Director's MessageMessage from the Director of the Environmental Research Institute

The Waseda University Environmental Research Institute (WERI) was founded in 2002 as an organization to promote environmental and energy research that covers a wide variety of academic domains. Its educational and research activities are based on the five fundamental concepts of responses through an academic-field integrated approach, problem-solving through co-creation by four types of citizens, thorough practice of the 3-gen principle (actual place, actual object, and facts) using society as an experimental field, fulfillment of responsibility taking advantage of the university’s neutrality, and realization of technology useful for society. In the area of research, WERI aims to consistently engage in the process from early-stage research to practical application. By simultaneously carrying out development of technology and techniques, trial application as a social system, and assessment of the environmental impact, WERI’s target is a seamless flow of creation, use, understanding, and diffusion of knowledge.

The basic characteristics of the field of environment and energy include conflicts between the environment, and resources and energy, as well as conflicts among individual environmental categories due to the wide coverage of the academic domain, a need for long-term efforts, strong relationships with the natural environment, economy, society, and daily activities, and a need for an approach that takes into consideration the geopolitical characteristics of the country and local communities.

The fields of environment and energy, as frequently described with recently popularized keywords such as carbon neutrality and recycling-based economy, have become essential terms for creating a sustainable social system. In addition, as the recent state of society suggests, we are in an era of uncertainty where we do not know what the ‘right answer’ is. Under these circumstances, society requires us to have the ability to decipher essential issues based on the 3-gen principle of the actual place, actual object, and facts.

Having launched interdisciplinary research clusters, research projects, and research centers in partnership with local communities, WERI is conducting unique research. It will continue to produce a wide variety of ecosystems with the goal of generating new value that meets the needs of the times and society.

Fundamental research concepts

WERI carries out research based on the following five fundamental concepts.

  • Academic-field integrated approach
    Fusing of human resources, methods, and systems from a wide range of fields.
  • Quadripartite creation of solutions
    Based on the idea of co-creation, the use of collaboration by four types of citizens (consumers, corporations, public administrators, and academicians); with additional participation from abroad when required or useful.
  • Practical approach to verify the results of research and development: our “3G’s,” the field (genba), original (genbutsu) and reality (genjitsu) 
    Based on solid understanding of problems in the real world; offers practical solutions through demonstrations that are attuned to the needs at the time and are path-making in new areas of research and education.
  • Maintenance of the neutrality advantage of the university
    Neutrality assures objectivity in research and earns the trust of society, whereby greater assurance that research results can be utilized is obtained.
  • Dedication to practicality
    Use of academic achievements, R&D results, development and application of technology and methods, are expected to have practical applications.

Background of the Institute

Waseda University established the Environmental Research Institute on July 1, 2002 as a research institute to carry out advanced research and development in response to the global environmental issues of the 21st century.

In cooperation with institutions both on- and off-campus, it develops opportunities for practical education and research conducted jointly with the public (consumers) and industry (corporate citizens), including the urban communities of the Honjo area, and carries out activities toward realization of a recycling-based society enabling sustainable growth.

Diagram:the Roles and Functions

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