Today, the world is undergoing rapid changes driven by the digital revolution and globalization, while facing various societal challenges such as environmental issues and population problems. Tokai National Higher Education and Research System aims to send out individuals to the world and local communities who can create new value and address these societal challenges, under the shared educational philosophy of “courageously building the future together.” On the other hand, in doctoral programs, there has been growing concern in recent years regarding financial issues associated with pursuing doctoral studies and uncertainties surrounding career paths after completing a doctoral degree.

At Nagoya University, various forms of support have been provided to doctoral program students over the years. Building on these efforts, starting in the 2024 academic year, the university has launched the “Tokai National Higher Education and Research System Make New Standards Program for the Next-Generation Researchers,” (THERS MNS Program) which integrates financial support and career support for them. This initiative is jointly implemented by Nagoya University and Gifu University as Tokai National Higher Education and Research System.

This program aims to create an environment where students in doctoral programs can devote themselves to their research without financial concerns during their studies, while also fostering outstanding doctoral graduates to contribute to all areas of society. Students selected for this program are expected to further enhance their research as doctoral students, engage in interdisciplinary and international collaborative research, and take on challenges through interactions and network building with professionals from diverse sectors, including researchers from other fields and corporate representatives. To achieve these goals, the program provides various forms of support, such as opportunities to improve language and communication skills and opportunities to engage with researchers from different fields and corporate professionals.

Nagoya University has provided educational programs, such as Program for Leading Graduate Schools and the WISE Program (Doctoral Programs for World-leading Innovative & Smart Education), to help graduate students learn how to approach and solve problems from various perspectives that cannot be gained solely within academia. In this initiative (MNS Program), the university is expanding these programs by collaborating with them and utilizing the teaching methods developed through them.

Students are expected to become individuals who will work together to shape a better society, even as the situations in Japan and around the world continue to change rapidly and embody the philosophy of “courageously building the future together.”