About TFC

During the 111 years since its establishment in 1907, Tohoku University has continued its tradition of “Research First”, its philosophy of “Open Doors”, and its ethos of “Practice-Oriented Research and Education”, all of which have enabled us to produce leading figures and numerous research achievements. As one of the research universities that represent our country, Tohoku University was officially named a Designated National University in June 2017, which means our university was recognized as one of the country's top three higher-learning institutions, along with the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University, by the Japanese government. By not merely adhering to our past accomplishments, we will continue to advance our goals to “lead creation and innovation to world-class standards”, “provide opportunities to open up the future”, and by doing so “become one of the world’s 30 most respected universities”.

As one of the strategies to fulfil these aims, we have established Thematic Programs organized by the Tohoku Forum for Creativity (TFC). These programs act as international collaborative research initiatives, which are carried out with support from the Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

The Thematic Programs held by the TFC have invited world-leading scientists, including Nobel Laureates, to Tohoku University for extended stays in order to engage in joint research with junior researchers, and to participate in daily discussions with students. The aim of these programs is to contribute to the solution of the most important problems facing humanity through the creation of new interdisciplinary research fields. Therefore, the TFC’s activities are positioned at the core of the university’s strategic international research initiative.

Since its establishment in October 2013 and the construction of the “Tokyo Electron House of Creativity” in March 2015, the TFC has hosted three or four Thematic Programs per year beginning in 2014 as Japan’s first international visitor research institute. In addition to the Thematic Programs, the TFC instituted a Junior Research Program in 2015. Other outreach activities since 2016 have seen significant progress as well. As the results of its activities in the past years, the TFC holds an extremely important position within the research activities of Tohoku University. There are great expectations, both from within and outside the university, for what we can achieve in the near future.

Accordingly, we ask for your continued appreciation and cooperation with the Tohoku Forum for Creativity in the future.