2019

Building 1
This building houses a large wooden wind tunnel,
where experiments started in 1930. The facility
is a crucial part of Japan’s aviation history. In
January 2019, the wind tunnel was granted
Important Aviation Heritage certification by
the Japan Aeronautic Association.

Creating an inclusive society throughwhole-hearted science and education

Director

Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology
the University of Tokyo

The Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) is a place where people
can achieve their full potential without barriers.
Founded in 1987, RCAST has accomplished thepractical integration of sciences and arts acrossa wide range of research fields, including
information, environment and energy, materials,
chemical biomedicine, barrier-free, and social
science. It is now a core driving force inachieving United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and creating an
inclusive society. RCAST takes pride in its
strengths in research and collaboration, andhas drawn attention as one of the highest-level
centers of its kind. As the first director of RCAST
who is to serve for two consecutive terms, mymission is to combine and leverage all theelements of this rich integration to produce thegreatest results possible.
In my first term, which ended with the 2018
academic year, RCAST launched the
UTokyo-Research Alliance for Information andLife Sciences, which enables promisingearly-career researchers to excel; theCo-creation Living Lab, a research hub that has
upgraded conventional collaboration between

local governments and RCAST; and themultidisciplinary Inclusive Design Lab, whichaims to create environments and spaces where
people with disabilities, seniors, children, andothers can attain their full potential.
In science and technology, there is a tendency
to seek a single optimal and standardized
solution for a problem. However, no individual insociety perfectly fits any one particular
standard. An inclusive society should offer
diverse solutions, and the question is whether or
not we can contribute to society by creatingsuch solutions. The key is to be found insensitivity to the beauty of diversity, cultivatedthrough art and design.
Art and design have always formed part of
RCAST's barrier-free studies, and we have arange of experts in these fields. Moving forward,
through international collaboration we will
re-examine science and technology with art anddesign experts to generate ideas forworld-class inclusive environments, and put
these ideas into practice in society.

MESSAGEBuilding 3 SouthThe newest building at RCAST was
designed with an eye to continuity withother buildings on the campus.
In addition to the Academic-Industrial
Joint Laboratory for Renewable Energy, ithouses environment and energy labs. The
ENEOS hall on the first floor seats 170.

I

The sole UTokyo-affiliatedinstitution offering
graduate-level education
to outside professionals

NTERDISCIPLINARY,INCLUSIVE APPROACH

Thirty Years of Interdisciplinary Research
and a 15-year Focus on Inclusivity
Resolutions to increasingly complex social
issues require fresh perspectives. Having
the foresight to pursue fields where there is
no existing research is part of RCAST’s
DNA. Since the center was founded over
30 years ago, science and engineering
have co-existed with humanities and social
sciences, which deal with ethics, thought,
and social systems.
In barrier-free studies established morethan 15 years ago, research into
barrier-free solutions leverages technology
to overcome human and social barriers.

E

Corporate researchers and specialist
personnel increasingly require doctoral
degrees. Universities not only enablein-depth study of a chosen field, but also
develop a systematic understanding andbroad overview of science and technology.
A cutting-edge environment that brings
students into close contact withinterdisciplinary research, researchers
from diverse backgrounds, andground-breaking joint research projects is
ideal for high-level training of corporate
researchers who are tackling increasingly
complex social issues.

I

NTERACTION

Laboratories hosting Happy Hours come up
with entertaining drawcards every month,such as games or soup-tasting. Participants
make face-to-face connections with people
they may know only through e-mails or
casual greetings. Such ease of communication
spanning research fields and job roles isanother point of pride at RCAST.

RCAST researchers enthusiastically convey the
fun and challenge of their research via
Research Tours for junior and senior highschool students that feature lab visits andlectures. Researchers also enjoy
communicating their latest efforts in unique
events at the Komaba Research Campus OpenHouse, which targets a broad public audience.

