First, I would like to offer my heartfelt New Year's greetings to every member of Gifu University.

In 2022, the world was significantly impacted by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Consequently, people from around the world are still facing great hardships in life, such as soaring material and energy prices. These difficulties have also placed a considerable strain on our university's resources today.
In April 2022, national universities across Japan launched a six-year "Fourth Mid-Term Objectives and Plan" which was established by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Over the next six years, the universities will compete with each other to become the best science and technology hub in the world in order to meet the government's goal of attaining "Society 5.0^*1." MEXT will also provide every university with comprehensive support in its effort to be designated as a "world-leading innovative university" and a "super-regional university."
Since the "Fourth Mid-Term Objectives and Plan" has been launched, and keeping in mind the government's goal to realize "Society 5.0," I would like to describe the notable accomplishments that were made by Gifu University in 2022, as well as its vision for 2023.

Accomplishments of THERS and Gifu University
This year marks the third anniversary of the formation of a new academic entity called "Tokai National Higher Education and Research System (THERS)" by Gifu University and Nagoya University after both institutions merged in April 2020. Bearing in mind that the primary mission of THERS is to "Make New Standards for the Public," Gifu University has embraced strategies that can help it to become the Center of Community (COC) in order to address regional challenges and common issues of humanity. We believe that these strategies will also help us to realize our long-term goal of "Learning, Exploring, and Contributing" in the foreseeable future.

Now, I would like to share four major achievements that were made by Gifu University in 2022.
First, in 2022, the Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE)^*2 was designated as a "Joint Usage/Research Center" by MEXT, and its major objective is to create an open research environment for scholars and researchers that transcends disciplinary or institutional boundaries. We are expecting dynamic progress to be made by the "Human Glycome^*3 Project" after it was launched by iGCORE as a large-scale national project in order to create a new horizon in the life sciences. The completion of the new iGCORE research building will also help researchers to advance their studies in glycobiology and launch a medical revolution in the near future.

Second, several successful achievements and activities were accomplished by the "Aerospace Research and Education Hub (AREH)" of THERS. Eight research and development projects of the Intelligent Production Technology Research & Development Center for Aerospace (IPTeCA) are currently in the process of patent application, and the results of its six research programs are already in the practical stage of utilization by aerospace businesses today.Also, a flight competition called "Tokai Climax Series" was jointly organized by Gifu University and Nagoya University to demonstrate the excellent skills of students to manufacture handmade airplanes that can travel through the air. Thanks to our strong partnership with the Gifu Prefectural Government, members of the "Gifu Space Project Study Meeting^*4" were engaged in active discussions of how to nurture young talents to ensure the future growth of the Japanese aerospace industry. A fruition of our partnership with the prefectural government was seen in the joint hosting of the annual "Space Engineering Seminar" for senior high school students. As part of the "Senior High School & University Partnership Program" which offers senior high school students an opportunity to experience a university-level education firsthand, the "Cansat^*5 Competition Gifu" attracted a huge number of participants who were interested in future space technologies. Thanks to the kind support and assistance of all concerned, the seminar and competition were a resounding success. Lastly, I would like to mention the recurrent educational programs that are being offered by IPTeCA to the general public. They are highly popular among participants who are willing to share their thoughts about the future of the aerospace industry and the advancement of production technologies in Japan.

Third, new educational programs were introduced by Academic Central^*6, which included joint classes for students of both Gifu and Nagoya universities under Gifu University's Campus-Wide Core Curriculum, and classes that focused on mathematical and data science and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Last year, we saw a significant expansion of our credit transfer system between the students of both universities, as well as the shared use of laboratories and facilities and joint support for PhD students. It is our strong hope that the wide range of educational programs that are offered by Academic Central will continue to nurture young minds who can play a leading role in realizing "Society 5.0."

Fourth, we have made a consistent effort to promote carbon neutrality and environmental protection. Since the attainment of carbon neutrality is an important task for everyone to address, particularly for members of the academic and scientific community, the "Carbon Neutrality Promotion Office^*7" was established as a "control tower" by THERS to tackle environmental issues, develop energy savings, storage, and create technologies for the university and our community.

Gifu University's Vision in 2023
In 2022, one of Gifu University's most notable achievements was its success at securing five government-funded projects, which included MEXT, the Cabinet Office, etc. Consequently, we are ready to embark on our journey to realize our new concept of "migration, laboratory, innovation, and education" (MLIE), which is to implement world-class research programs that contribute to community co-creation through active collaboration between industry, academia, government, and the general public.

The first government-funded project that was secured by Gifu University was "J-Innovation HUB," which was financed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Consequently, a new partnership facility that is meant for use by both industry and academia is scheduled to be constructed. We believe that our success at being awarded the "J-Innovation HUB" will accelerate the pace of the "Tokai Project to Renovate Area Chubu into Tech Innovation Smart Society (TOKAI-PRACTISS)" by furthering the alliance between industry, academia, government, and banking institutions and ensuring the provision of support for entrepreneurs.

