Japan will introduce a "contract department" system, in which universities and companies jointly train customized talent on the premise of employment, for the first time.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Thursday that Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has drawn up a plan to establish contract departments at five universities, including the University of Tokyo and Kobe University, starting in fiscal 2028.
A contract department is a system in which a university that has signed an agreement with the national government, local governments, or companies operates a department outside its regular enrollment quota, training specialized personnel needed in industrial fields and linking them to employment. In Korea, semiconductor contract departments involving companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are cited as representative examples.
Japan has operated industry-academia cooperation systems in which companies and universities carry out joint research and development, but this is the first time it will establish contract departments premised on employment, Yomiuri reported.
The University of Tokyo plans to cultivate customized doctoral-level talent in cooperation with Sony Group, the global No. 1 in the image sensor field. Kobe University will join hands with industrial robot maker Kawasaki Heavy Industries to train specialized personnel in the physical artificial intelligence (AI) field.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries decided to set up a research base at Kobe University and jointly cultivate doctoral-level research personnel to advance the technology of CORLEO, the four-legged robot it unveiled at last year's Osaka-Kansai World Expo (Osaka Expo).
In addition, Niigata University, Tohoku University, and Kanazawa University were also selected as universities to install Japan's first contract departments. Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) conducted a public call for contract department installation and selected five out of the 24 universities that applied, and plans to gradually expand the number of eligible universities going forward.
Universities that install contract departments must operate them for at least 10 years. Participating companies will not only carry out joint research with the universities but also cooperate in areas such as scholarship support and the hiring of specialized talent.
The Japanese government plans to provide up to 2.5 billion yen (about 23.7 billion won) to universities that establish contract department research bases, supporting the securing of high-level talent in advanced industrial fields and the strengthening of industry-academia cooperation.
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