4. As we enter the second half of R2030

AY 2026 marks a milestone academic year in which Ritsumeikan University will transition to the second half (AY 2026 to AY 2030) of the R2030 Challenge Design, a future concept that has been set forth, based on the goals and issues reached in the first half. In the previous half of the year, various initiatives based on future visions have been carried out, such as advancing research, expanding graduate education, developing creative individuals, promoting globalization, and advancing diversity. AY 2026 is positioned at a period when it is necessary to reexamine how these efforts are embodied in current teaching, research, and student support practices, and how they are connected to the learning and research experience of each undergraduate and graduate student.

In the R2030 second-half plan, the university’s vision is to realize a “next-generation research university” and develop “innovative and creative individuals.” To achieve this, five strategic objectives and the key policies and measures that support them are organized. The Operating Plan 2026 is the first annual plan to be formulated starting from the “main business strategies” set out in this second-half plan, and plays an important role in transitioning the direction for the second half to the implementation stage. In other words, AY 2026 marks the starting point for steadily implementing the policies and measures set out in the second-half plan as concrete activities across departments and operational units, and for carrying them forward into subsequent years while evaluating their progress and outcomes.

In doing so, it is important to view national policy trends and various competitive funding programs not merely as opportunities to secure external funding, but also as policy tools for reviewing and accelerating the direction of education and research pursued by the university.

On the other hand, as opportunities for learning in education, research, student life, and extracurricular activities become more diverse and sophisticated, the overall picture and interconnectedness of these opportunities are becoming increasingly difficult for undergraduate and graduate students to see. The R2030 second-half plan emphasizes connections between research and education, curricular and extracurricular activities, and the university and society, and calls for the comprehensive design of an environment that supports the challenges and growth of undergraduate and graduate students. It is important for us, as a university, that we share with our students what we value as a university and what kind of growth and vision we seek to support through concrete initiatives based on our operating plan.

AY 2026 is an important academic year for us to check and reaffirm the relationship between the future vision of the university and the learning of undergraduate and graduate students, while being aware of the linkage between the R2030 second-half plan and the annual operating plan in this way, and to nurture a common understanding for the next development. Making the most of this academic year as an opportunity for the university and students to jointly consider the nature of learning, research, and student life and translate those discussions into practice will contribute to meaningfully strengthening the initiatives of the second half of R2030.