Structure and Flow of the RIHN Research
The Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN) is developing integrated research that transcends existing academic fields and disciplines through the “Program-Project System,” in which several research projects are bundled together in a program.
Programs consist of “Research Programs” and “Strategic Program,” with several research projects under each program. The research projects are conducted in accordance with the priority issues set for each program.
In the fourth mid-term goals and plans for RIHN, which started in fiscal 2022 and span six years, the institute aims to reveal the dynamics of the interrelationships among various elements in the global environmental issues and the temporal historical development process leading to the “Anthropocene.” It sets programs that will contribute to a more futurable society and implements them. The institute aims to achieve flexible, versatile and effective outcomes and disseminate them to society.
Research Program
Research Programs are implemented based on the mission of each of the programs, which was developed in accordance with RIHN’s mission and the activity policy that contributes to the realization of the promotion goals during Phase 4 and includes the following three perspectives. Each Program Director sets a mission statement and announces an open call for projects aiming to achieve such mission.
Perspectives for the Research Program
RIHN’s aim is the realization of an equitable, fair, and sustainable global society by envisioning ideal relationships between humans and nature from regional perspectives, on a global scale.
This perspective explores the understanding of environmental changes, as well as responses to degradation, from an Earth-systems perspective, in addition to an investigation of the interrelationships and linkages between social/economic systems and natural/ecological systems within Earth systems. Further, it aims to elucidate how the anthropogenic degradation of the natural environment and ecosystems occurs in Earth systems, which comprise intertwined elements and processes, and to explain how this degradation affects human society. Various points are elucidated, such as how Earth systems cascade to tipping points with potentially irreversible consequences, and how far-reaching interactions relate to changes in socioeconomic and ecological systems across the world. An investigation is conducted into the responses that can prevent the further degradation of global environments and restore already degraded global environments.
This perspective explores the “ways of life” in the Anthropocene through understanding environmental issues in terms of their connections to culture and value systems. In the current “Anthropocene,” as global environmental problems are rapidly increasing in size and scope, we promote interdisciplinary research involving the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to help solve these urgent issues. We ask how we can create spaces within the limits of the earth and society where humanity can operate justly and safely, and what are the ways people can best live in the Anthropocene. Through these studies, the relationships between humans and nature are explored in an explicit and normative manner, as well as the significance and importance of culture and value systems.
This perspective presents mechanisms for developing ideas and measures to solve global environmental problems, in collaboration with diverse actors in society, in addition to the means to realize such solutions. To transition and transform socio-economic systems into sustainable systems, it will be important to reorganize the roles of key institutions and parties on a large scale. Here, we ascertain how various actors in society (researchers, citizens, non-profit organizations (NPOs), governments, international organizations, etc.) can act to bring about partial renewal and a fundamental change in the system, without being bound by stereotypes and vested interests. We will explore methods of transition/transformation to a sustainable society through case analyses of historical and contemporary transition/transformation processes, social experiments based on practical research, and in other practical and scholarly ways.
Strategic Program
This program is designed to formulate important concepts and theories for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research towards further synthesis of global environmental research, and to formulate a framework for methodologies for social practice in problem- solving. While working in collaboration with Research Programs and Projects, this program will make use of the resources of the Fundamental Research Department and incorporate transdisciplinary research from external sources to construct concrete and applicable theories, methodologies and concepts that align with RIHN’s mission.
Research Phases of Projects Promoting the Integration of Humanities and Natural Science and Transdisciplinary Research
Promoting interdisciplinary research through exchanges across a wide range of fields is essential for understanding and addressing global environmental issues. However, it is not always easy for scientific disciplines with different problem-solving approaches and research methods to set common issues and collaborate on them. Additionally, in order to address cutting-edge challenges, there is a need to establish a structure that clearly define objectives and goals, and conduct appropriate pre- and post-evaluations. Therefore, in the Research Projects at RIHN, researchers from different disciplines exchange ideas and collaborate with society. They progressively deepen and refine their research through internal reviews and external evaluations, taking on difficult challenges.
Research Projects consist of three stages: Incubation Studies (IS), Feasibility Studies (FS) and Full Research (FR). There is also a preparatory phase called Pre-Research (PR) before Full Research (FR). Research proposals that can immediately contribute to Research Programs may skip the IS stage and begin with the FS stage.
Project Formation for Research Projects
Project Formation for Strategic Projects
IS is a collaborative research stage with the purpose of discovering new research seeds in integrated research aimed at solving global environmental issues. After passing the internal review at RIHN, the project can advance to the FS stage. FS is a preliminary collaborative research to verify the feasibility of the Full Research (FR). During the IS and FS stages, Principal Investigators gather researchers from domestic and international sources and form research teams necessary to advance their research.
Once the proposal is accepted as PR/FR, the project leader becomes a full-time faculty member of RIHN and can publicly recruit and employ project researchers. The number of collaborative researchers in a single project may exceed 150 in some cases, and to date, over 4,000 researchers have been involved in RIHN’s projects.
Through these multi-stage processes, outcomes are generated through interdisciplinary collaboration and integration, and the research resources such as methodologies and information obtained during this process are passed on to subsequent projects.
Programs of the 4th Mid-Term Plan and Fiscal Year (FY) of Project Application
| Program Name | Program Director | FY of Project Application |
|---|---|---|
| Research Program | ||
| Towards a Global Environmental Culture by Articulating Science with Indigenous Knowledge (Global Environmental Culture Program) | MATSUDA Motoji | FY2021 (IS and FS) FY2022 (FS only) |
| Combining Knowledge for a Fundamental Innovation of Land Use to Combat Global Environmental Challenges (Combining Knowledge for a Fundamental Innovation of Land Use Program) | SHOBAYASHI Mikitaro | FY2022 (IS and FS) FY2023 (FS only) |
| Co-creation of the Sustainable Future based on the Linkage of the Earth-human System (Co-creation of the Earth-human System Program) | TANIGUCHI Makoto | FY2023 (IS and FS) FY2024 (FS only) |
| Strategic Program | TANIGUCHI Makoto | No open call in Phase 4 |
RIHN Invited Scholar Program & RIHN Visiting Research Fellow Program
Opportunities for Overseas Researchers to Spend Time at RIHN
RIHN has established two programs to enable overseas researchers to spend several months at the Institute, engaging in research and interacting with other RIHN researchers. The basic idea is that such visits benefit both the researcher and the Institute. The programs are open to researchers based outside of Japan (including those with Japanese nationality) and researchers based in Japan with a nationality other than Japanese. Candidates for both schemes are selected competitively.
Invited Scholar
The RIHN Invited Scholar Program enables overseas researchers to spend between one and three months at RIHN and to contribute to the development of the Institute’s intellectual foundations and strategic directions. Invited Scholars should be widely recognized in their fields and able to provide a strategic overview of the relevance of their disciplinary or interdisciplinary studies to RIHN’s engagement in global environmental studies. Invited Scholars are selected based on nomination by RIHN faculty members who act as their host. Invited Scholars are employed by RIHN during their stay and receive a stipend.
Visiting Research Fellow
The RIHN Visiting Research Fellow Program brings overseas researchers to the Institute for periods of two to six months to engage in specific research in the context of one of the RIHN Programs, Projects, Divisions, Centers or Units. Visiting Fellows are not employed by RIHN, but their travel, accommodation and daily expenses are covered by an allowance. Visiting Fellows are selected based on applications from the candidates themselves. RIHN faculty members act as hosts during the stay and candidates are required to identify and consult with potential hosts before applying.