What are the Inter-University Research Institutes?

　The Inter-University Research Institutes are core research centers that carry out leading-edge collaborative research. They are operated by the research community and provide research facilities to researchers based domestically and abroad.

　Though collectively referred to as the Inter-University Research Institutes, each Inter-University Research Institute Corporation has differences in characteristics based on its research areas.

  • Shared Use of Large-scale Facilities and Equipment
    　Maintain research facilities that would be difficult for individual universities to maintain alone due to their scale and advanced nature. Together with carrying out leading-edge research, the research institutes offer the facilities to researchers nationwide.

  • Collection, Research, and Release of Reference Materials and Data
    　Systematically and intensively collect, organize, and release reference materials and data of academic value to establish a rich intellectual foundation.

  • Academic Information Infrastructure and Databases
    　Build networks to support the flow of academic information between universities and research institutes domestically as well as internationally. Also, organize research findings into databases.

　While areas of research may differ, the Inter-University Research Institutes, in their roles as international research centers, share the common functions of promoting exchange of research as well as nurturing graduate students to become next-generation researchers. Each research institute corporation makes substantial contributions to the research developments of its fields.

　Based on the 2004 National University Corporation Law, the Inter-University Research Institutes were reorganized into four Inter-University Research Institute Corporations; each corporation consists of a network of Inter-University Research Institutes. As was done with the national universities, the Inter-University Research Institutes are maintained as bottom-up organizations. Decisions about their operations from future planning to personnel are decided by committees centrally composed of members from the research community.