January 30, 2020
External Evaluation Report for the 2018 Project
Name: Yoshihide Ozawa
This document reports the results of external evaluations for each item from (1) through (6)under the section, “2. Achievement Status of Project Goals,” described in Exhibit, the Report ofInitiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research Environment (Advanced Type).
(1) Achieved a recruitment rate for women researchers of 30% or more
Remarks:
What can receive high marks is that the advisor to the president who is in charge of diversity
will join the faculty personnel committee in the next year, to check the hiring ratio in eachdepartment and to increase female researchers hired and those getting promoted to senior posts.
Another point to be highly evaluated is that the university reviewed a form used by a
department to submit it to the faculty personnel committee while inspecting the number andratio of female teaching staff by region twice a year. Additionally, the university launched a
website of Initiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research Environment (Advanced Type),
while releasing information about the hiring ratio and retention ratio of female teaching staff tothe public. Doing so visualized such data to all the related parties. This should receive a highevaluation. When it comes to the goal attainment level, the university achieved both theretention ratio goal of female researchers in 2018, 17.1%, and the hiring ratio goal, 23.9%,
which should receive high marks.
(2) Improve the percentage of women holding higher-ranking positions
Remarks:
We put an extremely high value on the International Collaborative Research PI Development
Program that sends excellent female researchers to overseas research institutions as international
collaborative research PIs. This program contributes to enhancing communication, research, andmanagement capacities of such female researchers. The Pre-survey Program for International
Collaborative Research PI Development, where researchers are sent overseas on a short-termbasis, is a great program that functions effectively to continue the relevant development
program for subsequent years. As for the goal attainment level, the promotion ratio almost
doubled to 22.0% from the previous year, 11.3%. We highly evaluate the university’s effort
made to achieve its goal, 20.0%. The ratio of hiring female associate professors slightly fell,whereas that of female professors exceeded the goal ratio. The ratio of female executives
achieved the same. This should receive high marks.
(3) Increase the number of next generation early career researchers
Remarks:
The university’s International Human Resource Exchange Program offers opportunities forstudents and younger researchers to promote exchanges not only by sending female researchers
overseas but also by accepting international female researchers. This program can lead to anincrease in the hiring ratio of female researchers and eliminating unconscious bias within theuniversity, which deserve high marks. The university also deserves credit for its support by
publicly seeking researchers to be sent and providing them with research funds. We can also
give high marks for the International Collaborative Early-career Researcher Training Programthat sends younger female researchers to overseas research institutions as researchers ofinternational collaborative research. This program contributes to expanding younger researchersthat can actively work internationally. The university also receives a high evaluation for its
support by providing those researchers sent overseas with research funds and by assisting
employment for academic researchers.
(4) Enhance the diversity environment and expand it beyond the university
Remarks:
The president of Kobe University issued the Kobe University Diversity Statement. Through thisstatement, the university demonstrated that its top management would commit to promoting
diversity by eliminating unconscious bias related to gender and other similar matter. Theuniversity also receives high marks for building the co-creation network for diversity toorganize the economic foundation for implementing continuous diversity projects and activating
collaborative research between female researchers and companies, including personnel
exchange with companies.
Targeting the university members, especially the department head and the office manager thatserve as key figures in hiring and promoting female researchers, the university held ahighly-evaluated forum that consisted of (1) the presentation for project overview, and (2) thelecture about the actual conditions of international and domestic gender equality, government
policies, and measures implemented by companies.
(5) Initiatives particular to this project
Remarks:
In cooperation with the overseas offices of Kobe University, overseas students’ associations, andreunion associations, the university built a highly admired system that supports female
researchers for achieving work and life balance when engaging in overseas research activities.
At the meeting of the Diversity Co-creation Network, the university also discussed withDiversity Co-creation Network Partners about the diversity educational program that wasdeveloped to increase the hiring and promotion ratios of female researchers by eliminating
unconscious bias. This also receives high marks. To develop this educational program, theuniversity visited the world’s leading institutions in promoting diversity to survey the diversity
program of each institution while exchanging opinions. This effort should deserve credit.
Another highly evaluated point is that the university also heard requests regarding the diversity
educational program from diversity promotion co-creation partners, finalizing these interviews
into a report.
(6) Issues to be addressed with respect to this project
Remarks:
It is commendable that the university sets a policy to improve its personnel governance system
to fully equip with the PDCA cycle by adding the following processes: the process where thedirectors and the head of gender equality office check the hiring and promotion records of eachdepartment in the previous year and they also check the hiring and promotion plan of therelevant year and the process where the departments that have yet to achieve the goals review
the plan and then gain approval from the university executives.
As a measure to secure the operating expenses for the three years after 2021, the university isplanning to establish an annual membership organization in addition to collecting contributions
for the Diversity Fund from companies.
(7) Remarks regarding the overall projectThis project began in 2018; however, the actual start was significantly delayed from the firstplan, at the end of July, to the end of November, for certain reasons of the MEXT. This reduced
the actual working period to four months. However, the university successfully implemented all
the initially scheduled efforts, and this deserves high marks.
We have high expectations that Kobe University will activate the exchange of female
researchers between the university and diversity promotion co-creation partners, and between
these partners so that they learn from and stimulate each other, leading all the related parties toachieve their own diversity promotion goals.