World-renowned Researchers,
Artists‒and a Bear

A field-specific laboratory structureenhances researchers’ originality andgenerates synergy. This structure aims toencourage interdisciplinary collaboration
through unanticipated interactions among
researchers from different disciplines,
while enhancing the creativity of individual
researchers.
Repeated interactions with researchers
from different fields contribute to fruitful
discussions in interdisciplinary projects.
This synergy is generated by RCAST’s
hallmark interdisciplinary research.

A mingling of minds

Researchers aregood communicators

NIQUE LINE-UP

At RCAST, we are proud to be joined by top
researchers from around the world. We also
have researchers with disabilities, artists
and athletes. Coming into contact with sucha diverse range of viewpoints prompts us toquestion things taken for granted in ourown narrow world. In June 2018,
Kumamon, the popular bear mascot of
Kumamoto Prefecture joined RCAST’s
research team. Who will be next?

APPY HOUR

DUCATION

U
Field-specific LaboratoriesHO

UTREACH ACTIVITIESABOUT RCASTBuilding 14
This building has rich historical value on a par with that of Building 13.
At lunchtime, food trucks gather between those two buildings to set
up their stalls. Café seminars and a monthly Happy Hour are held in
the RCAST Café on the 1st floor.

When laboratories with unique strengths pool their creativity,
projects are super-charged
Each unique laboratory pursues its own large-scale projects and engages in interdisciplinary
projects where multiple laboratories collaborate to try out new approaches.

I

Inclusive Design Lab

SU

An aggregate of young researchers withdiffering expertise in fields ranging
frombiology and medicine to information
science, chemistry, and engineering
generates collaborative research in an
open laboratory, sharing core facilities andcutting-edge technologies. This project
aims to tackle fundamental life scienceproblems such as cancer progression anddisease control, while exploring industrial
applications of scientific discoveries.

TOKYO-RAILSUSTAINABLE
COMMUNITIES

Co-creation Living Lab
Knowledge of cutting-edge science andtechnology combined with regional
collaboration networks built up over many
years enable us to conceive strategies andtools pinpointing regional issues anddesign the sustainable regional
communities of the future.

REATER
DIVERSITY

UTokyo-Research Alliance forInformation and Life Sciences

NCLUSIVITY
RCAST has various science andengineering laboratories, and many
researchers with disabilities work in thesefacilities. In collaboration with the UTokyo
Disability Services Office, we develop
guidelines for accessible environments inscience laboratories and support students
with disabilities in pursuing higher
education and careers in STEM fields.

G

DO-IT Japan
This project supports students withdisabilities to learn about technology andconsider self-advocacy, disability issues,and self-determination, encouraging
students to become leaders in society andempower others. It also provides transition
support for study and employment.

S

Commitment to SDGs
Defines RCAST
No other research institute fuses humanities
and science in more than 40 fields ofresearch within a small organization ofaround 700 people, including students.
We believe that by leveraging the diversity
and uniqueness of RCAST, we can commit
to all of the SDGs.

USTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT

Labs named for a wide variety of specialized fields are engaged in dynamic research activities

IDEA Project
The IDEA project has developed anultra-short working hours scheme forpeople with disabilities, starting from as
little as 15 minutes of work per week. In
2017, SoftBank Corporation was awarded aGood Design Special Award for the Short
Working Hours Program supported by the
IDEA project.

U

LTRA-SHORTWORKING HOURS

Materials

Information●●

Artificial Intelligence●

Bioorganic Chemistry●

Information Devices●

Genome Science●●●

Micro Device Engineering
Quantum Information
Physics and Engineering
Theoretical ChemistryHigh Performance
Materials

Environment and Energy
●
●
●

●
●
●

●

New Energy

Climate Science Research

Co-creative Community
Planning, Designand Management
Energy System

Global Climate Dynamics
Academic-Industrial
Joint Laboratory
for Renewable Energy

●

●

●
●

Intelligent Cooperative
Systems

Mathematical Physics
of Emergence Systems
Photon based Advanced
Manufacturing Science
Information Somatics

