Activities to Promote Industry-Government-Academia Collaborative Researchon the Arctic Region
supported by Japan Arctic Research Network Center (J-ARC Net)
Masato TANAKA1, Shingo TANAKA2, Natsuhiko OTSUKA1 and Yasushi FUKAMACHI112

Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
Research Administration Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

Abstract
Activities to promote Industry-Government-Academia (I-G-A) collaboration project in Japan Arctic
Research Network Center (J-ARC Net) are shown in this report. These activities are consisting of the Arctic
region open seminar, I-G-A collaboration planning meeting, I-G-A feasibility study, and promoting researcher
nurture supported by planning, coordination and fund of J-ARC Net. And effective disseminating results areaiming to increase Japanese national presence of international Arctic research.
Key words: J-ARC Net, Arctic region, industry, government, collaborative research
INTRODUCTION
J-ARC Net as a center of excellence certified by the
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology was funded in April 2016 as the first
formulated network cooperated by three research
centers constituting J-ARC Net conductive to solve
issues toward rapid environmental and amplified
climatic changes and to promote sustainable utilization
for industries in Arctic Region.
J-ARC Net promotes advanced and interdisciplinary
collaborative research conducive to understanding
environmental-human interactions and creation of newacademic fields regarding sustainable utilization andpreservation of Arctic region.
For promoting advanced and interdisciplinary
collaborative research, J-ARC Net makes the best useof research infrastructures of three organizations towhich three centers belong such as research vessels andoverseas laboratories, and mediates between researchcommunities, industries and government offices topromote activities conducive to solve problems in
Arctic region.
J-ARC Net also nurtures personnel who have broad
outlook and can lead international discussion to solve
challenges in Arctic region.
J-ARC Net disseminates the results of the above
activities effectively and aims to increase Japanesenational presence in international Arctic research.

not only in natural sciences but also in humanities,
social and practical sciences and those new to the
Arctic region.
c) Joint Research Meeting (RM): J-ARC Net provides
meeting opportunities for researchers in various fields
to plan research projects for Challenging Innovativeinterdisciplinary research and collaborative promotion
research.

ACTIVITIES(1) Supporting Research Communities Project (SRC)a) Challenging Exploratory Interdisciplinary Joint
Research (EI): J-ARC Net supports and promotes
Challenging Innovative Interdisciplinary Researchdeveloped from Meeting for Collaborative Researchand Collaborative Promoting Research, conducive tosolve problems in Arctic regionb) Joint Promotion Research (PR): J-ARC Net
encourages bottom-up joint research for researchers

5th(2) Promotion I-G-A Collaboration Projects (IGA)a) Arctic Region Open Seminar: J-ARC Net holds theopen seminars for personnel in industries andgovernments to provide the latest information on theArctic region in natural and social sciences, and topromote new entry to activities to solve challenges in
Arctic region, which have been held six times asshown in Table 1.
Table 1. The Arctic Region Open Seminar in FY2016-2018

No.
1st
*1

2nd
*2

3rd
*1

4th
*2

*1

6th
*2

Dates

Subjects

I*3

G*4

A*5

Jan 172017

Future Arctic Region, andNorth Sea Route (NSR)

441924

Mar 172017

Utilization for NSR and its
Perspectives

27

529

July 242017

Utilization for theArctic Region to createindustries
Trend of the economic
development andinternational governancearound the Arctic region
Progress of the latest
Arctic research and thepossibility of application toindustry and society
Possibilities and challenges
of application to industry
on the latest Arctic
observation and prediction
technology
Changing Arctic
environment and its impact
on Hokkaido
Current status and75

2427

25

1426

21

1932

29

227

25

341

19

826

Dec 14
2017

July 202018

Dec 12
2018*1

July 242019

8th

Dec 127th

*2

2019

prospects of Arctic oil andgas development

Total 591

265

94232

*1: Sapporo, *2:Tokyo，*3,*4 and *5:the number of participants fromIndustries(*3), Governments(*4) and Academia(*5), respectively【Q4】Which Industrial fields in the Arctic region can you
expect the possibility of social implementation
efforts ? ＊NSR: North Sea Route

Results of survey regarding the Arctic region by
participants in the 7th and 8th the Arctic Region OpenSeminar are shown in Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
【Q1】Was the seminar useful for you ?

(%)

Fig. 4 Expected industrial fields in the Arctic region(%)

Fig. 1 Usefulness of the Arctic Region Open Seminar【Q2】Which fields of natural science in the Arctic region
can you expect the possibility of social
implementation efforts ?

【Q5】What do you expect from this Open Seminar topromote new entry to industrial activities in the
Arctic region ?

