Despite the fact that doctoral students are important human resources in the future of science, technology, and innovation in Japan, the percentage of master students who go on to higher education has been declining due to reasons such as “I don’t have financial prospects for my life if I enter a doctoral program” and “I am worried about finding a job after completing a doctoral program”. Therefore, we have established a new program for doctoral students, “Cross the border! Tokyo-Tech pioneering doctoral research project” since October 2021. Adopted students will receive a research incentive grant equivalent to living expenses and a support for research expenses for three years, and will also participate in various activities to improve their research skills and support career path.

The term “cross the border” has two meanings. The first is to break out of one’s own professional boundaries and collaborate with people in other fields. The other is to break out of one’s shell and share knowledge with society. In order to create new value and transform society into a sustainable and resilient one, there is a growing demand for doctoral students in science and engineering who possess both highly specialized skills and transferable skills to collaborate with the intellect of other fields.

Transferable skills, the opposite of advanced specialized skills which can be considered as tangible knowledge, are intangible knowledge that is born from seemingly useless things, failures, and play, and can be described as inspiration, connections, and a bird’s-eye view. We believe that by acquiring this versatility, we can find a deep connection with society and link individual expertise to social contribution.

In addition to carefully selected “career development and nurturing contents,” this project requires adopted students to do off-campus study for at least three months. I myself spent a year in Germany after receiving my degree, and the experience of traveling numerous European laboratories and discussing with various researchers was a lifetime treasure, full of surprises and joys. To this day, the human connections I made and the ideas I gained during that time support what I am today. We believe that this will be a valuable experience for you as well, and we hope that you will take advantage of our active support for the costs of off-campus study.

We look forward to receiving applications from highly motivated students who share the aims of this project and who will be responsible for the future of Japan.