Hokkaido — the northernmost major island in the Japanese archipelago — is renowned for many things: abundant agriculture, excellent seafood, cold winters, and numerous hot springs. And in recent years, the prefecture has also come to be known as a hotbed for research administration. This past September over 500 URAs from 125 institutions across Japan gathered in Sapporo, on the campus of Hokkaido University, for a record-breaking two day national symposium. 20 breakout sessions were held and 81 posters presented, and a supplemental workshop for sustainable collaboration among URAs, organized by members of Hokkaido University, was held on the afternoon of the last day. Even this meeting drew over 200 participants, who engaged in discussions about the state of URAs in Japan.  

-excerpt from NCURA Magazine (Research Administration in Japan 500 and Counting: Japanese URAs Gather for Annual Symposium, pages 12-13), December 2014

* URAs (University Research Administrator)

Research Administration in Japan 500 and Counting: Japanese URAs Gather for Annual Symposium, NCURA Magazine

by David H. Kornhauser (Kyoto University Research Administration Office (KURA)) and Shingo Ebata (Hokkaido University, Task Force for Research Strategy)

See also the website and FaceBook page:

Website: 第４回 URA シンポジウム ・第６回 RA 研究会

FaceBook: 2014 URA Symposium