The Frontier Researchers for Interdisciplinary Sciences Shoshi Program (FRIS Shoshi Program), Tohoku University, is a unique university-wide system for fostering young researchers at Tohoku University. This program was originally designed in 2006 as the "Shoshi Program" for fostering young researchers at Tohoku University. The word "Shoshi" comes from the Chinese classic "Mencius" and means "to have a high level of ambition," and was also the philosophy of the former Second Higher School, the predecessor of Tohoku University. After that, this program was taken over by the Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS), which was established in 2013, after being transferred to the International Advanced Research and Education Organization and Advanced Fusion Research Laboratory, Tohoku University. This program has developed as a young researcher fostering program with features such as international recruitment of fixed-term assistant professors for all fields, independent research environments, mentoring system, interdisciplinary researcher exchange, and career path support in cooperation with all university departments. More than 130 assistant professors have been appointed through this program, and more than 90 of them are actively working in higher education and research institutions in Japan and abroad including Tohoku University. The "Shoshi Program" has been renamed the "FRIS Shoshi Program" since FY2023, by adding "interdisciplinarity," which is one of the characteristics of the program. Moreover, following the designation of Tohoku University as a University for International Research Excellence, research environments and support for the advancement of Early-to-Mid-Career Researchers (EMCRs) in FRIS have undergone significant development.

Every year, the Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (FRIS) recruits young researchers from all research areas as assistant professors (about 7 positions, 5-year term until 2025, and 7-year term from 2026) of the Creative Interdisciplinary Research Division. Successful applicants will be required to promote world-class interdisciplinary research by integrating various fields as a principal investigator (PI) in six research categories (1. Material and Energy, 2. Life and Environment, 3. Information and System, 4. Device and Technology, 5. Human and Society, 6. Advanced Basic Science), with the ambition to pioneer new academic fields, and actively collaborate with domestic and international researchers and research institutions.

The following research funding will be provided.

You will be required to apply for additional external competitive funding such as Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, peer-reviewed grants and other third-party funding, including funding and income from industry collaborations and endowed research.

FRIS is developing FRIS CoRE (Cooperative Research Environment), a new form of “start-up support” proposed by young researchers at FRIS to promote interdisciplinary fusion and explore the frontiers of knowledge, by providing under-one-roof access to basic research facilities in different fields (a research environment that enables a series of daily experiments and discussions). Currently, experimental facilities are available for life science, chemistry, and engineering, along with collaborative environments that include researchers in the humanities and social sciences. The FRIS CoRE will also provide facilities in fields different from the mentor's expertise. Please visit the following website for the status of the FRIS CoRE.

FRIS CoRE: https://www.fris.tohoku.ac.jp/fris_core/en/

Fostering young researchers at FRIS is conducted as a university-wide effort, in close cooperation and collaboration with the university's graduate schools, research institutes, and other relevant organizations. Young researchers in the Creative Interdisciplinary Research Division are assigned professors or associate professors from Tohoku University as mentors, who provide various research support, including access to research space and facilities. Each young researcher is, however, guaranteed an independent research environment. They are expected to manage their own budgets and research projects in order to develop their PI skills and achieve excellent research results.

■ Hub Meeting

Once a month, all FRIS members gather for a unique research presentation seminar aimed at discovering the seeds of breakthroughs through cross-disciplinary discussions. Fellows and relevant members of the Tohoku Initiative for Fostering Global Researchers for Interdisciplinary Sciences (TI-FRIS), researchers from departments and institutes within the university, and students from the Division for Interdisciplinary Advanced Research and Education (DIARE) also participate. Since 2020, the meetings have been held in a hybrid format, using online tools for both on-site and online participation.

■ FRIS Retreat

Once a year, all FRIS members and TI-FRIS Fellows meet for a research meeting in a retreat format, aimed at promoting interdisciplinary exchanges. By engaging in free discussions in a different environment from the usual university setting, new discoveries can be expected.

■ Joint Interdisciplinary Research Seminar

About once a month, FRIS holds a joint interdisciplinary research seminar with doctoral and master's students from DIARE, covering all fields. In summer, a large-scale poster session, the FRIS/DIARE Joint Workshop, is held with about 150 participants.

■ Various Research Exchange Activities

FRIS supports young researchers with independently planning seminars and workshops. FRIS also offers lectures by young researchers in an omnibus format, as part of Tohoku University's educational programs.

The Tohoku Initiative for Fostering Global Researchers for Interdisciplinary Sciences (TI-FRIS) is a program that aims to establish and demonstrate the effectiveness of a new researcher development program covering the entire Tohoku region to foster world-class researchers with interdisciplinarity, internationality, and sociability. Launched in 2020 in the "Strategic Professional Development Program for Young Researchers" of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and led by Tohoku University, the Initiative has formed a consortium with Hirosaki University, Iwate University, Akita University, Yamagata University, Fukushima University, and Miyagi University of Education. Based on the activities of FRIS and in partnership with cooperating research institutions and companies in Japan and abroad, TI-FRIS Fellows, who are young researchers selected from participating universities, are actively participating in the program. FRIS members engage in dynamic exchanges with TI-FRIS Fellows. 

TI-FRIS: https://www.ti-fris.tohoku.ac.jp/

A two-year grant to promote interdisciplinary research activities by young researchers affiliated with FRIS. This program is intended to meet the diverse needs of these researchers.

DIARE, a division of the Tohoku University Institute for Advanced Research, is a graduate education program that aims to practically develop talents who will shoulder the next generation of academia by integrating education and research. Approximately 100 graduate students selected from the University are enrolled, and they are advancing their research in new interdisciplinary fields while receiving various support. Assistant professors at FRIS work with graduate students at DIARE to plan and execute various seminars and symposiums, promoting interdisciplinary exchange with graduate students through research and education.

Assistant professors employed under this system—including those who were employed before the start of this system and wish to undergo a tenure review—undergo a tenure review between the third and fifth years after their employment. 

For assistant professors recruited from FY2026, those who pass the tenure review will become tenured “International Research Excellence Associate Professors” (IE Associate Professors). If they do not pass the tenure review, they will remain in a fixed-term appointment for up to seven years. 

Assistant professors recruited before FY2025 undergo a tenure review between their third and fifth years of employment. Those who pass this review will become tenured assistant professors. If they wish to be promoted to a fixed-term associate professor position, they must undergo an additional promotion review, and upon passing, they will be appointed as fixed-term associate professors. If they do not pass the tenure review, they will be employed as fixed-term assistant professors for up to two additional years beyond the tenure track period, subject to a separate review. Furthermore, assistant professors recruited before FY2025 have the option to transition to the new system for the assistant professors recruited from FY2026. If they meet the tenure review criteria established for these recruits, they will become tenured IE Associate Professors.