerable number of research ethics-related problems have come to light. Problems took place that wouldn't have if the researchers had properly done what they were supposed to do. Those researchers did not observe the rules that they naturally should have observed. That is something that I take very seriously.
Although some of the problems took place a long time ago, we will definitely disclose and handle these problems head-on. Doing so will enable us to raise our awareness of research ethics, which is something we must do. I believe that accepting criticism without hiding or running away will lead us to establishing a firm foundation for research ethics at the University.
I think several structural issues exist that contribute to these problems. One issue is that due to the advancement of digital technology and the Internet, manipulating and plagiarizing data has become technically easier than before, and the probability of yielding to temptation or making errors has become higher. Another structural issue is that due to the severe competition in getting papers published in some areas of study, a number of organizations within the University have experienced difficulty in maintaining sufficient research management frameworks, including those for personnel and administrative management.
The best way to address the first structural issue is to enhance researchers' awareness of research ethics and related moral standards. As for the second issue, I think that we can take a slightly more systematic approach. For example, the heads of the University academic organizations could take extra care to monitor whether research support systems are sufficient, more flexibly manage the allocation of financial resources and employment positions, or improve the URA system further. There is still plenty of room for reforms.
You have emphasized that the University should transition from simply "contributing knowledge to society" to carrying out the "joint creation of knowledge with society." As an expert in the field of information, how would you evaluate the initiatives the University has taken to communicate knowledge to society?
You Need to Be Aware That Knowledge Enriches Your Mind and Life
I believe that UTokyo has been very active in exploring approaches to cooperation and communication with society that are appropriate for this new era. In particular, we have launched some very intriguing projects in which we communicate information in an easy-to-understand way to the public, or in English for the international community. One example is UTokyo Research, a special website with research content. We have also made innovative changes to our public lectures.As for Tansei, the University's official magazine, I think its contents have become much more refined and easier to read than before. Furthermore, I was able to get the ball rolling and have the University start offering MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)—though still at an experimental level—thanks to active cooperation from academic staff. Another good accomplishment is the creation of the External Relations Department, which has made it easier for us to pursue collaboration with society comprehensively and systematically.
Meanwhile, society's intellectual interest, curiosity and ability to appreciate knowledge communicated from universities have apparently become weaker than before. This is something that has had me concerned recently. As we sometimes use the term "knowledge-based society," universities, of course, have to make efforts to disseminate knowledge among members of society. At the same time, however, society needs to make conscious efforts to foster a mental culture for accepting this knowledge. The term "contributing knowledge to society" suggests that knowledge is flowing in a one-way direction from universities, which does not match the reality. We do not intend to revive the intellectual authority that universities once possessed. Rather, it would make me happy if many people felt that knowledge enriched their minds and lives, instead of regarding it as merely a kind of tool that is useful for daily life or industry. I believe with this kind of awareness as a foundation, true "joint creation of knowledge with society" will occur.
Harvard University used to not offer public lectures. Knowledge was given only to those who gained admission to and enrolled in the university. And by doing so, Harvard University increased its market value. How about UTokyo?
Compared with Harvard University, the difference becomes clear. Unlike in the U.S. where there are many famous and excellent universities, in Japan, UTokyo is regarded as the top university at the summit of the Japanese academic world and is frequently expected to represent knowledge in Japan. Of course, UTokyo cannot do everything, and there are many other excellent universities in Japan. In my opinion, however, UTokyo bears the greatest responsibility for upholding intellectual standards and enhancing the richness of Japanese society. That's why I believe we have to perform research and educational activities with great responsibility. This responsibility will allow us to declare that UTokyo is the ultimate cornerstone of knowledge in Japanese society.
If we value having this kind of responsibility, then I think we at the University of Tokyo have to be proactive in making knowledge known to the public. As I mentioned before, this will also provide a springboard for the "joint creation of knowledge with society."
Shortly after you became president, you said that the most effective publicity for the University would be for our students to graduate and go out into the world. I was very impressed with that remark.
Sending Excellent Students Out into the World is the Best Way to Boost Publicity for the University
Oh yes, I almost forgot I said that! (laughs) Using our educational reforms to send finer-than-ever students out into the world would definitely be good publicity for UTokyo. When I made concentrated efforts to expand our alumni network, I may have unconsciously had this kind of publicity boost in mind. After all, I remember that when visiting alumni associations in local communities, I would often say: "The impressions that local people have of UTokyo come from the impressions they have when they meet all of you, the local UTokyo alumni."
It was also during your tenure that the New Library Project started, President Hamada. This project carries significant meaning, particularly these days as liberal arts education and disciplines in the humanities are coming under a lot of pressure from the government. Could you share your opinions on the significance of the University libraries or your struggles in carrying the project forward?
The starting point for the project was when the University was incorporated. Since that time, we have faced a reduction in basic research funding and an increase in the proportion of total revenue that comes from competitive funding. As a result of these circumstances, disciplines in the humanities have begun to lose some of their vitality, so we intended to take measures to reinvigorate them. At first, there was a plan to establish a humanities-related institute under the umbrella of the University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS) on the former property of the Mejirodai Branch Hospital as part of the property's redevelopment plan. However, that plan didn't gain enough traction to go through. Afterwards, when I asked the heads of the University academic organizations in the areas of the humanities to discuss what they needed to support studies in the humanities, they requested that the libraries be expanded. Soon after I became president, I myself had also proposed a plan for creating an underground library. So, with everyone in agreement, we commenced with the New Library Project.
When starting this project, I requested that the planning of the project be led not by the Administration Bureau but by the Faculties, Graduate Schools and Institutes. My intention was that the new library would become a structure that symbolizes the power of the Faculties, Graduate Schools and Institutes. Responding to my intention, the heads of the relevant entities in the fields of the humanities frequently had meetings to discuss plans and make the project progress. When they got to the stage where they were to start implementing the project plans, however, they found it was becoming difficult to discuss specific arrangements. For this reason and because some of them were being transferred to other positions, the Administration Bureau took over the management of the project.
That being said, we continued to ask staff at the relevant institutes to give us opinions and suggestions, which resulted in the plan expanding and transforming into an appealing concept called "Academic Commons." Under this concept, a large-scale renovation and expansion of the General Library is planned. This renovation will be befitting of the main library on the Hongo Campus, making the library transcend the boundaries of the humanities and the sciences. In addition to having the General Library function as the home of the world's highest quality collection of materials on Asian studies—a function that was planned from the first stage of the project—the Library will be rearranged to function as an electronic library. By doing so, the function of the Library as a space for students to enjoy independent and active learning will be fortified in tandem with the concepts of the ongoing education reforms. Because this is a large-scale renovation, it will take time to be completed. After completion, however, I believe that the Library will no doubt act as the core of all academic functions at the University of Tokyo for generations to come.