(%)

Fig. 5 Expectation to the Arctic Region Open Seminar(%)

Fig. 2 Expected natural scientific fields in the Arcticregion.
【Q3】Which fields of human and social science in the
Arctic region can you expect the possibility ofsocial implementation efforts ?

(%)

Fig. 3 Expected human and social science fields in the
Arctic regionb) I-G-A Collaboration Planning Meeting (PM): J-ARC
Net provides meeting opportunities for personnel inindustries and governments to discuss problems to besolved by I-G-A collaboration and to plancollaborative research.
c) I-G-A Collaboration Feasibility Study (FS): For
personnel in research, industries and governments,J-ARC Net promotes feasibility studies to carry out
problem-solving joint research with I-G-A
collaboration.
(3) Collaborative research in SRC (EI, PR and RM) andIGA (PM and FS)
Results of acceptances from public applicableproposals for promoting advanced and interdisciplinarycollaborative research in SRC and IGA from FY2016 toFY2019 are shown in Fig. 6 to Fig. 8.
Figure 6 shows the change in the number of joint
research proposals. The number of international joint
research projects has been increasing year by year, andalmost half of the last two years have been international
joint research projects. In FY2019, a total of 32

research projects were accepted.

Table 2. Research Projects of I-G-A in FY2019

Categories
FSFields

Research Subjects

Researchers

NSR

Practical examination andanalysis of utilization ofNorthern Sea Route (NSR) inHokkaido
Arctic Technology & ResearchForum to consolidate opinionsfrom industries
Monitoringofsurface
displacement in permafrost
regions by InSAR analysis andlocal needs
Future Arctic utilization
Interpretive
Structural
Modelling (ISM) approach

I:4
G:3
A:4(1) *Study of issues for sustainable
Arctic cruises

I:3
G:0
A:6(1) *
I:6
G:0
A:6

Engineering
Permafrost
PM
Fig.6 Trend of the number of collaborative research
projects

PR
RM

NSR &Future
ArcticTourism&CruiseOil Spill&
FrozenGroundTourism&
CruiseTourism

Research meeting on ISO19906
and frozen ground engineering

Study for Japan's demand onsustainable
Arcticmarinetourism
Fundamental
AnalysisofSignificant Issues Regarding
Development of Arctic Tourism

I:5
G:0
A:6
I:1
G:0
A:10(3) *I:1
G:1
A:5(1) *I:4
G:0
A:6(2) *I:0
G:1
A:11(1) *

I:24
G:5
A:54

Total: 83
Fig.7 Trend of the number of collaborative researchers*including the number of foreign researchers.

The number and ratio of overseas researchers areincreasing year by year as shown in Fig.7. Fig.8 shows
the number of interdisciplinary joint research accounts
for almost half of the total.

(5) Promoting researcher nurture programs
For not only personnel in research but also inindustries and governments, J-ARC Net provides
courses to nurture personnel who can contribute tosolve challenges in the Arctic region as shown in Table
3. And the study courses include lectures and fieldcourses utilized such as Japan-Russia Joint ResearchLaboratory established by Hokkaido University andNorth-Eastern Federal University at Yakutsk as shownin Table 4.
Table 3. Nurturing courses for the Arctic region No.1
Lectures for Introduction of Arctic region
in FY2019Nov.21 to 22, 2019 in Sapporo and Tokyo on dual relay

Fig.8 Trend of the number of interdisciplinary research
themes(※Interdisciplinary: collaboration of two or three of Human &Social Science, Natural Science and Engineering)(4) IGA research Projects in FY2019
Research projects of IGA in FY2019 are shown in
Table 2. Eight I-G-A collaborative research areprogressing at the present with 83 researchers as thetotal number.

Participants from relatives I-G-A:22 auditors in total involving
I:7, G:1, A:14 including 6 graduate and undergraduate students

Program
1. Opening, Guidance and Self-introduction
2. Lectures (1) Geography & History, (2) Atmosphere, (3) Snowand ice, (4) Ocean (5) Ocean Ecosystem, (6) TerrestrialEcosystem, (7) North Sea Routes, (8) Resources Development,(9) Human beings and Society, (10) Governance
3. Social Gathering
4. Presentation & Discussion
5. Closing

Table 4. Nurturing courses for the Arctic region No.2
Winter School as Field courses on” Environment andInnovation of the North” in FY2019
on Feb.24 to Mar.4, 2020 at Yakutsk via Vladivostok
in Russia as a plan
Organized by J-ARC Net, HU-NEFU-IBPC* Joint
Research Lab and Human Resource Development
Platform for Japan-Russian Economic Cooperation andPersonnel Exchange (HaRP)* HU: Hokkaido University, NEFU: North Eastern Federal University
and IBPC: Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone

