6-University Human Assets Promotion Program for Innovative Education and Research (6U-HAPPIER)
Mission
In the context of Competition and Cooperation among universities, 6U-HAPPIER is advancing
the following collaborations:
- Human assets promotion and mobility, in:
- Research
- Education
- Management
- Cooperation with Industry, etc.
- Knowledge Sharing among all Members
- Promoting Mutual Support for Joint Growth among all Members
Member Universities as of January 2025
- Hokkaido University (School of Engineerig)
- Tohoku University (School of Engineering, School of Environmental Studies, School of Biomedical Engineering)
- Institute of Science Tokyo (School of Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, School of Environment and Society, School of Life Science and Technology, Scool of Computing)
- Nagoya University (School of Engineering)
- Osaka University (School of Engineering, Schoold of Engineering Science)
- Kyushu University (School of Engineering, School of Information Science and Electrical Engineering)
Faculty Exchange
Faculty Exchange among Nagoya University, Osaka University, and Tokyo Institute
of Technology started in 2005.
The opportunity for exchange has now been extended to every member
institution of 6U-HAPPIER, based on the 6-U Agreement ratified
on 19 May 2017 by the Engineering Deans of each school.
This program aims to develop human resources that will play active
leadership roles in research, education, and organizational
management. It also seeks to foster knowledge sharing among
participating organizations and promote their co-evolution through the
exchange of human resources among the six universities. Faculty
members who returned to their home universities after a three-year
secondment to a partner university have been active. They have taken
advantage of their expanded range of research and human networks and
have applied their experience with different cultures in various
areas. Faculty members who have returned to their original
universities have achieved great success.
ACE (Academic Career Enhancement) Initiatives
6U-HAPPIER conducts Academic Career Enhancement Initiatives for
education, research and management. Faculty Development programs in
the member universities are shared among 6U faculty members.
Networking of Assistant Professors
Beginning in 2019 (suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic), two
Assistant Professors from each of the six universities gathered
annually for two days and one night to discuss teaching students in
the laboratory, how the laboratory is run, and areas for
organizational improvement.
In AY2024, Tohoku University served as the organizing university, and
two assistant professors who participated in the previous year's
exchange meeting became the planning members, taking the
initiative in setting discussion themes and organizing the day of the
meeting. The handover from the planning members of the previous year's
host institution has been smooth every year.
Summary of AY2024
- Eighteen Assistant Professors attended.
- After introductions to get to know each other, the participants were divided into
groups to discuss "short-term, individually solvable issues" and "long-term issues
solvable by the university or other systems."
- The participants were very positive about the opportunity to exchange information
from different fields, gain a shared understanding of the issues they face, and obtain
practical solutions.
Newspaper Report
Activities of 6U-HAPPIER was reported in a Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shinbun on 13 May 2019.
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