Chiba University, guided by the philosophy of "Always Aim Higher", is dedicated to nurturing individuals with high intellect and rich humanity who can excel as leaders in the global society, by providing excellent education as a premier academic institution. We have been selected for the "Program for Forming Japan’s Peak Research Universities", which allows us to strategically enhance our strengths in fields such as immunology, vaccine studies, and preventive medicine research. We are expanding into various disciplines within the university while focusing on applying our research outcomes to benefit society.  In April 2024, we also established the Graduate School of Informatics to cultivate talents capable of handling big data and artificial intelligence across various academic disciplines.

Our Inohana Campus, home to numerous research facilities including the Graduate School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Hospital, and Research Institute of Disaster Medicine, has been training global leaders in the medical-related fields. Since the launch of the program "Nurture of Creative Research Leaders in Immune System Regulation and Innovative Therapeutics" in 2012, one of the “Program for Leading Graduate Schools”, we have been fostering world-leading therapeutic researchers. In 2022, we were selected as the "Synergy Institute for Futuristic Mucosal Vaccine Research and Development" under the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development's "Japan Initiative for World-leading Vaccine Research and Development Centers", where we are developing effective, safe, and reliable mucosal vaccines. Building on these achievements, we have established comprehensive cooperation agreements with many foreign universities, such as the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) in the United States, enabling international faculty members to participate in research and doctoral training.

The rapid advancement of cutting-edge medical technologies has led to a paradigm shift in global healthcare. In Japan, with its rapidly aging society, the development of human resources is an urgent issue. Thus, in the “Innovative Medicine CHIBA Doctoral WISE Program (iMeC-WISE)”, we have established the Cluster-based CHIBA Education System based on the therapeutic researcher training program. By utilizing our university's Center for Artificial Intelligence Research in Therapeutics, we aim to cultivate creators of new medical knowledge, innovators who develop revolutionary therapies and drugs, and leaders who address social disparities in healthcare.

Under this new Cluster-based CHIBA Education System, we have set up six educational research clusters, organized by faculty members from many research fields, to cultivate panoramic views, creativity, and practical skills. By studying in two or more clusters, students will be trained to become doctoral talents equivalent to those with double majors overseas. We also offer educational programs in collaboration with the world's top research institutions.

We expect graduates of this program to not only create new medical knowledge and innovate in healthcare but also actively strive for self-improvement and become leaders in global healthcare with multifaceted perspectives, flexible thinking, high ethical standards, an innovative mindset, and a spirit of resilience and fearlessness of failure.

Chiba University will continue to strategically allocate resources and focus on enhancing the educational and research environment to further strengthen this excellent graduate program. We sincerely ask for your continued, tremendous support in this endeavor.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has underscored that each of us is interconnected on a global scale, as well as the vital importance of medical care and medical research. The rapid development of RNA vaccines has been realized thanks to the fruits of persistent basic research. In addition to this global crisis, Japan faces numerous challenges as a super-aging society. To build a happy and sustainable era of 100-year lifespans, there is a strong demand for individuals who can realize innovative medicine.

Chiba University has produced many talented individuals who have made significant contributions to global medicine and medical science. Among these are Dr. Komei Nakayama, who developed esophageal cancer surgery, and Dr. Tomio Tada, who advanced immunology. Building upon this tradition of human resource development, the Doctoral Program for World-leading Innovative & Smart Education (WISE Program) started its education in 2020. It aims to foster outstanding researchers who will create new "medical knowledge" (original knowledge and technology), innovators who will utilize that knowledge to lead the way toward safer and more effective, completely new therapeutic agents and treatments, and leaders who will leverage AI and other technologies to correct social distortions through various approaches.

To this end, together with Chiba University, we engage in international collaboration in partnership with three domestic research institutions including RIKEN, eight corporations, and four overseas universities including UC San Diego. Furthermore, we have organized the Chiba Innovative Therapeutics International Program (CITIP), a global educational framework consisting of 37 overseas institutions, and the Chiba Innovative Therapeutics Industry Consortium (CITICO), a cross-sectoral educational framework with industry-government-academia collaboration comprising 39 corporations and organizations. Through these efforts, we conduct the program as a hub for human resource exchanges and joint research that brings together the world’s highest standards of educational and research capabilities.

Students in the program are required to engage in independent learning and research, taking the initiative to plan and execute courses such as "Advanced General Education"—where leaders from various fields give lectures—and "Innovative Therapeutics Practice," which involves training at overseas universities, the WHO, and other institutions. Regarding research, students are required to achieve results in at least two fields and possess double-major capabilities as a graduation requirement. In the international course, students can also obtain a PhD from an overseas partner university such as UC San Diego, becoming double-degree recipients. Generous financial support is also provided. We sincerely welcome the participation of motivated students from a wide range of fields.

In the 21st century, humanity faces interconnected global challenges, including climate change, pandemics caused by emerging infectious diseases, and growing instability in food and energy security. The increasing frequency and prolonged duration of armed conflicts in recent years have not only caused humanitarian crises but have also disrupted international research collaboration and academic exchange, threatening the sustainability of science, technology, and the global knowledge base.

Meanwhile, the rapid advancement of AI and digital technologies is opening up new possibilities for addressing these challenges. At the same time, these technologies are fundamentally transforming social structures, industries, and the nature of work, requiring society as a whole to re-examine existing systems of knowledge and acquire new capabilities. To respond to such complex challenges and transformations, expertise within any single academic discipline is insufficient. It is essential to foster individuals who possess interdisciplinary perspectives spanning diverse fields of knowledge, together with the collaborative and practical skills needed to connect government, industry, and civil society.

Amid these global trends, Japan is projected to experience a decline of more than 10 million in its working-age population by 2040. At the same time, the country faces the intensification of its super-aged society, regional decline, aging infrastructure, and structural changes in the labor market driven by digital transformation (DX). Furthermore, the decline in Japan's international standing in research—as reflected in the decreasing number of highly cited papers—and the contraction of its overall knowledge base threaten the nation's very capacity to continue contributing to solutions to global challenges.

To address and ultimately overcome these challenges, there is an urgent need to cultivate outstanding doctoral talent and extend its intellectual impact beyond graduate education to society as a whole. To nurture individuals who possess perspectives that transcend disciplinary boundaries and the creativity to generate new value, the Innovative Medicine CHIBA Doctoral WISE Program (iMeC-WISE Program) is committed to developing individuals who pursue innovation in medicine with a broader perspective, flexible thinking, a willingness to take on challenges, resilience, and an innovative mindset.

In this program, students from diverse academic disciplines, primarily medicine and pharmaceutical sciences, come together to deepen their own expertise while developing interdisciplinary perspectives through the System of Three Professors from Different Fields and the sub-major system. In addition, students cultivate the skills needed to thrive in a global research environment through training and study abroad at overseas research institutions, presentations at international conferences, and practical learning through industry-government-academia collaboration.

Furthermore, the iMeC-WISE Program places strong emphasis on each student's willingness to take initiative and embrace new challenges. We believe that the ability to identify challenges independently, take action, and venture out into the world is a driving force behind the creation of new knowledge and advances in medicine. Engaging with different disciplines and gaining experience abroad provide valuable opportunities for students to re-examine their own research from fresh perspectives and can serve as catalysts for future innovation.

I encourage each of you to continue taking on challenges without fear of failure and to expand your potential to the fullest. I sincerely hope that your experiences in the iMeC-WISE Program will serve as a foundation for pioneering the future of medicine and enable you to grow into leaders who create new value in your respective fields.