Overview of Operational Plan

The activities of the Institute of Living Sciences (hereinafter the Institute) aim to contribute to the improvement of people’s lives and the progress and development of the local community through the research into diverse issues and phenomenon related to people’s lives and the dissemination of research results. In order to realise this, we plan to continue publishing the research bulletin, Bulletin of Living Sciences (volume 46) in 2023, hosting regular study groups and research presentations by internal and external researchers, and holding an open seminar. In addition, we will actively promote the dissemination of information through the Institute’s website and continue to select candidates for the Keiichi Mizushima Prize from the papers submitted to the Institute’s bulletin.

Main Operations

  • 1. Publication of the Research Bulletin, Bulletin of Living Sciences (Vol.46)
    We are planning to publish the bulletin including papers, research notes and data produced as the results of research activities in living sciences and other relevant fields.
    The bulletin will be about 200 pages long, and 400 copies will be printed.
  • 2. Operation of the Institute and Planning and Hosting of Regular Study Groups and Research Presentation
    We are planning to hold monthly meetings mainly with internal researchers. These will be focused on the discussion of the Institute’s various operations and reporting on the progress of research activities conducted by each researcher, visiting researcher and associate researcher. The time will be allocated for each researcher, in turns, to provide topics around their research activities and reporting on the Institute’s internal research. As previous years, we are planning to hold a research presentation meeting in December as an opportunity for internal and external researchers to present their research results.
  • 3. Improvement of the Institute’s Website
    We will update the Institute’s website regularly for disseminating information, update its design, and enhance its functions. During this fiscal year, we will continue to make further updates to the website from the previous year, aiming to improve the operation of the online researcher application system and the online submission system. We aim to provide fulfilling contents through a more functional and easy-to-browse website. We will also endeavour to disseminate the information on the Institute’s current research and education domestically and internationally.
  • 4. Taking in New Researchers
    We will continue to take in researchers and visiting researchers during FY2023. Both are required to submit a research plan and research results report (at the end of the fiscal year), focused primarily on the project(s) in which they involved via the Institute. As in the previous year, we will use the online application system and accept applications during the same period as in previous years.
  • 5. Planning and Holding Open Seminar
    As previous years, we are planning to organise and hold an open seminar for the public. We will discuss the timing of the event at future meetings of the three boards and at regular meetings. Although we are planning to hold mainly face-to-face sessions, we will also consider the possibility of holding online sessions in a high-flexible format.
  • 6. Open Call for Research Projects (8) and its Implementation
    From FY2023, we will start planning and conducting Research Project (8): An Empirical Study on the Impact of Changes in the Living Environment due to DX (Digital Transformation) on the Mindset and Lifestyle of Young People. The purpose of this study is to empirically study, through quantitative and qualitative research, how the changes in the living environment of the youth generation caused by the DX are changing their mindsets and lifestyle choices, and specifically, how (or whether) they have changed the nature of the reference group in Japan, which has traditionally been called “seken (the public)”. In FY2023, the first year of the three-year plan, we plan to conduct a questionnaire & interview survey among university students. If the situation allows, we will conduct comparative research in other countries, such as Finland, where we have connections through the University’s overseas training program in the human sciences.
  • 7. Selection and Awarding of Keiichi Mizushima Prize
    We will select the winning paper for the Institute’s Keiichi Mizushima Prize (established in 2016) and award a young researcher for the outstanding research achievements (selection will be made from the papers submitted to the Institute’s research bulletin). We selected the first awardee in the FY2017, the second in the FY2019, and the third in the FY2023 (total of four awardees so far). We plan to continue selecting and awarding the fourth awardee during FY2023.
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