Communication Science

Chemical Biomedicine●●

Metabolic Medicine

Synthetic Biology

InItegrative Nutriomics
and Oncology● Clinical Epigenetics●●

Information, Culture and Social Studies●

MOT (Management of Technology)●●

Barrier-Free

Biological Data Science● Networked Biophotonics
and Microfluidics●

Social Science

●

●
●

●
●
●
●

Assistive Technology
Tojisha-Kenkyu

Energy and Environment
Chemical Biotechnology

Social Cooperation Research
Departments●

Barrier Free●

Machine Intelligence

Cooperative Laboratories●●

Crowd Management

Renewable Fuels Global Network
Department of Inflammology

Corporate SponsoredResearch Programs●

Progressive Logistic Science

Intellectual Property Law

Political Administrative System
Religion and Global Security
Policy Research on Scienceand Technology

PROJECTSBuilding 13
This building was designed by Hideto Kishida under the supervision ofhis mentor Yoshikazu Uchida. It was registered as a national tangible
cultural property in 2000. While clock towers are usually designed tobe symmetrical, the Building 13 tower is asymmetrical. Its four distinct
faces symbolize RCAST, aiming to break established traditions with anadventurous spirit.

Rigorous evaluation of RCAST’s
management strategies“RCAST Board” external evaluation committee

A unique system of operationthat enables prompt decisions
to address new challenges
A top-down decision-making system thatfacilitates prompt action enables RCAST tocreate new, world-leading research domains.
Since its inception, RCAST has maintained aunique system of operations so that
researchers can devote themselves to theirresearch activities. As a core unit with primary
responsibility for various aspects ofoperations, the Strategic Management Officedeals with matters related to internalorganizational streamlining, staffing proposals,
and budget allocation and execution. The
system reduces the amount of time
researchers spend on operational issues andensures time for their research activities.

RCAST Board

RCAST Board

Noriko OSUMIStrategic Management Office

GeneralFaculty
Meeting

Director / Vice Director
Faculty Staff / General Manager

Strategic
Planning Office
URA

Administration
OfficePublic Relations
and Information
OfficeTsuneo KOMATSUZAKI

Vice President,
Tohoku University

Support services field
fast-emerging
and tricky issues

Advisor, SECOM CO., LTD.

Yoichi NISHIMURA

Takashi ONISHIManaging Director,
The Asahi Shimbun Company

President,
Toyohashi University of Technology

Akira HIRUMA

Hideaki KOIZUMI

According to RCAST Director Ryohei
KANZAKI, “Our researchers and ouradministrative staff are the twin engines
driving RCAST’s continued success.” Anoperating structure reliant on prompt actionneeds speedy and flexible support.

President and CEO,Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.

Honorary Fellow, Hitachi, Ltd.
Executive Vice President,
The Engineering Academy of Japan

Hiroya MASUDA

Advisor, Nomura Research InstituteYoshimitsu KOBAYASHI

Director of the Board, Chairperson,
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings
Corporation

Toshiro MUTOH

Honorary Chairman,
Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd.
［ As of April 1, 2019］

RCAST at a glance
Our high external funding ratio isevidence of our research competency
expectations and results
Over 70 percent of RCAST's operating
expenses are covered by externalfunding. This reflects recognition of
RCAST’s far-sighted research and theresults that it has produced, and aline-up of researchers capable ofsecuring their own funding.

