On 3 December, Kanazawa University Strategic Project for Development of Doctoral Students and Research Promotion (HaKaSe^＋) held the “Door to a different field 2024 – Exploring issues through cross-disciplinary interactions -”. 150 students selected for 3 main projects of HaKaSe^＋; “WISE Program for Nano-Precision Medicine, Science, and Technology（HaKaSe^＋ for WISE）“, “SPRING Project for Doctoral Talents in Creating Novel Values（HaKaSe^＋ for SPRING）”, “BOOST Project for Trailblazing AI Crossover Doctoral Talents（HaKaSe^＋ for BOOST)”, and faculty members of HaKaSe+ gathered together.

HaKaSe^＋ are focusing on nurturing and producing doctoral talents who pioneer the future with a broad perspective based on deep expertise, and contribute to the advancement of science and technology and the creation of innovations in Japan as well as around the world.
This year’s “Door to a different field,” the third in the series, was enhanced with its contents with cooperation by Emerging Technologies Corporation, that allowed HaKaSe^＋ selected students to deepen mutual exchange with an awareness of the connections between their research and society, and to make proposals for the creation of novel value.

First, President Wada Takashi encouraged the students selected for HaKaSe^＋ to spark ideas that come out from having casual chats “ZATSUDAN” in Japanese, and to become doctoral talents who will pioneer the future as representatives of Kanazawa University.
Next, HaKaSe^＋ students introduced themselves and their research in an Ice Break and Lunch Meetup to deepen mutual understanding.

In the afternoon, the participating students were divided into 32 groups, transcending research fields, grades and nationalities, on the basis of four themes on ‘Issues x Interdisciplinary’: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Disaster Prevention / Revitalization, Climate change, Food System. In each group, students identified an issue to be solved by bringing together their specialized knowledge from different research fields, and explored and proposed new business concept to solve the issue.
In closing, Trustee (Education) & Vice President MORIMOTO Akiharu, the Director of Executive Committee for Kanazawa University Strategic Project for Development of Doctoral Students and Research Promotion (HaKaSe^＋), praised the efforts of students to develop their project concepts in a short period of time through interdisciplinary fusion and by utilizing their imagination and creativity, and encouraged them to work even harder with awareness and responsibility as selected students.

After the event, students commented that they were able to learn about viewpoints, ideas, and research approaches that I could not have obtained only in my own research field, and that they had an opportunity to reaffirm the enjoyment of research and the connection of research with society through exchanges with researchers in different fields.

Group photo of participating students and faculty members of HaKaSe^＋

Students rack their brains and came up with various ideas to propose a business concept that solves a problem.

Students divided into 32 groups in four topics and having group discussions

Students deepening exchange in different fields at Exchange meeting