The Institute of Science Tokyo, a university to be established this fall through the merger of the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), will again apply for a grant of ¥10 trillion ($62, 6 billion) government fund to become a world-class university, the president-elect said Monday.
Naoto Ohtake, selected last week to take on the role of the inaugural president, also said he would strengthen efforts to internationalize the new university, known by its abbreviated name Science Tokyo. The goal is to have 30% of all undergraduate courses in science and engineering consist of international students by 2050, much higher than TMDU’s current 10% and Tokyo Tech’s 5%.
Ohtake, a materials scientist, was one of three candidates for the role chosen in April by a selection committee made up of experts from inside and outside the two universities. The other two candidates were Yujiro Tanaka, the current president of TMDU, and Kazuya Masu, the current president of Tokyo Tech.
