The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed our lives, making us realize the limits of science and technology against formidable viruses. At the same time, through remote work and online lectures, we have become more aware of the importance and the future potential of digital transformation (DX). Many issues cannot be solved by technology alone. However, engineering is expected to play an increasingly important role in meeting the challenges of modern society, which has become ever more complicated and diversified.

Since the foundation of the UTokyo-IIS, we have been acutely aware that the significance of academic research in engineering lies in its real-world implementation. Not only have we created new academic fields through enhanced specialization and collaboration across disciplines, but we have also developed and deployed technologies that can contribute to solving problems in the real world. In addition, we have made it our mission to develop individuals who will shoulder the responsibility of developing and disseminating technology in the industrial world. The spirit and the sense of mission of the UTokyo-IIS since its establishment still live on, and we tackle various engineering-related issues in a practical manner as a pioneering organization advocating industry–academic collaboration.

Such achievements and such a proactive stance are widely recognized, along with the name SEIKEN (short name for IIS in Japanese). We seek to create a new “SEIKEN style” as we continue to pursue academic truth as a university research institute, contribute to the creation of new value through innovation, and aim for a multidisciplinary approach integrating humanities and sciences for implementation in the real world.