On August 22, a consortium formed of 24 participating and 12 collaborating institutions from within and outside of Japan, ranging from the industrial, governmental, academic and financial sectors, was selected for the 2017 Data Analysis Talent Development Program by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The consortium is led by Waseda University.

What is the Data Analysis Talent Development Program?

In order for Japan to survive the fourth wave of industrial revolution, recruiting and training talents in data technology (AI, IoT, big data, cyber security, etc.) with related knowledge and skills are becoming crucial. Moreover, the Japanese government is trying to support career development initiatives of such talents and encourage them to play an active role in society. Out of the 13 organizations that applied to the program, four organizations (consortiums) were selected, including Waseda's. Open to doctoral students and PhD holders who are familiar with handling highly technical data through research, the program aims to establish a consortium where businesses and universities, and recruit as well as build a talent pool while creating employment opportunities for them. Furthermore, it will develop and implement practical training programs, such as internships and project-based learning.

Features of the consortium

This consortium led by Waseda will be managed by the Consortium Management Council. In cooperation with collaborating institutions, it will strengthen data technology-related skills for doctoral students and PhD holders, and design a curriculum for future PhD students (undergraduate and Master's degree students) and working adults who will serve as their career model. The consortium aims to become self-sustainable using provided funding and produce 680 advanced data talents in over the course of eight years for addressing problems in shortage of talents. This will help dispatch experts to the fields of advanced technology development and financial businesses, which will become the core of Society 5.0, an initiative led by the Japanese government to realize a hyper smart society.

Institutions in the consortium

Leading institution

Waseda University

Participating institutions

National

Ochanomizu University

Tokyo University of Science

Yamagata University

Tokyo Women’s Medical University

Nara Medical University

Japan Women’s University

Riken

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Japan Association of Corporate Executives

Japan Association of New Economy

Japan Federation of IT Associations

Japan Association for IT Career

Emerging Technologies Corporation

ALT-BRIDGE TECHNOLOGY Inc.

SoftBank Corp.

IBM Japan, Ltd.

Nomura Securities Co., Ltd.

bitFlyer, Inc.

BrainPad Inc.

Mizuho Bank, Ltd.

LINE Corporation

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (Tentative)

Overseas

University of Bonn (Germany)

Catholic University of Korea (Korea)

Collaborating institutions

National

Japan DataScientist Society

Institution for a Global Society Corporation

OPT Holding Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Hitachi, Ltd.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.

Yahoo Japan Corporation

Overseas

Tel Aviv University (Israel)

OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (France)

National Centre for Text Mining (United Kingdom)

University of Manchester (United Kingdom)

For more information, visit the news article on the Waseda University website: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en-news/53710

To inquire about the consortium, contact Waseda University Doctoral Student Career Center at dscc@list.waseda.jp