The second project was the selection of Gifu University by the Cabinet Office to implement the "Project to Enhance Innovation Creation Environment for National Universities." This project can facilitate various interdepartmental programs of THERS, motivate researchers to innovate, and reinforce the university's research capabilities to be in line with our "Envision New Possibilities Together for 2030."^*8

The third project was the selection of Gifu University by MEXT to develop the "Gifu Region Human Resource Development Program: to establish academic infrastructure for regional revitalization^*9" under the "Human Resource Development for Regional Revitalization: Supereminent Program for Activating Regional Collaboration (SPARC) 2022." Under the framework of this program, Gifu University will forge strong ties with Gifu City Women's College, Chubugakuin University/ Chubugakuin College, and other national, public, and private universities. Specifically, we will be involved in the joint creation of new curricula such as mathematical and data science and entrepreneurship. The establishment of a new "Regional Laboratory" to stimulate regional revitalization is also expected to facilitate a collaboration by industry, government, academia, and banking institutions in the community.

The fourth project was the adoption of "Education for Highly-Skilled Human Resources in Northeast India and Tokai Area based on Glocal JDP Platform" of the "FY2022 Inter-University Exchange Project" by MEXT, which will help Gifu University to enhance its global presence. Our partner university in India, the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG)-with whom we offer joint master's and doctoral degree programs-has been working closely with us on regional revitalization and human resource development. Gifu University and IITG will launch a "Joint-International Certificate" platform shortly to develop highly skilled young glocal (global + local) talents from around the world. In 2022, the "Interuniversity JDP Council of Japan" was established with Gifu University as a lead university. Members of the Council have been discussing and sharing information on how to address the challenges that are faced by every university before and after the launch of Joint Degree Programs (JDP), and the prospects of the programs that are offered by them. Gifu University has also been serving as an advisor to institutions who plan to launch JDP in the near future.

The fifth project was the approval by MEXT to fund Gifu University's program on the "Formation of Virtuous Cycle for University Management through Research Structural Reform: bolster research capabilities with a great emphasis on life science^*10" under its "University Management Reform Fund." Through this program, we aim to establish a new nonclinical integration research center in medicine and veterinary and pharmaceutical sciences. We are convinced that after this center commences operation, it will increase Gifu University's research capabilities and expedite the obtainment of external research funds through collaboration by industry, academia, and government, which will address the need for management reform in the university in years to come. In January 2023, the Center for One Medicine Innovative Translational Research (COMIT) commenced operation to discover and develop new forms of medical treatment. We are ready to expand our collaboration to include other research institutions whereby scholars and researchers can interact freely to pursue new forms of medical and therapeutic interventions or treatment for humans and animals. As a regional research hub, COMIT has demonstrated its leadership role by coordinating interuniversity collaboration.

In 2024, the "Gifu Interchange" of the Tōkai-Kanjō Expressway (Tōkai Ring Expressway) will open near the Gifu University campus. In addition, a plan to relocate Gifu Pharmaceutical University to the Gifu University campus is in the works. The easy access that is provided by the new expressway to the Gifu University campus and the relocation of Gifu Pharmaceutical University will aid the efforts that are being made to build a "Life Science Hub" in the Kurono area in Gifu City--where Gifu University is located--which are actively promoted by the Gifu City Government.

I truly appreciate the great and tireless contributions that were made by every member of Gifu University to realize its outstanding accomplishments in 2022, and I look forward to working closely with every stakeholder in the university and THERS to bring our vision for 2023 into fruition.

I would like to conclude my New Year's greetings by wishing every one of you the very best in 2023.

YOSHIDA Kazuhiro
President,Gifu University

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• 1. Society 5.0: Society 5.0 is the fifth stage of society after the hunter-gatherer society (Society 1.0), farming society (Society 2.0), industrial society (Society 3.0), and information society (Society 4.0). It is a human-centered society that balances economic advancement with a resolution of social problems through a system that boasts a high level of integration between cyberspace with physical space.
• 2. iGCORE: iGCORE is one of the "Core Educational and Research Directives" of THERS.
• 3. Glycome: Glycome is an entire complement of sugars--whether free or present in more complex molecules-of an organism.
• 4. Gifu Space Project Study Meeting: Established in 2021, the Gifu Space Project Study Meeting (English name tentative) aims to:
  (1) foster the growth of space equipment suppliers by tapping on the expertise that is acquired by aerospace businesses within the Gifu Prefecture; and to (2) develop a curriculum to train highly-skilled space engineers.
• 5. Cansat: Cansat is a type of sounding rocket that is used in the teaching of space technology, and it is similar to miniature satellites.
• 6. Academic Central: Academic Central is also one of the "Core Educational and Research Directives" of THERS.
• 7. English name is tentative
• 8. Envision New Possibilities Together for 2030: Envision New Possibilities Together for 2030 was introduced in June 2020 to enhance the university's global competence, promote regional redevelopment, create new values, advance the partnership between industry, government, and academia, and realize a knowledge-intensive society.
• 9. English name tentative
• 10. English name tentative