Development of an environment to support female researchers

In addition to promotional activities, the center provides direct support for researchers.

Research support personnel system and support for working at home

The assignment of research support personnel helps researchers who have difficulty in securing enough time for research due to pregnancy, child delivery, childcare, and the nursing care of family members. Measures to support researchers working at home include the rental of personal computers installed with a webcam.

Counseling service for women

The center offers counseling opportunities to female researchers, staff and students to help them resolve any worries or problems they may have.

• Counseling for Women in Research Provides female researchers and researchers-to-be with a counseling service regarding the problems they face in continuing their research.
• Women’s health counseling Midwives and other specialists conduct personal counseling and mini seminars.
• Mentoring scheme Provides female researchers with opportunities to consult with senior researchers about the various problems they face in continuing their research.

University-wide awareness reform

The center implements initiatives to promote understanding of female researchers continuing their work.

• Role model seminar and role model cafe Provides opportunities to listen to talks by female role models who play an active part in society, and to investigate possibilities for various career paths. * Held as “role model cafe” since October 2014
• Childcare Support Badge/Sticker” Campaign
• Meetings to End at Five” Campaign
• Establishment of the role model bank
• Registered as a gender equality promotion support organization (Osaka Prefecture initiative), and a childcare support organization (Sakai City initiative).

Tsubasa Nursery (In-house nursery)

Fostering female researchers

The center is engaged in developing career paths that enable women to be active in their research, and increasing the number of female students who hope to study science.

Research skills development support

Seminars on English thesis writing, and for obtaining outside funds

Networking support for female researchers

Developing an environment to facilitate networking among female researchers

Projects by IRIS (female graduate school students in science-related majors) to expand the base of female researchers, targeting elementary school and junior/senior high school students

Science Campus for Children

Open Campus: Women in Science Booth

Osaka Prefecture University Gender Equality Declaration

In 2005, Osaka Prefecture University made a new start after merging and restructuring three prefectural universities: the former Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka Women’s University, and Osaka Prefectural College of Nursing. To realize its basic philosophy “High-level research-oriented university-a global hub trusted by local communities,” we focus on three aspects: “diversity,” “fusion,” and “globalism.”

Based on this basic philosophy, and under the recognition that diversity is the very driving force of future education and research, OPU established the Basic Principles for Promoting Diverse Human Resources in order to provide more opportunities to young researchers, international researchers, and female researchers. We have worked to establish an intellectual hub where “diverse” people gather, develop themselves through friendly competition, establish new knowledge by “fusing” values, and share this knowledge widely with the “global” society.

The Japanese government, in the 4th Science and Technology Basic Plan, mentions that promotion of female researchers is “very significant for not only the enhancement of gender equality but also to demonstrate organizational creativity by adopting various viewpoints and ideas and stimulating research activities,” and expresses its intention to improve the environment for further appointment of female researchers and promotion of their activities.

To create an intellectual hub that will be trusted by local communities as a public university, based on the above-mentioned policy of the Science and Technology Basic Plan, it is necessary for us to further enhance our initiatives to realize gender equality, using the female researcher support program as a good opportunity.

Osaka Prefecture University hereby declares that it will make every effort to develop a better learning environment where teaching staff and students, regardless of age and gender, can fully exercise their skills and play an active role in society, while giving adequate consideration to work-life balance, thereby proactively promoting gender equality.

May 31, 2013
Taketoshi OKUNO
President, Osaka Prefecture University