The 2nd Hitotsubashi Global Advisory Board Meeting

The 2nd Hitotsubashi Global Advisory Board meeting was held online on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.

 

Hitotsubashi University has set up the Hitotsubashi Global Advisory Board to provide the President with necessary advice on university administration, research, and educational activities from an international perspective. The second meeting of the Advisory Board was held online on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.

 

Comprising three external members and the President of Hitotsubashi University, the Hitotsubashi Global Advisory Board is established to support substantial small group discussions. The external members appointed to the board have experience as president or vice president of SIGMA member universities or other leading foreign institutions. Professor Arnoud De Meyer (former President of Singapore Management University), Professor Edeltraud Hannapi-Egger (former Rector of Vienna University of Economics and Business), and Professor Leslie Hannah (former Pro-Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science) attended the second meeting.

 

The first meeting of the board focused on enhancing international research competitiveness and discussing strategies to attract internationally exceptional researchers. The outcomes of the meeting significantly contributed to advancing the university’s Hitotsubashi Institute for Advanced Study (HIAS) Bridges Next project for recruiting young faculty members. At the second meeting, the discussions centered on effective management approaches for cross-departmental organizations, such as research centers established by the university under HIAS, and various methods for fostering young researchers. Additionally, members deliberated over evaluating the societal impact of the research generated by such centers.

 

Overall, the members highlighted the importance of research centers to establish robust strategies. They also indicated that external funding can serve as an indicator of the societal impact (market value) of research. Hence, actively acquiring external funding and evaluating the outcomes were emphasized. Moreover, specific examples of research assessment methods that look beyond the number of papers published or citations acquired were presented, thus delving into the societal impact of social science research.

 

Hitotsubashi University will further enhance its international research competitiveness in light of the discussions held at this meeting.