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July 1, 2026
Sony Group Corporation ("Sony") and The University of Tokyo ("UTokyo") today announced the establishment of the "Sony Group Human Resource Development Fund" within the UTokyo Foundation, with the aim of fostering next-generation talent who can learn and take on challenges across organizational and disciplinary boundaries.
In recent years, as social issues have become increasingly complex and advanced, there are a growing number of situations where solutions cannot be achieved solely through the extension of specific technologies or existing areas of expertise. What is required in this era, are creative individuals who can identify questions on their own and envision and design the future by integrating technology, market needs, and the liberal arts across disciplines. To cultivate such talent, it is essential to provide opportunities to learn in environments where individuals can engage in continuous trial and error while moving back and forth between the free and diverse knowledge found in academia and the practical knowledge cultivated in industry.
Based on this understanding, the Fund will be managed as an endowment-type fund*1, leveraging investment returns and other proceeds with the aim of providing stable and continuous support over the medium to long term for talent development initiatives at UTokyo.
Specifically, the Fund will implement the following initiatives:
The "Cross-Boundary Innovation Research Center," to be established within UTokyo's Graduate School of Engineering on October 1, 2026, in collaboration with its Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, aims to cultivate talented individuals capable of generating innovation across diverse fields such as technology, business, and the arts. The Center will also conduct research into ecosystems driven by the circulation of knowledge through industry-academia co-creation. Building on the experience gained through the social collaborative course initiatives that Sony and UTokyo have worked on together since 2019, the Center will newly commence activities as an institutional hub for research and education.
As a platform for practical learning beyond the framework of conventional curricula, the Center will launch the UTokyo Innovator Ignition Program, "IGNITE." The program will provide students with various training opportunities and events, while also promoting projects originating from students' ideas and co-creation with diverse companies. Participants will include selected students from all years and disciplines at UTokyo, students from nearby art and design universities in the Hongo campus area, as well as selected students from across Japan. The Center will also conduct research on the program's design and support methodologies, operating the initiative through the dual pillars of education and research.
At the Center, Sony will leverage the knowledge and expertise it has cultivated in industry to engage in co-creation activities with students through themes such as the global expansion of Japanese entertainment culture as part of industry collaboration.
UTokyo plans to launch the "UTokyo College of Design," *2a five-year integrated bachelor's and master's educational program, in the 2027 academic year. The program aims to cultivate talent capable of addressing social challenges and creating new value by combining design that envisions society and the future, with diverse academic knowledge.
At UTokyo College of Design, various practical opportunities will be provided to address challenges, with faculty members from diverse specialties actively collaborating with professionals and practitioners working at the forefront of society.
Sony will support this program and contribute to talent development at UTokyo College of Design by participating in project-based learning initiatives where students engage with real-world challenges, and by accepting students into its internship programs.
"Throughout its history, Sony has created new value by organically connecting diverse people and businesses. In today's era of rapid change, what is important are the people who continue to cross boundaries, take on new challenges and venture into unknown domains. They are the true source of innovation.
Both the Boundary Spanning Innovation Research Center and UTokyo College of Design represent a new model of collaboration, where industry and academia work together beyond their respective boundaries, and university students and business professionals are able to learn from one another through mutual exchange.
Through the establishment of the Sony Group Human Resource Development Fund, we hope that these initiatives at UTokyo will continue to develop over the long term in a sustainable manner, fostering diverse talent capable of leading the next generation. Furthermore, we look forward to these talented individuals connecting a wide range of fields across society and industry, creating new value and contributing to shaping the future."
"The establishment of the Sony Group Human Resource Development Fund represents a significant step forward in enabling the initiatives at the Boundary Spanning Innovation Research Center and UTokyo College of Design to develop in a more sustainable and practical way.
What is essential for addressing increasingly complex social challenges, is the ability to integrate diverse forms of knowledge across differing areas of expertise and perspectives, and through that co-create new value.
With the establishment of this Fund, we expect the environment for two-way learning between industry and academia to be further strengthened, and the foundation we provide for talent development to continue to evolve over the long term.
The Boundary Spanning Innovation Research Center is currently preparing for its establishment in October 2026, while UTokyo College of Design is preparing for its launch in September 2027.
Through this Fund, Sony and The University of Tokyo will continue to promote initiatives over the medium to long term aimed at developing talent who will help shape the future of society and create new value."
As of July 1, the UTokyo Innovator Ignition Program, "IGNITE," has announced the recruitment of university students across Japan who are interested in joining the program, as well as early-career education professionals who aspire to help develop new models of education. Applications will open on July 15, 2026.
