On October 9, 2025, Science Tokyo held a research matching event "Science Crosspoint 2025 - Expanding the Future of Research from Here."
The event aimed to help researchers and students from diverse backgrounds across the institute including engineering, life sciences, and medical and dental sciences who previously had few opportunities to interact, to know about each other's research, gain new perspectives, and create interdisciplinary collaborative research. This year, 32 early-career researchers and doctoral students gave presentations, and approximately 80 researchers and students in the institute participated.
Opening remarks were delivered by Vice President Kei Sakaguchi, director of the Research Development Center, who emphasized that research evolves from "one-dimensional perspectives to multidimensional, robust structures" through interdisciplinary fusion. He expressed expectations that this youth-centered research exchange, including students, would become a stepping stone for pioneering future academic research.
Following that, Executive Vice President Tetsushi Furukawa reintroduced the institute's cross-disciplinary research framework, " (VIs)," which aims to realize a "Better Future." He highlighted that innovative research emerges from direct dialogue across disciplines, and stressed the importance of questioning established norms to open new paths forward.
The core of the event consisted of Lightning Talk, one-minute research pitches by presenters followed by poster sessions. Participants presented not only their research topics but also concrete prospects for interdisciplinary integration. Consequently, poster sessions featured lively, time full discussions focusing on both research content and possibilities for collaboration. Meeting face-to-face across campuses also provided students and early-career researchers the opportunity to rediscover connections between laboratories through VIs, and concrete joint research discussions progressed on the spot, making the event an effective forum for research exchange.
This event also featured a presentation of research results from six awardees selected in the second round of the "Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Tokyo Institute of Technology Matching Fund," conducted in fiscal year 2023 prior to university integration. Insights were shared on how interdisciplinary research contributes to solving research challenges.
Lecturer Keiichi Akahoshi from Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, introduced a joint research case with associate professor Takuya Oki, School of Environmental and Society and shared the difficulties and tips for success in interdisciplinary research. Akahoshi emphasized experiences from the collaboration, such as strategies to bridge differences in literacy to overcome terminology and conceptual gaps and the importance of finding collaborators not confined by their specialties. He described the collaboration as a valuable experience as a researcher and encouraged participants to build fusion research with new ideas.
With participants who sought concrete matchmaking and those interested in interdisciplinary research gathered together, the event fostered a positive atmosphere of "understanding one another," and participants engaged in spirited dialogue until time ran out.
In closing session, Furukawa said, "Having a forum where current research issues can be discussed informally allows researchers to gain new stimulus and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations. I hope everyone will leverage the networks formed here to continue building discussions and ultimately pioneer new research fields."