For entry, public applicable proposal started on the lateof Nov. and were accepted on the mid of Dec.
Participants will be I;2, G:1, A:8 from Japan and,graduate school students adjusting from Russia. Lecturers
will be tow from Japan and seven adjusting from Russia.
Program (tentative)(a) City Ture in Vladivostok, (b) Seminar and Lecture on NaturalEnviro., Economy of Sakha, Life & History & Sustainable Dev.
in the North, Arctic traffic infra., Satellite ecology, andMammoth fauna, (c)Excursion of Cities and Suburbs in Cold
Enviro., Sakha Flux Network site, and Spasskaya-Pad Research
Station, (d)Tour of Arctic Innovation Center, Yakutsk State
Museum of History and Culture, Permafrost Kingdom, andPermafrost Institute, (d) Presentation and Discussion etc.

(6) Disseminating resultsa) International symposium: J-ARC Net holds
international symposiums to disseminate results ofactivities and invites experts to the symposium fordiscussion of our future activities.
b) Website: J-ARC Net provides a website todisseminate results of activities and J-ARC Net
information opens to the public by mail magazine etc.
(7) Prospective effectsa) Advance of interdisciplinary research conducive tosolve problems in Arctic region and creation of
innovative academic fields by interdisciplinaryresearch.
b) Adoption of new viewpoints and technologies
through interdisciplinary collaboration and creation ofinnovations.
c) Promotion of international collaboration throughadvanced and interdisciplinary researches, andexpansion of industry- academic-government Arctic
research community.
d) Creation of new industries and markets in Arcticregione) Supply of personnel with broad outlook who cancontribute solving problems in Arctic region.
f) Contribution to increase Japanese presence
internationally by solving problems in Arctic region.

CONCLUSIONSJ-ARC Net has started entry of collaborative research
for FY2020 by Dec.21 in 2020. Your participation toJ-ARC Net Projects as below aside from Open Seminar
will be very appreciated.
For details: https://j-arcnet.arc.hokudai.ac.jp/news/22137/

Ⅰ. Researcher’s Community Support Projects(1) Innovative interdisciplinary collaborative research(2) Collaborative promoting research(3) Meeting for collaborative research
Ⅱ. I-G-A Collaboration Support Projects(1) Arctic region open seminar(2) Feasibility study(3) Planning meeting for setting issues
Ⅲ. Researchers Nurture programs
J-ARC Net also will prepare to entry Researchers
Nurture program for FY2020 on website around mid ofDec.,2020, although that of collection in FY2019 wasclosed.
Please contact to Prof. Masato Tanaka.
mtanaka@arc.hokudai.ac.jp
j-arcnet@arc.hokudai.ac.jp
http://j-arcnet.arc.hokudai.ac.jp/
http://www.arc.hokudai.ac.jp
Tel：+81-11-706-9625 Fax:+81-11-706-9623

REFERENCESMasato TANAKA and Sei-Ichi SAITOH (2018). Activities toPromote Industry-Government-Academia Collaborative
Research on the Arctic Region, Proc., 33rd Int’l. Symposium
on Okhotsk Sea and Polar Oceans:113-116
Masato TANAKA, Shingo TANAKA, Yasushi FUKAMACHIand Sei-Ichi SAITOH (2019). Activities to PromoteIndustry-Government-Academia Collaborative Research on
the Arctic Region, Proc., 34th Int’l. Symposium on Okhotsk
Sea and Polar Oceans:167-170
J-ARC Net (Japan Arctic Research Network Center) was fundedin 2016 and organized by Arctic Research Center in
Hokkaido University, Arctic Environment Research Center in
National Institute Polar Research and Institute Arctic Climateand Environment Research in Japan Agency for MarineEarth Science and Technology.
http://j-arcnet.arc.hokudai.ac.jp/organization/

Summary in Japanese「北極域をめぐる産学官連携共同研究活動」～北極域研究共同推進拠点産学官連携事業～
田中雅人 1, 田中晋吾 2, 大塚夏彦 1, 深町康 11

北海道大学北極域研究センタ－2

北海道大学 URA センタ－2016 年度より文科省共同利用共同研究拠点に認定された北極域研究共同推進拠点において、北極域の持続可能な利用と保全に関する新たな学術領域の創成に向けて共同研究、人材育成プログラムを推進中。その中で特に 2019 年度産学官連携支援事業として、北極域オープンセミナー、課題設定集会、フィ－ジビリスタディ等の共同研究による課題解決、課題解決型人材育成などの活動を中心に報告する。
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