About us

The new graduate program for Social Entrepreneurship aims at providing students with opportunities to learn a multidisciplinary approach to social problems and to gain practical experience in the field. With the support of vast technological resources of Tokyo Institute of Technology, which is known to have one of the highest academic standards among technical universities in the world, the program will train future Social Entrepreneurs who will be able to solve various social problems by creating sustainable and innovative systems with new ideas, thus making the world a better place.

This program is supported by a grant under the Support Program for Improving Graduate School Education of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo.

 

Introductory remarks
	Professor Takashi Watanabe
	Technological innovation has brought about a rich society in the global economy. On the other hand, many problems such as poverty, long-term unemployment, the increased number of senior citizens and environmental problems, which have not been addressed in this progress, have been born. If we can not minimize the tragedy of these problems, we can not say we have realized true richness. "Social innovation" is the introduction of new methods and structures to address these problems in society, and the leaders of these activities are called “Social Entrepreneurs”. As a part of the Graduate School of the Department of Social Engineering of the University, the program will train future Social Entrepreneurs, providing theoretical knowledge, practical skills and ideas that strengthen the capacity of future leaders to champion social change.

 

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An Example of a Social Entrepreneur: Muhammad Yunus

Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for their efforts to improve the lives of millions of poor in Bangladesh through micro-credit.

Loans to the poor appeared to be an important idea. Muhammad Yunus has managed to translate his vision into practical action by creating Grameen Bank, which has provided loans to more than 600 million people in the country, most of them are poor women. Grameen Bank has been a source of ideas and models for the many institutions in the field of micro-credit that have sprung up around the world.

 

A Japanese Social Entrepreneur: "Dr. Rainwater" Makoto Murase

Dr. Murase, known internationally as "Dr. Rainwater", has been advocating the importance of rainwater utilization for about two decades in the world, while working at the Mayor's office in Sumida-ward, Tokyo. He played an instrumental role in developing rainwater harvesting and utilizing these systems in buildings not only in Japan but also in foreign countries.
Dr. Murase has also established an NPO "People for Rainwater" and is promoting the use of water tanks for rainwater in Bangladesh and other Asian countries.

*The water tank in Bangladesh

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