What is the Organization for DESIGN THE FUTURE?
NISHIO Chizuru
Director of Organization for DESIGN THE FUTURE
Professor, Faculty of Business Sciences
On April 1, 2022, the University of Tsukuba newly established the Organization for DESIGN THE FUTURE.
This organization explores how the university can contribute to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and beyond, which are aimed at resolving global issues facing present and future societies. We aim to build a desirable future for people and the earth.
Envisioning a Desirable “Future”
We think about what a desirable “future” is in a backcasting way. The SDGs are targets for 2030. What are the challenges that will need to be addressed after that? And what should we do in the future? The SDGs may not cover all of the issues that will need to be addressed for creating the desirable future. We will examine these issues, and consider a mechanism for envisioning and promoting the future that the University of Tsukuba should aim for.
Promotion and dissemination of initiatives for SDGs
The University of Tsukuba recognizes the importance of the SDGs and its philosophy of “no one left behind,” and is working on research and education with this in mind. Needless to say, the goals of the SDGs are deeply interrelated and indivisible. The organization for DESIGN THE FUTURE strategically promotes and disseminates various types of knowledge and achievements of our university in accordance with the needs of society.
The knowledge we provide includes measurements and simulations related to the global environment and social structure, academic research, technological development that contributes to solutions, institutional design, as well as life, organization, and regional design. As a comprehensive university, we provide various forms of knowledge to society in the form of regional collaboration, social implementation, education, and human resource development.
Collaboration with interdisciplinary research projects to solve global issues
There are many research projects at the University of Tsukuba that aim to solve global issues that are closely related to the SDGs. At the organization for DESIGN THE FUTURE, we collaborate on cross-disciplinary projects with regions, companies, and organizations as departments of this organization, and formulate strategies to create a desirable future for people and the earth. We plan to add more departments in the future.
[Partner Organizations]
- Tsukuba 3E Forum
- R&D Center for Smart Wellness City Policies
- Tsukuba Carbon Neutral Research Hub
