2026 1^st Boot Camp Report

Commemorative Photo of Boot Camp 2026 summer

 

The Summer 2026 Boot Camp was successfully held over two days and one night, from June 29 to 30, at Loisir Hotel Toyohashi in Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture. A total of 137 selected RESEARDENT students from Nagoya University and Gifu University participated in the program. In addition, 14 Highly Contributing RESEARDENT (HCR)  members and 16 faculty and staff provided support for the planning and operations of the event.

The Boot Camp aims to provide students from diverse academic fields with an opportunity to live and engage in discussions together, thereby deepening their understanding of one another’s expertise and research topics while fostering interdisciplinary perspectives. The program also seeks to cultivate lasting relationships beyond the event, ultimately building networks that may lead to future interdisciplinary or collaborative research.

The participating students were divided into 28 small groups, each consisting of four to five members from different graduate schools. Each group worked on a common theme: Idea generation for interdisciplinary research that leverages each individual’s expertise.

Opening ceremony of Boot Camp 2026 summer

During this Boot Camp, the focus was on the collaborative process rather than simply creating a final research proposal. Participants shared their research backgrounds and exchanged ideas from different academic perspectives, engaging in interdisciplinary dialogue to explore how their individual expertise could be combined to address interdisciplinary challenges. The program encouraged students to think beyond the boundaries of their own fields while improving their communication and teamwork skills.

As the discussions progressed, each group refined its ideas through continuous dialogue and constructive feedback. Participants developed a variety of innovative research concepts by combining knowledge from different disciplines and demonstrated creative approaches to interdisciplinary problem-solving. Throughout the program, students actively learned from one another and gained a deeper understanding of different research methods and perspectives.

Following the group discussions, each team presented the interdisciplinary research ideas they had developed. Through these presentations, participants shared their approaches and gained new perspectives from students with different academic backgrounds. In addition, during the further discussion and refinement of integrated research ideas, participants joined groups based on their interests and continued to improve research concepts through additional discussions. This process enabled participants to build connections beyond their original groups and explore new possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

The Boot Camp was also supported by HCR members, who played key roles in planning, facilitating group discussions, and managing the event. Their guidance and support contributed greatly to maintaining a productive and engaging learning environment, enabling participants to communicate openly and collaborate effectively throughout the two-day program.

Groupwork and presentation section of Boot Camp 2026 summer

According to the post-event survey, the Boot Camp received positive evaluations overall, with 76% of participants expressing satisfaction (25% “very satisfied” and 51% “satisfied”). Participants particularly appreciated the opportunities to interact with students from different academic backgrounds, gain new perspectives and research ideas, and experience the potential of interdisciplinary collaboration through group activities.

Overall satisfaction of Boot Camp 2025 summer

The discussion theme, “Idea generation for interdisciplinary research that leverages each individual’s expert” was also highly evaluated, with 68% of participants considering it “very good” or “good.” Many participants indicated that the theme provided valuable opportunities to reconsider their own research from new perspectives, understand the importance of combining different expertise, and explore the possibilities of interdisciplinary approaches.

Group-based activities were highly valued by participants. Regarding interactions within their groups, 83% of participants found them meaningful (38% “very meaningful” and 45% “meaningful”). Participants appreciated the open atmosphere for exchanging ideas and the opportunity to learn from different research backgrounds. In terms of the balance of expertise within groups, 65% of participants expressed satisfaction, highlighting that diverse academic backgrounds contributed to broader perspectives and stimulated discussions, while also revealing the challenges of integrating highly diverse expertise within a limited time.

The presentation sessions and subsequent reorganization of groups provided additional opportunities for interaction beyond the original teams. By sharing research ideas and joining discussions based on their interests, participants were able to expand their networks and further explore potential interdisciplinary collaborations. Furthermore, regarding future collaboration, 19% of participants reported that they had met students with whom they would like to pursue future collaborative or interdisciplinary research. Although many participants had not yet identified specific collaborators, the Boot Camp provided valuable opportunities to connect with potential future collaborators.

Overall, the Boot Camp received highly positive evaluations from participants and built on the achievements of the previous year. The interdisciplinary exchanges and networks formed through the program may provide a basis for continued interaction and potential collaborative or integrated research in the future.

Closing Ceremony of Boot Camp 2026 summer

■ Selected comments from the questionnaire:

（日本語）

• 普段は交流の機会がないような異分野の学生と研究に対する意見交換をしたり、自分の研究を他者に説明したりする活動を通して、自身の専門性や異分野への理解を深め、研究の面白さを再発見できたから。
• ブートキャンプに参加しなければ，聞くことができなかったであろう様々な分野の専門的な話や就職の相談などができたことが非常に有意義に感じられた。
• 普段あまり接することのない研究分野の話を聞くことができ、自分の研究とは違う視点や考え方に触れられたためです。特にグループでの議論を通して、専門分野やバックグラウンドの違いが新しい発見につながることを実感でき、とても良い刺激になりました。2日間を通して楽しく、学びの多い時間でした。

（English）

• The interactions with different RESEARDENTs at all levels of expertise was great. Sharing ideas, brainstorming together, understanding each others research concepts was mindblowing, and intergrating to one common promising research concept was fantastic.
• Although we were from totally diverse backgrounds, we were able to successfully collaborate and interact to produce ideas that seemed to cut across everyone’s field of study.
• Working with researchers from different fields on this project was a very meaningful experience. It broadened my perspective, helped me learn how to approach the same research question from different disciplinary angles, and also allowed me to build friendships.

 

RESEARDENT in charge of survey and report

Yu Min（Gifu University）、 Xu Yifan（Nagoya University）、Katsutoshi Sagawa (Nagoya University)