The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has announced the results of a review by the Advisory Board on accreditation of Universities for International Research Excellence, which concludes that Tohoku University meets the criteria to be a University for International Research Excellence. Following the enforcement of the revised National University Corporation Act in October, Tohoku University will establish a management policy council. After hearing opinions of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation and the Council for Science and Technology, the MEXT Minister will grant an approval to the University. Tohoku University President Teiji Tominaga said: "As a leading research university in Japan, we will work as one toward securing final approval, in response to the trust placed in us by society."
Tohoku University will be recognized as a University for International Research Excellence by the end of this fiscal year. Approximately 10 billion yen (the five-year average of external funding income excluding public funds) will be allocated from the University Fund to be used for the execution and preparation of the plan scheduled for FY2025. From FY2027 onward, an amount equal to the increase in the University's own funds in FY2025 will be added as well. As external funding is also increasing, it is assumed that in a few years, the amount allocated from the University Fund will exceed 20 billion yen. Once the university is accredited, each fiscal year, in addition to the output and outcome indicators set by each university independently, MEXT will monitor the progress of the plan and check the status of grant disbursements for indicators that it considers necessary for additional confirmation and provide stable support if no particular problems are found.
A MEXT official said: "We won't interfere, and plan to leave the details to the university." The Advisory Board will also evaluate the achievement of milestones in the 25-year plan developed by Tohoku University, specifically at the end of the first (10-year), second (8-year) and third (7-year) phases. The results of this evaluation will determine whether support will continue.
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