External Funding Ratio

Financial Statement for FY 2018

Proportion of Management Expenses Grants
to External Funds

External funds

Management
Expenses Grants

29.0% RCAST

External Funds

71.0%[FY2018]

UTokyoManagement
Expenses Grants

48.0%

External Funds

Source：The University of Tokyo Data Book 2019

52.0%

Management
Expenses Grants

Endowed Research
Division
0.3%

Funds for Commissioned
Projects 0.1%

1,277,040 thousand Yen

Other Grant-in-Aid

Funds for
Joint Projects 0.0 %External Funds

3,133,923 thousand Yen
Grand Total

4,410,963 thousand Yen

2.1%

Grant-in-Aid for
Scientific Research

Ministries andOther Governmental
Organizations

12.9%

67.3%

Contributions

8.9%

Joint Research
Funds

9.7%

Grant-in-Aid
for Scientific Research

12.9%

By content

2,685,210

Business Sectors

19.7%

thousand Yen

By Source

2,685,210
thousand Yen

Contract Research
Funds

65.8%

Indirect expenses excluded[FY2018]

Building 3
From the entrance, a large staircase
sweeps up to the mezzanine floor
through an atrium that calls to mind athree-dimensional garden and facilitates
connections between laboratories.

RCAST Fellow

Global and domestic organic connections
create new forms of network

Centre National de laRecherche Scientifique (CNRS) (France)
2 Stockholm University (Sweden)
3 Clare Hall, University of Cambridge (UK)
4 University of Glasgow (UK)1

Arizona Initiative for Renewable Energy,
Arizona State University (USA)
6 The University of New South Wales
5(Australia)

Advanced Institutes of Convergence
Technology (AICT), Seoul National
University (Korea)
8 University of Kassel (Germany)
7

4

・Stefania BANDINI (University of Milan-Bicocca)

9

The University of Adelaide (Australia)

10 Queensland Universityof Technology (Australia)

11 The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle

Eastern and African Studies (MDC),
Tel Aviv University (Israel)
12 Council of Scientific& Industrial Research（CSIR) (India)
13 The Hebrew Universityof Jerusalem (Israel)
14 Centre for Research in Photonics,
The University of Ottawa (Canada)＊Chronological order of agreements conclusion［ As of August 1, 2019 ］

1

740.0% 16.8%

Lecturers

57.1% 33.3%[FY2018]

7 Wakayama Prefecture (2019)

・Teruo KISHI (Science and Technology Advisor
to the Minister of Foreign Affairs)

9 Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture (2019)

8 Eiheiji Town, Fukui Prefecture (2019)

10 Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture (2019)

・Hideaki KOIZUMI (Honorary Fellow, Hitachi Ltd. /Executive Vice President,
The Engineering Academy of Japan)

6［ As of August 1, 2019 ］

・Setsu ITO (Studio Ito Design)

RCAST Adviser
・Yasunori BABA
・Kiyoshi NISHIOKA・Mariko FUJII［ As of April 1, 2019 ］

1
8

12

2

5
4

7

3
9

10
6

GrantsAcademic Staff

RCAST

68.2%

31.8%

[FY2018]

UTokyo85.6%

Project
Academic
Staff

12.8%

14.4%

Source(UTokyo)：The University of Tokyo Data Book 2019

From Other
Universities

1.1%
AIS Students
by background

The member of Faculty and Staff

Grant Staff
Project Staff
Researchers ＊Company
Employees

47. 7 %

63
43

Grant Staff

17.5%

254
49

38.4%

＊Attribution is as per status at time of application.

In the case of foreign students, final education(excluding company employees).

［ As of February 1, 2019 ］

Grant Administrative
Staff

26

Project Specialists

23

285

Students
Graduate Students
Undergraduate
Students

The ratio of Research Staff

360

Academic Staff

Administrative Staff

OthersFrom UTokyo

Project
Academic Staff

GrantsAcademic
Staff

・Toshio FUJITA (UTokyo Emeritus Professor)

10Composition ratio of
Academic Staff

Associate
Professors

6 Shiraoi Town, Hokkaido Prefecture (2019)

・Tsutomu MIYASAKA (Toin University of Yokohama)

5

The Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary
Studies (doctoral course), has comprehensive
systems to welcome those who wish to continue
working during their studies.

6.4%

and Shinshu University Research Center for Social Systems (2017)

5 Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture (2018)

14
13
11

With external funding, RCAST has created the Project Researcher/Faculty
System enabling unique, high-quality human resources to be employed by
RCAST on a project basis. This system, originated by RCAST, can make ahuge difference in research competency.

