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2013.6.3 Mon
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Management and personnel acquisition measures to make OU one of the world's top 10 research universities (June 3, 2013)

In order to make Osaka University one of the world 's top 10 research universities by its 100th anniversary in 2031, Osaka University is facilitating university reform in accordance with the following three pillars:

  • The nurturing of global personnel, especially outstanding young researchers. To this end, improving the research environment is necessary. Similarly, we must enhance the allure of Osaka University by increasing research funds, payrolls, and incentives in order to increase the number of people who want to study and/or work at OU and in order to inspire workers' motivation.
  • Nurturing internationally-minded graduates who will be active in the international society. To this end, Osaka University will provide support for students wishing to study abroad and also promote accepting international students.
  • Facilitation of the president's management with the efforts of individual departments. Furthermore, we must encourage OU members to make efforts to improve their abilities and services. Osaka University will continue to assist members in doing so.
  • Finally, and most importantly, strengthening the motivation of individual faculty and staff members in order that they push forward toward their goals in education, research, and determination to make the university better.

To achieve our goal, we will implement the following support measures.

1. Inviting topnotch personnel from outside

Osaka University Distinguished Professor System
In promoting our academic initiatives to make Osaka University become a center of education and research with international competitiveness, we will give a special title --"Osaka University Distinguished Professors"-- to researchers who play leading roles with their excellent achievements and grant such professors allowances to support their activities.

Faculty Member Appointment Globalization Program
In order to promote employment of faculty members with diverse backgrounds and support the globalization of education at undergraduate and graduate schools, Osaka University will grant funds to education and research organizations that hire professors as researchers who have a doctorate from an internationally recognized university and have achieved some sort of world-class achievement.

International Faculty Employment Promotion Program

In order to promote globalization of education and research at undergraduate and graduate schools, Osaka University will grant funds to education and research organizations that hire an international faculty member(s) with a record of outstanding achievement or contribution.

2. Enhancing development of human resources on campus

Review of indirect cost allocation

In order to make effective use of funds in promoting basic research and nurturing personnel for the future development of Osaka University and to establish a future-oriented cycle from basic research, to applied research, to social contribution, and to basic research, Osaka University will review the allocation of financial source such as income from university-industry collaboration, donation, hospital income, and the budget for indirect costs from research funds.
As for indirect costs, the researchers who obtain research fund will be able to get 20 percent of their budget for indirect costs. By doing so, Osaka University as a whole will promote the obtaining of competitive research funds.

Improvement of incentive scheme for researchers

In order to promote research sponsored by competitive funds such as Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Osaka University will present the Osaka University President's Award and financial incentives in order to recognize researchers awarded competitive funds, including Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, and those awarded significant indirect expenses.

Support Program for Osaka University Future Research Initiative Groups
In order to promote Osaka University's own basic research and exercise initiatives in solving national-scale challenges, Osaka University will grant research funds to cross-border proposals and proposals for promoting the creation of new research fields.

Support Program for Researchers Applying to Grant-in-Aid
In order to support researchers who apply for large-scale competitive funds, Osaka University will grant research funds to researchers who applied for "Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)" or "Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)" and who apply for obtaining funds from upper funding programs.
Counseling Services for Grant-in-Aid
In order to increase the number of projects to be covered by Grant-in-Aid for Science Research, counseling services including guidance on how to draft a research plan will be provided to researchers who make their initial application for Grant-in-Aid and those who apply for obtaining funds from upper or large funding programs.

Osaka University Distinguished Professor System

3. Project to promote university globalization

In order to establish an environment in which Japanese students and international students understand each other's culture and enhance each other, Osaka University has established goals for 2020.

Currently Goal
Japanese students going abroad to study 4% 8%
Overseas students (undergrad and grad) coming to study at Osaka University 8% 15%
Of the above, undergraduate students (regular and short-term exchange students) 4% 10%
Of the above, graduate students (regular and short-term exchange students) 15% 25%

Support for sending overseas and receiving international students
In order to promote globalization of education, Osaka University will provide economic support so that students can participate in study abroad programs and/or overseas training. Osaka University will grant funds to education and research organizations that are actively sending students overseas and/or receiving international students.
Program for promoting international joint research
In order to further enhance research quality and promote globalization of Osaka University, Osaka University will support joint research by international researchers and Osaka University researchers who are involved in advanced research.
Osaka University will provide support for travel, living, and accommodation expenses of international researchers, travel expenses for faculty members, researchers, and students from laboratories at Osaka University to overseas counterparts, and costs for employing post-doctoral researchers.

4. Improvement of management at education and research organizations

Allocation of a budget for academic initiatives that can be used at the discretion of the organization's head
Allocation of a budget for academic initiatives that can be used at the discretion of the administration office's head
In order to support excellent management of education and research organizations and bring about a synergy to the university as a whole, Osaka University will allocate a budget for academic initiatives that can be used at the discretion of the administration office's head to administration offices of education and research organizations which are proactively involved in management to realize Osaka University academic initiatives and achieve excellent results.

For additional information on these support measures, go here . [link for OU personnel only]

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