A Small but Shining University : The University of Electro-Communications is selected for the Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities

"The Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities" focuses on the overall academic research functions of universities and other institutions. It is a project launched by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in fiscal 2013 to support the strengthening of research capabilities of universities engaged in highly advanced, world-class research activities.

The Program supports the implementation of initiatives to effectively combine specialized research environment reforms (such as the hiring and use of research management personnel, who are responsible for research strategy and intellectual property management including university research administrators (URA)); promotion of efforts to accelerate competitive research; creation of new cutting-edge fields of research; and development of a world-class research environment.

UEC was selected by MEXT as one of 22 institutions for support in FY 2013. It was selected for several reasons including:

1. The active research being conducted by its young scientists and engineers
2. International partnerships and many joint research projects being conducted with overseas researchers
3. Excellent results produced in the fields of optics and photonics
4. Active inter industry-business-academia partnerships
5. University reforms being promoted in accordance with a management strategy that takes advantage of the strengths of a small university

UEC has established the Organization for Research Promotion to strengthen its research capabilities and enable it to become a leading center for world-class research. This will be achieved by adopting a comprehensive approach to planning and implementation of policies to promote vigorous, state of the art research, as well as provisions of support for research activities.

UEC is striving to be a "Small but Shining" university, and developing three management strategies that have been promoted under the leadership of the university president:

1. Borderless knowledge
2. Alliance and cooperation
3. Openness and transparency

It is also developing its research promotion structure by analyzing the status of its research activities and strengthening its graduate school, as well as by strengthening its efforts to recruit world-class talent and improving its level of internationalization.

An analysis of UEC's research activities has revealed that research findings in the field of physics were ranked among the most impressive in the world, with distinctive results having been produced in other fields as well.