11.1%

・Shang-Ping XIE (Scripps Institution of Oceanography,
University of California)

98About half our graduate school
students are adults who study
while working

Professors

4 Karuizawa Town, Nagano Prefecture

・Joerg WUNDERLICH (Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory)

All projects differ in uniquenessof research and education

UTokyo3 Kumamoto Prefecture and Kumamoto University (2017)

・David COPE (University of Cambridge)

RCAST sends researchers to Clare Hall,
where they are granted the title Clare Hall
Visiting Fellow. We also send students fromthe Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary
Studies as visiting students. Both carry out
collaborative research.

RCAST

and Ishikawa Sunrise Industries Creation Organization (2012)

2 Obuse Town, Nagano Prefecture (2016)2
3

Clare Hall, University of Cambridge– Asia Partners –The ratio of Project
Academic Staff

1 Ishikawa Prefecture

・Jacob M. TAYLOR (University of Maryland)International collaboration

Globally, RCAST researchers cooperatewith world-class partners, sometimes
working beyond their disciplines. They seek
to advance their research via wide-ranging
networks encompassing not only
people-to-people exchanges, but also global
academic exchange agreements.
Domestic initiatives are exemplified bya partnership agreement with Ishikawa
Prefecture that has led to a very advanced
example of joint industry creation.
In collaboration with local governments andcommunities participating in the Co-creation
Living Lab, RCAST pursues forms ofco-creation that go beyond conventional
industry-academia-government cooperation.

Agreement with domestic local governments

・Ping CHANG (Texas A&M University)

255

AIS Students

RCAST

Project Staff,
Researchers

82.5%

86
［ As of February 1, 2019 ］

30＊Researchers: Project Researchers, Visiting Research Fellows,
Co-operative Research Fellows, UTokyo Research Fellows, Joint Research Fellows［ As of February 1, 2019 ］

Building 4
Completed in 1999, this was the first building constructed under the new campus plan, whichcalled for older buildings, except those of historical value, to be demolished and rebuilt anew.
It was designed by Hiroshi Hara, who also designed buildings for the Institute of Industrial
Science on the same campus.

ACCESSTokyo Metro
Chiyoda Line

Tokyo Metro
Fukutoshin Line

RCAST

Komaba Research Campus

Ikebukuro

Nippori
Keisei Skyliner

Shinjuku

HigashiKitazawa
To Kichijoji

YoyogiUehara

Shimokitazawa
Keio InokashiraLine

Tokyo Metro
Hanzomon Line

OtemachiShibuyaIkenoue KomabaTodaimae

Omotesando
JR Yamanote Line

Odakyu Line
Tokyu Toyoko Line

Narita Airport

Kasumigaseki
表参道
JR Narita Express
Tokyo

Shinagawa

Keikyu Airport Line● Yoyogi-Uehara Station (Odakyu Line, Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line)

12 minutes’ walk.

● Higashi-Kitazawa Station (Odakyu Line) 8 minutes’ walk.

● Komaba-Todaimae Station West Exit (Keio Inokashira Line)

10 minutes’ walk.
● Ikenoue Station (Keio Inokashira Line) 10 minutes’ walk.

Komaba Research Campus

Haneda Airport

Komaba 4-6-1, Meguro-ku, Tokyo,
153-8904

Komaba Research Campus
To Higashi-Kitazawa Sta.

Main Gate

To Yoyogi-Uehara Sta.

To Shibuya

113West Gate

3

To Ikenoue Sta.

3-S

14

F

Building 13

Building 1

Building 3

Building 3 South

Building 4

Building 14

E

Ground

D

4
15

KOL
CCR

An

C
East Gate

B

As

56
To Komaba-Todaimae Sta.

Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology

https://www.rcast.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Published in September 2019
Published by Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology,
the University of Tokyo©2019 RCAST, the University of Tokyo