From the Foundation

The Toyota Foundation is sponsoring a project at Sophia University titled, “The Impact of Energy on Lifestyles and Life: From Global Change to Lifestyles.” The project is being implemented as a Toyota Foundation endowed course in collaboration with Sophia University of Tokyo, with Professor Kotaro Horisaka of the Faculty of Foreign Studies acting as coordinator.

This three-year project, which began in 2006, is being conducted to explore new connections between research and society as well as between foundations and society as their relationships undergo a great transformation.

This year’s lectures focus on global energy issues and the various ways these problems influence current societal dynamics.

From early October until the end of January, energy issues, such as those related to the Middle East and Russia, are being addressed by 13 speakers from industry, government, academia, and the mass media.

Organizers of the lecture series have pointed out the interesting content and lively nature of these lectures presented by people active with real-world backgrounds. A reason given for their animated presentations is that the lecturers―unlike university researchers―are active in a highly information-based society demanding high-speed decision making based on obtaining and quickly outputting processed information. As a result of their participation in this forum, there is a clear impression that a shift is occurring whereby people with real-world experience are participating in areas in which universities and researchers had previously maintained a competitive advantage in producing a broad range of knowledge.

For the current situation to change, it is probably necessary for researchers to work with people outside of academia and participate in high-paced decision making. For that to happen, researchers must make a conscious effort to obtain real-world experience. Then, as the numbers of researchers with this kind of experience increase, positive change can be expected in the environment of academic research.