Director of Kyushu University’s Institute of Mass-for-Industry
President of MfIP Dr. Kenji Kajiwara
The Mathematics for Industry Platform (MfIP) was established in October 2023 as an all-Japan framework to facilitate
collaboration among mathematics, various sciences, industry, and society.
It consists of the Institute of Mathematics for Industry, Kyushu University, as the core institution, with the Mathematical Science Center for Co-Creative Society and Tohoku Forum for Creativity, Tohoku Univesity as collaborating institutions, and 15 research institutions in mathematics and mathematical sciences as coordinating institutions.
Currently, as symbolized by the term “Mathematics-Data Science-AI,” abstract mathematics is directly underpinning the foundation of society and driving its growth. Moreover, due to its universality, mathematics serves as a cohesive element bridging diverse fields, playing a crucial role in the comprehensive construction of knowledge aimed at addressing various societal challenges. In this context, MfIP actively creates opportunities for encounters between the seeds of mathematics and various sciences, as well as industrial and societal needs, through proactive exploration, joint research, research internships matching, and advocacy activities, and effectively utilizes the network of shared research and collaboration centers to collectively respond to the demands for mathematics and mathematical sciences from various sciences, industry, and society.
In the “Expansion of Mathematical Sciences Toward 2030 – Expectations and Key Challenges for Mathematical Sciences” (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, July 2022), “Interdisciplinary collaboration and collaboration with society” are highlighted as Key Challenges 3 and 4. It emphasizes the need to create models for expanding and advancing the breadth of mathematical sciences and to establish platform organizations and systems for collaboration between mathematical researchers at universities and other sciences, industry, and society. MfIP builds upon the network-based infrastructure of research activities established by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s commissioned project “The Cooperation with Mathematics Program” led by the Institute of Statistical Mathematics (2012-2016) and the “Advanced Innovation powered by Mathematics Platform (AIMaP)” (core institution: Institute of Mathematics for Industry, Kyushu University, 2017-2021), expanding this vision into implementation. In the future, MfIP will continue to expand the circle of collaborating institutions and vigorously promote industrial mathematics and applied mathematics supported by mathematical research, serving as a gateway connecting industry, society, various sciences, and the mathematics community.