Institute of Science Tokyo launches after merger of Tokyo Tech and TMDU

The Institute of Science Tokyo, known as Science Tokyo, was established on October 1, 2024 through the merger of Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), the new national university corporation announced on the same day.

Science Tokyo is headed by two presidents, one serving as chief executive officer and the other as chief academic officer. The institute says it is the first national university corporation in Japan to adopt this arrangement. Its stated mission is to advance science and human wellbeing in order to create value for and with society, a statement drawn up with input from more than 6,000 people. The institute brings medicine, dentistry, science and engineering together in one organization, with activities spanning liberal arts education, specialized education, basic and applied research, clinical research, and partnerships with industry and government.

The two predecessor universities signed a basic agreement to integrate on October 14, 2022, with the merger targeted for fiscal year 2024. Both held designated national university status from Japan's education ministry. At the time, Tokyo Tech said it had more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and TMDU dated back to 1928. The stated aims of the merger included strengthening research, developing convergence science across disciplines, and producing specialists with broad knowledge.