Recent years,There are concerns about financial prospects and finding a job after completing a doctoral program.The number of students advancing from master's programs to doctoral programs in Japan has a downward trend, indicating a critical situation.

The Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) is a national organization that aims to support the efforts of universities to provide and develop various types of support for doctoral students.Support for Pioneering Research Initiated by the Next Generation(SPRING) was launched in 2021.

The University has been a member of the SPRING program since 2021, and in 2024, when the JST launched the new SPRING program, the University was selected for the "Kitakyushu Innovative Human Resource and Regional Development Program (Phase 2）."

In this second phase, we aim to establish a scheme in which the University and the region collaborate through the training and utilization of PhDs, leading to the sustainable development of the region. The region and students will work together to solve problems and develop regional and human resources.