I would like to wish everyone a very happy new year and hope you enjoyed a peaceful holiday season.
The year 2018 will be remembered for a variety of notable events and activities, one of which was the signing of the Basic Agreement on the Establishment of the Tokai National University System (name tentative) between Gifu University and Nagoya University on December 25, 2018.

It was a busy schedule for everyone concerned, particularly from the end of 2018 through the beginning of 2019. We now have a number of new projects and programs already set in motion. Please take good care of yourselves, whether you are on duty or off. I truly look forward to working closely with all of you as we build a better future for Gifu University.

Allow me to begin this New Year's address by talking about the signing of the Basic Agreement on the Establishment of the Tokai National University System between Gifu University and Nagoya University. We have high hopes for solid, robust growth propelled by this new integration framework that will hold two national universities under a single corporation. Next, I would like to announce the status of government grants for national universities, as of December 2018, and lastly, a few words about Gifu University's seventieth anniversary events scheduled for June of this year.

In a recent meeting, our education and research council and board of directors reached a unanimous decision to accept the Basic Agreement on the Establishment of the Tokai National University System between Gifu University and Nagoya University (both signed in the capacity of national university corporations) on December 20, 2018. On December 25, the signing ceremony was held in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture. In the presence of the Chairman of the Central Japan Economic Federation, Tetsuro Toyoda; Vice Governor of Gifu Prefecture, Junichi Godo; and Vice Governor of Aichi Prefecture, Kimio Ishihara; President Seiichi Matsuo of Nagoya University and I signed the agreement. On December 27, President Matsuo and I paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Masahiko Shibayama, in Tokyo, and reported the signing.

We expect the agreement to come into force on April 1, 2020, but the Act of the National University Corporations first needs to be revised for an enactment of the agreement. When the name of National University Corporation Tokai National University System is listed in the Act, both institutions will then be able to move ahead toward a workable integration.

It is crucial for us to contemplate how we can facilitate our educational reform efforts and decide what actions will best shape our future by maximizing the merits of the Tokai National University System.

The followings are the ten shared objectives and goals of Gifu University and Nagoya University to ensure successful operations April 2020 onward.

1. Offer high-quality, cross-sectional English programs in general education
2. Develop mathematical data science education
3. Offer high-quality agriculture, forestry, and livestock education
4. Promote research activities by the Center for Highly Advanced Integration of Nano and Life Sciences (G-CHAIN)
5. Promote research activities by the Gifu Renewable Energy System Research Center
6. Promote research activities by the Center for Advanced and Smart Die Engineering Technology (G-CADET)
7. Promote research activities by the Gu Composites Center in collaboration with Kanazawa Institute of Technology (Ishikawa Prefecture), Nagoya University and Gifu University
8. Build an aerospace production technology laboratory in November 2020
9. Enhance interchangeability of medical information/data
10. Promote disaster prevention activities by the Gifu Disaster Mitigation Center

All of the above showcase our strong commitment to providing students and researchers the best possible education and research opportunities by utilizing the opportune timing of this integration. We know that all faculties and schools in each university have great potential to deliver desired outcomes and achievements in their respective fields, but the new system will definitely add a fresh, collaborative dimension to our university operations and management approach.

Next, I have a few words concerning the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) management expense grants for national university corporations in Japan. The percentage of MEXT grants allocated to universities in proportion to the appraisals for individual performances was one percent of total grants for universities, but today that percentage has been raised to up to ten percent. In short, to secure government grants, no efforts should be spared in deliberating and reviewing our future engagement and strategies for research and academic activities.

Lastly, I would like to mention the seventieth anniversary events scheduled for June 1, 2019. We will have the honor of receiving the ninth President, Toshio Kinjo, as the keynote speaker. Visitors will receive first-hand insight into the twenty-year journey of Gifu University, from its fiftieth to seventieth anniversaries, by listening to his unique experiences as president during that period. Preparations for a series of commemorative events are already underway, which include the archiving of academic assets and the production and sale of Gifu University sake. As part of the archiving projects, our inventiveness and ingenuity will now be tested in our efforts to make the entire university an indoor-outdoor campus museum.

Gifu University can be the only Japanese university making its own sake brand. The Gifu University sake project was initiated by the dean of the Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences and later propelled by Professor Tomoyuki Nakagawa and his team. Thanks to their great contributions and devotion, our sake project is coming to fruition today. I truly look forward to sharing the joy and happiness with everyone on this auspicious occasion of the seventieth anniversary by leading a toast with Gifu University sake.

I have covered a range of topics centering on the Tokai National University System. I am convinced that the new system will give us great momentum and impetus to excel from 2019 and beyond. I ask for your continued support and cooperation toward major progress and development of Gifu University as I conclude my New Year's message for 2019.

January 7, 2019
Hisataka Moriwaki
President of Gifu University