This project finished in 2023
What is the Top Global University Project?
The Top Global University Project is run by the Japanese government. It aims to prepare more graduates of the country's academic institutions for positions of global leadership.
It has its roots in Global 30, a 2009 initiative by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to attract international students to Japanese universities. Thirteen participating institutions at that time - including Tohoku University - offered undergraduate programmes in English to appeal to non-Japanese students.
The Top Global Universities program, which replaced Global 30 in 2014, is part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plans to see more of Japan's universities ranked among the world's top 100. To that end, a budget has been set aside over the next 10 years to fund the hiring of new faculty who can bring foreign expertise, as well as financial support for international student mobility.
Within the framework, Tohoku University has been selected to receive funding as a type A tier "Top Global University." The category provides support for new curricula and world-class, innovative ideas for university reforms, with the goal of achieving a more globalised environment on campuses across the country.
What is Tohoku University's "Global Initiative"?
In recognising Tohoku University's on-going globalisation efforts, Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), selected the university to be part of its "Top Global University Project" in 2014.
Under this new project, Tohoku University is able to accelerate initiatives it started in 2009 with the "Global 30 Project," to create a new, more sophisticated, global education system.
Called the "Global Initiative,"