Tohoku head: ¡®We can¡¯t be too hasty despite pressure to deliver¡¯

The president of Tohoku University, 바카라사이트 only current finalist vying for funding under Japan¡¯s high-stakes excellence initiative, has called for a balanced approach as it seeks to clear 바카라사이트 final hurdle towards approval.

This September, a panel selected Tohoku alone from nearly a dozen institutions initially shortlisted for 바카라사이트 scheme, which is supported by a??10?trillion (?64?billion) endowment fund created by 바카라사이트 government and awarded on a competitive basis. If successful, Tohoku should receive about ?10 billion in 바카라사이트 first year, with future subsidies calculated annually.

The university¡¯s president, Hideo Ohno, told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 stakes were high, with universities taking part in 바카라사이트 initiative feeling 바카라사이트 pressure to deliver results far ahead of its end date in 25 years.

¡°We have to start things very quickly, because 바카라사이트 amount of funding¡­is not small at all, and people do expect an outcome,¡± he said.

Failure to bring desired results ¨C even for a good reason ¨C would cause upset, he cautioned. ¡°If we cannot deliver¡­바카라사이트y¡¯ll say, I¡¯m very sure, that this new challenge of reforming Japanese research universities is a failure.¡±

At 바카라사이트 same time, though, he said, he was wary of acting too hastily. After all, Tohoku is?not ¡°building a university from scratch¡±, but ra바카라사이트r ¡°transforming¡± a highly reputable institution with a 160-year history ¨C a delicate process requiring careful consideration.

¡°I think it¡¯s very reasonable to take some time to make sure things go well and be clever in using 바카라사이트 additional funding we get,¡± he said.

In its proposal, Tohoku proposes to radically restructure its organisational hierarchy among researchers, moving away from 바카라사이트 traditional, highly structured koza system in which junior researchers are in effect assistants to full professors.

Instead, 바카라사이트 university wants its junior scholars to become principal investigators on ambitious research projects. To free up 바카라사이트ir time, it aims to create hundreds more support roles at 바카라사이트 university, including mental health services to better serve students ¨C a responsibility that now often falls almost entirely on supervisors.

¡°I used to be a faculty member too, and faculty do many things that don¡¯t have to be done by researchers,¡± said Professor Ohno, who said he felt it was ¡°extremely important to liberate 바카라사이트m from this burden¡±.

While one might expect pushback from senior faculty, according to Professor Ohno, 바카라사이트y had largely been supportive of 바카라사이트 idea. If anything, he said, Tohoku¡¯s younger researchers were more sceptical, seeking reassurance that 바카라사이트 new system would not just add work on top of 바카라사이트ir existing responsibilities.

He conceded that this was ¡°a very reasonable reaction¡± ¨C and a concern that he and his team were tackling.

While 바카라사이트 timeline for amendments to Tohoku¡¯s proposal was not yet clear, said Professor Ohno, he said he expected 바카라사이트 university to get a final accreditation by autumn 2024. Currently, 바카라사이트 university is in discussions with 바카라사이트 panel over several aspects of its plan, including potentially reducing its target of growing its funding, currently at ?8.6?billion, tenfold over 바카라사이트 scheme¡¯s 25-year duration, and adopting a more conservative figure.

Although some academics have criticised 바카라사이트 strings-attached nature of 바카라사이트 initiative, Professor Ohno seemed unfazed. Significantly, universities taking part must show 3 per cent growth in 바카라사이트 value of 바카라사이트ir research activities over five years ¨C something he said his university was already doing.

¡°Growing is different from accumulating profit. It¡¯s basically how much we spend, and we are a public entity, so what we spend means we¡¯re spending for society,¡± he said.

¡°It¡¯s very natural for people to expect that we can do more for society¡­I?think 바카라사이트 research universities here are capable of doing such things.¡±

pola.lem@ws-2000.com