Overview of Efforts

Overview of Efforts

Hiroshima University has been designated as an implementing organization for the “Initiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research Environment (Specific Correspondence Type)”, a support project for the Development of Human Resources in Science and Technology [FY2021] conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
The title of the chosen program is “Vigorous Development of the Next-Generation by Establishment of the Hiroshima University Fellowship for Female Graduate Students in Science and Technology”.

As a result of Hiroshima University’s implementation of various female research support-related projects over the years, the overall percentage of female faculty members is increasing every year, and there is a growing awareness towards actively hiring female faculty members in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields as well.
On the other hand, the number of female students in the STEM fields has not been increasing, and in order to further increase the number of female faculty members in the STEM fields in the future, there is an urgent need to create an attractive research environment that encourages more female students to enroll in the STEM fields.

To this end, Hiroshima University aims to increase the number of female students who aspire to be researchers in the STEM fields by implementing the following three initiatives through this program.

①Establishment of the Hiroshima University Fellowship for Female Graduate Students in Science and Technology

We have established the Hiroshima University Fellowship for Female Graduate Students in Science and Technology for female graduate students (M2 to D3) from the STEM fields.
By providing this Fellowship to female graduate students during their master’s course, we will support them in continuing on to a doctoral course.

② Improvement of research efficiency of female researchers

We will proceed with the Digital Transformation (DX) of research activities to improve the research efficiency of female researchers.
We will establish a system which will allow female researchers at the university to access the research data management platform, GakuNin RDM, operated by the Research Center for Open Science and Data Platform (RCOS) of the National Institute of informatics (NII) of the Research Organization of Information and Systems (an Inter-University Research Institute Corporation).

③Enhancement of transferable skills of female researchers

In collaboration with Vitae, a U.K. non-profit organization with an internationally proven track record in researcher development, the Global Career Design Center of the university translated the Researcher Development Framework (RDF), which was developed by Vitae and has been used by more than 200 research institutes in 20 countries, into Japanese, building a foundation for researchers to perform self-assessments.
By utilizing the “Young Researchers’ Portfolio” system or “HIRAKU-PF” for short, which has the RDF built-in as a professional development platform, we will enhance the research capabilities and develop the transferable skills of female researchers.
In addition to programs for researchers who are in the early stages of their research career, including doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and young researchers, we will prepare programs specifically for female researchers.


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