The T-GEx Retreat Camp 2025 was held over two days, from September 1 to September 2, 2025, at JR Gate Tower Conference in Nagoya. A total of 33 T-GEx Fellows and (Corporate) Associates participated (27 participants on Day 1 and 22 on Day 2).
The retreat aimed to put into practice the T-GEx mission of "nurturing advanced-knowledge groundbreakers who will break down barriers between countries, sectors, disciplines, and cultures." Participants worked together to combine their diverse areas of expertise and generate new ideas for joint research projects.
On the first day, participants took part in a program titled "Generating Seeds of New Collaborative Research for Global
Challenges." The morning session featured short presentations in which participants introduced their research projects and shared their knowledge, skills, and technical approaches.
In the afternoon, participants formed small groups of six to seven members and worked together to design new joint research plans. Each group included members from different academic fields, encouraging creative and innovative discussions. The groups focused on identifying global challenges that would be difficult for individual researchers to address alone, while also considering practical ways to carry out their research.
After group discussions, each team presented its research proposal, followed by Q&A sessions, allowing participants to share ideas across groups. These discussions are expected to lead to new research projects in the future.
The morning session of Day 2 focused on the Seeds Joint Research Fund program, which provides funding support for joint research projects between T-GEx Fellows and (Corporate) Associates.
One unique feature of T-GEx is its diverse membership, bringing together early-career researchers from a wide range of universities and private companies, in addition to the core institutions of Nagoya University and Gifu University. The Seeds Joint Research Fund reflects this diversity by supporting research collaborations across institutional boundaries.
During the session, researchers who had previously received support from the program shared their experiences. This gave participants a clearer picture of their potential future projects, including how research collaborations can be initiated and developed.
In the afternoon, participants joined a session titled "Cross-Sector Career Consultation & Networking Session." In Japan, efforts are underway to broaden career pathways for doctoral-level researchers beyond academia, including opportunities in industry. Taking advantage of T-GEx's strong network connecting academia and industry, this session provided opportunities for open discussion about career development.
Participants discussed not only their career paths but also challenges commonly faced by early-career researchers, such as laboratory management and student supervision. After group discussions, representatives from each group presented key insights to all participants.
Acknowledgment
This retreat was supported by Tokai Pathways to Global Excellence (T-GEx), part of MEXT Strategic Professional Development Program for Young Researchers.
T-GEx Retreat Camp 2025 Organizing Committee
Takashi Morita (Chubu University)
Ryoya Tanaka (Nagoya University)
Yoshimitsu Yura (Nagoya University)
Hoshiko Yamauchi (Chubu University)
Masafumi Shoji (TOKAI OPTICAL HOLDINGS)
