Motoko Kotani
Director, Tohoku University Executive Vice President (for Research)
To use our comprehensive knowledge to solve the essential societal issues of our times, we must move beyond our specialized fields so that academics and scientists can contribute to the development of our society. When faced with significant social and scientific challenges, we must carefully and thoughtfully consider in which direction we should proceed.
As a platform for these important discussions, the Tohoku Forum for Creativity (TFC) gathers researchers from all over the world and provides a working environment to facilitate communication and innovative developments through daily discussions and the exchange of information. The core of the TFC activities is the thematic program devoted to outstanding problems facing humanity. There are approximately three programs per year, and activities related to each theme last for three months. During a thematic program, we host eminent researchers for extended stays to deepen these discussions. Simultaneously, intensive activities such as workshops and tutorials take place for junior researchers. These junior researchers, who will become our society’s leaders, and corporate researchers aiming for more immediate social implementation bring a multifaceted perspective to the thematic programs while creating new researcher networks.
The TFC also sponsors the Junior Research Program to give junior researchers the experience of organizing workshops. Our forward-looking future society design initiatives focus on cooperation among mathematical approaches, social science approaches, and regional revitalization projects. In all these initiatives, we actively engage in information exchange through meetings and lectures both in-person and online events.
Throughout the history of humankind, we have faced many new and difficult challenges; through our responses, much new various science and even new cultures have developed. Tohoku University wants to contribute to this ongoing process of challenge and development of humankind through the Tohoku Forum for Creativity.