Photo/Illutration Tohoku University in Sendai’s Aoba Word (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

In the first round of screening, Tohoku University is set to win a grant from a 10 trillion yen ($68 billion) government fund aimed at boosting the research capabilities of Japanese universities to a global level.

Beating nine other applicants, all considered the nation’s top universities, Tohoku University became the first institution to be eligible for the initiative, the education ministry announced on Sept. 1.

The financial support for the university will last up to 25 years, with around 10 billion yen expected in the first year.

The decision will be made official sometime in fiscal 2024, which begins in April next year.

The Sendai-based national university was selected by a unanimous vote of the ministry’s expert panel, which has been assessing proposals made by the 10 universities since April.

The panel said Tohoku University had specific plans and clear strategies to achieve its six goals including the number of quality academic papers published and the percentage of international students and researchers.　

However, the panel also said the university needs to improve its strategies to enhance its research capabilities, attract researchers from other countries and increase revenues through its partnership with businesses.

The grant will be available to a few more universities. The ministry plans a second round of screening in fiscal 2024.

The selection process is open to all universities including the nine that were not chosen at this time.

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