午夜剧场

Photo: From the 50th Anniversary Symposium of the 午夜剧场 Engineering Foundation

The 午夜剧场 Engineering Foundation is a foundation incorporated in September 1962 with the aim of serving as a bridge between research institutions such as universities and the industrial and governmental sectors, further promoting Japan's industry-government-academia collaboration system, and contributing to the development of science and technology and its return to society. Its predecessor was the "午夜剧场 Industrial Association," established in 1948 to provide assistance to the Faculty of Science and Technology at 午夜剧场, which had suffered significant damage during the Pacific War. With the full support of 午夜剧场 alumni active in Japanese industry, the primary focus was on supplementing the lack of research facilities and funding for the struggling Faculty of Science and Technology. On April 1, 2012, it became a general incorporated foundation specializing in non-profit activities.

Currently, the foundation holds more than a dozen meetings a year, including Board of Councilors meetings, Board of Directors meetings, Steering Committee meetings, scholarship award ceremonies, interim report meetings, and social gatherings. Its activities are supported by supporting member companies that agree with the foundation's objectives. Furthermore, the Steering Committee includes not only faculty members from the Faculty of Science and Technology but also administrative managers from Mita and Yagami involved in the foundation's operations. In line with the objectives stated at the beginning, the following projects are carried out:

1. Academic Promotion Projects: Promoting academic advancement through support for research institutions and researchers involved in cutting-edge science and technology, as well as holding research seminars.

2. International Exchange Projects: Promoting international exchange regarding cutting-edge science and technology through support for researchers to develop Japanese science and technology and promote international exchange, as well as support for inviting researchers from overseas.

3. Educational Scholarship Projects: Fostering human resources involved in cutting-edge science and technology by providing tuition assistance and other support for students in science and technology universities and graduate schools, as well as awarding outstanding students.

4. Research Promotion Projects: Promoting and developing research activities in cutting-edge science and technology by mediating and introducing commissioned and joint research through industry-government-academia collaboration, accepting commissioned research, accepting research fund donations for designated researchers, and supporting the return of research results to society through practical application and commercialization.

5. Academic Dissemination Projects: Contributing to the dissemination of science and technology and the return of research results to society through the holding of workshops and support for organizing such events.

The level of contribution through grants and assistance from this foundation is very high, and many faculty members and graduate students in the Faculty of Science and Technology receive support for their activities. Additionally, scholarships are available to graduate students in the Graduate School of Science and Technology, the Graduate School of Media and Governance, and the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and they are among the largest in terms of support amounts. Furthermore, the themes of commissioned research are not limited to the Faculty of Science and Technology. The nature of these projects, which provide comprehensive support for the advancement of science and technology, can be understood by looking at the foundation's origins in supporting the Faculty of Science and Technology during its period of hardship.

We look forward to the 午夜剧场 Engineering Foundation continuing to develop alongside the Faculty of Science and Technology and playing a role in broadly supporting the development of science and technology.

(Hidehiro Matada, Manager, Office of Student Services, Faculty of Science and Technology)