Science Tokyo launched the Visionary Initiatives (VIs) — a cross-disciplinary, integrated research framework — in the 2025 academic year to co-create new value with society while advancing science and human wellbeing. Currently, six VIs are tackling the challenge of shaping a future by each developing distinct shared visions for societal transformation based on three pillars: “Better Life,” “Better Society,” and “Better Planet.”

In this article, Professor Mika Goto of the School of Environment and Society introduces the VI she leads: GX Frontier — Realizing cutting-edge science and technology to make green transformation a reality. She outlines the initiative’s approach, how it creates new value and its future prospects.

Our researchers come from highly specialized, often narrowly segmented fields, and therefore have different perspectives, goals, timelines, and challenges. However, by bridging and integrating their expertise under our shared vision of planetary sustainability, I expect we can scale up the initiative to a major collaborative project to co-create a better future.

ーGX Frontier: Realizing cutting-edge science and technology to make green transformation a realityー

GX Frontier aims to integrate knowledge of emerging science and technology to realize a future thriving in harmony with the Earth.

Goto　　At the April symposium commemorating Science Tokyo’s founding, I presented our ongoing research projects that aim to realize the future that the GX Frontier envisions. These include technologies essential for greening our energy systems; an air-pollution evaluation system using satellite data; energy efficient AI inspired by the brain’s information processing; integrated evaluation of biodiversity and relevant social factors; and development of comprehensive indicators and systems to assess economic and environmental performance.

For example, the brain is an extremely energy efficient information processing system. At a time when AI demands massive amounts of energy, it would be revolutionary if we could reduce AI’s energy use by drawing clues from how the brain processes information.

My research focuses on pursuing economic viability and eco-friendliness in societal systems. Renewable energy such as solar and wind power, and hydrogen energy are attractive for preventing global warming because they emit no CO2 during use, but their high cost and supply variability due to weather and seasonal conditions pose economic challenges. To achieve a truly sustainable society, economic viability alone is not enough: we must incorporate more values such as environment, resilience, and diversity into our evaluation frameworks. By systematically integrating environmental and social factors — areas that conventional economic metrics have often overlooked due to their sole focus on economic viability — we can envision a new kind of society.

The GX Frontier, our VI, contains many ideas with the potential to reshape the future. It is exciting to imagine these ideas becoming a driving force of future society. Research influences society, producing new values and social frameworks. The interaction between research and society will shape emerging societal trends and visions for the future. I find it both significant and inspiring to help build that dynamic, mutually reinforcing process.

Goto　　Global warming and climate change — the issues we address in the GX Frontier — are urgent, long term challenges with far reaching consequences. Although we must respond to societal changes and uncertainty when necessary, it is essential to pursue research with a forward looking, long term perspective rather than being swayed by short lived trends. Researchers have a responsibility to maintain this long term focus, and that requires an environment that enables sustained inquiry.

Goto　　Three of the six program directors leading the current VIs are women. Diversity brings vitality to an organization: when people share the same backgrounds and attributes, change becomes difficult and momentum fades. In our VI, there are researchers with differing characteristics, and I expect that varied exchanges will deepen mutual understanding and spark unexpected intellectual connections.

In October 2024, Science Tokyo was established through the merger of Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo Medical and Dental University. The union of two long standing, prestigious universities has opened up possibilities like never before. Through our VI, we will face challenges with determination to establish our new university as a globally recognized, outstanding institution.

Interview date: August 4, 2025 (via Zoom)