RIHN has concluded 33 agreements on academic exchanges with research institutes and administrative agencies nationwide, and is working to promote cross-organizational academic research and to enhance and develop mutual research and education.

RIHN has actively concluded 22 memorandums of understanding with overseas research institutes, laboratories, etc., promoting joint research, sharing research materials, and encouraging personal interaction. In addition, in order to build closer ties with overseas researchers, we have invited many prominent researchers from various countries as invited foreign researchers.

RIHN, in collaboration with Nagasaki University, National Institute for Environmental Studies and other organizations, forms part of the consortium that hosts the Future Earth Global Secretariat Hub Japan.

Future Earth is a global network of scientists, researchers and innovators collaborating for a more sustainable world. This global community is composed of experts from the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences, as well as practitioners from various sectors of society who facilitate research, mobilize networks, and turn knowledge into action.

In August 2021, the Future Earth Asia Regional Center, which had been hosted by RIHN since 2014, and the Future Earth Japan Hub in Tokyo merged to form the Japan Hub of the Future Earth Global Secretariat. This new Japan Hub is responsible for the global operation of Future Earth, including coordinating and managing research projects, cross-thematic and cross-regional cooperation, and collaboration with key partners, as well as developing research networks and research plans at the international, regional (with an Asia focus) and domestic level.

RIHN through the International Engagement Unit takes on the following key functions of the Japan Hub : organizing outreach and capacity-building development through the TERRA School (a training course on Transdisciplinarity for Early careeR Researchers in Asia), liaising and convening the Knowledge-Action Network on “Systems of Sustainable Consumption and Production” (https://sscp.futureearth.org/), coordinating Early Career Researchers Networks and Low Middle Income Country networks, establishing and supporting the Future Earth Asia Regional Committee and providing support for the Future Earth Japan National Committee.

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TERRA School participants went through lectures and interactive group works using Miro and other online platforms. On the last day of the program, each group presented a proposal for a transdisciplinary research project.

Learn more about Future Earth's activities in Asia

On July 14, 2021, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, and the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN) agreed to set up the cooperative body for adaptation to climate change in Kyoto, based on which the “Kyoto Climate Change Adaptation Center” was established at RIHN as a new facility in accordance with the natural and social conditions of the region.

Because of global-scale environmental changes brought about by human civilization, we have entered a new era of global history known as the “Anthropocene,” and we are now facing a variety of global environmental issues that will seriously affect the lives of many people and the sustainability of our society. These issues should be considered by the global community as a whole, but also by the diverse regions in which we actually live. In order to solve climate change, one of the most serious global environmental problems, we must work to mitigate it by reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2, the main cause of climate change. We also must address the climate conditions that cannot be quickly reversed by local communities, each of which has its own unique natural environment and history and culture to cope with these conditions. At the same time, it is necessary to consider how local communities, with their unique natural features and corresponding histories and cultures, should adapt to climate conditions that are not immediately reversible. Without these two approaches of global mitigation and local adaptation, there can be no solution to the climate change problem. The Kyoto Center for Climate Change Adaptation considers its mission to be to explore ways to comprehensively resolve climate change issues at a global scale by considering nature and society from the perspective of Kyoto, a region with an ancient culture and history.

This center was established to promote efforts in Kyoto to adapt to climate change through collaboration between Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, and RIHN, based on the Climate Change Adaptation Act enacted by the Japanese Diet in 2018; collect, analyze, and research information on the impacts of climate change and adaptation measures as described below; and act as a base to disseminate these results.

1. Collection, organization, and analysis of information on climate change impacts and adaptation, and prediction and assessment of climate change impacts
2. Aggregation of the latest knowledge on climate change impacts and adaptation through collaboration with universities and other research institutes
3. Dissemination of information on climate change impacts and adaptation, and enlightenment of citizens and business operators
4. Support for the creation of adaptation businesses for the autonomous dissemination of climate change adaptation measures
5. Information sharing and cooperation with related organizations such as the national government and the National Institute for Environmental Studies

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Kyoto Climate Change Adaptation Center

The University Coalition for Carbon Neutrality aims to develop efforts to achieve carbon neutrality from universities, etc. to regions, countries, and the world, and to contribute to bringing about better changes in society through dissemination. The Coalition was established on July 29, 2021, and as of April 1, 2023, 203 universities are participating. RIHN conducts the overall operation as the secretariat of the Coalition.

In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in domestic and international debate on the issue of realizing carbon neutrality, and it is necessary for all participants, including the national government, local governments, universities, and companies, to work together according to their respective positions and strengths. Universities, whose mission is to create scientific knowledge that will serve as the basis for national and regional policies and technological innovation, and to disseminate that knowledge, are expected to play an especially large role both domestically and internationally. Universities are becoming more and more important in local communities, and collaborations are increasing to promote the decarbonization of local communities and the development of a model for this across the country and around the world.

From this perspective, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of the Environment, universities are actively making efforts toward sharing and disseminating information about carbon neutrality or are considering strengthening their efforts. As a forum for such events, the Coalition of Universities Contributing to the Achievement of Carbon Neutrality was launched.

The Coalition currently has five working groups (WG) to achieve its goals.

RIHN, which serves as the secretariat of the Coalition, has a General Assembly (chaired by the Director-General of RIHN) that gathers representatives (such as university presidents) of 192 participating institutions to manage the Coalition's activity policies and progress. It holds a steering committee that manages and operates the coalition based on the WG, hosts a symposium for the entire coalition, and supports the daily activities of the five WGs.

1. Zero Carbon Campus WG (Governing body: Hiroshima University, Chiba University of Commerce, Ritsumeikan University)

   As a leader in carbon-neutral efforts in local communities, and as a testing ground for the social implementation of decarbonization technologies, we will promote initiatives related to zero-carbon university campuses and expand these initiatives widely in the region.

2. Regional Zero Carbon WG (Governing body: Shinshu University, Tokai National Higher Education and Research System, Miyagi University)

   As a local “knowledge base,” promote initiatives in collaboration with local governments, companies, etc. to promote social transformation in the region toward carbon neutrality, horizontal development of local cases, and creation and implementation of knowledge that supports scale-up.

3. Innovation WG (Governing body: Tokai National Higher Education and Research System, Kyoto University, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)

   In order to accelerate joint research on decarbonization technologies and other knowledge that contributes to the achievement of carbon neutrality, and the social implementation of the results, we promote the establishment of a system to strengthen industry-academia-government-private partnerships in countries and regions around the world.

4. Human Resources Development WG (Governing body: Mie University, Miyagi University, Tokai University)

   Collaborate with local governments, companies, etc. to deepen discussions on the necessary elements and training of human resources to achieve carbon neutrality, as well as create curricula and teaching materials through collaboration between universities and promote horizontal deployment.

5. International Collaboration and Cooperation WG (Governing body: Hokkaido University, University of Tokyo, Nagasaki University)

   In order to contribute to the achievement of carbon neutrality around the world, we will promote collaboration among universities in multiple countries, disseminate Japan's efforts and research results to the world, and introduce the latest knowledge and advanced cases from around the world to universities in Japan.