About Us
History
It has been a long time since the sustainability of our planet has become a concern. Global issues such as global environmental problems, resource depletion, and disparities among people have been pointed out for decades. The University of Tokyo began working to address these important issues in the 1990s. In particular since the establishment of the Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S) followed by the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS), the University has been widely recognized as a leader in this field, advancing sustainability research and applying research findings to practice through collaboration across university boundaries. The University is widely recognized as a leader in this field.
From 2012 to 2024, GPSS established the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science - Global Leadership Initiative (GPSS-GLI) with the aim of fostering the next generation of "global leaders," individuals who combine broad knowledge, advanced expertise, and high ethical standards.
In April 2024, we reorganized the curriculum and returned to the original name Graduate Program in Sustainability Studies (GPSS), which focuses on the latest research trends in the world on sustainability-related studies.
| 1996 | Alliance for Global Sustainability (AGS) established |
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| 2000 | Youth Encounter on Sustainability (YES) started |
| 2004 | Intensive Program on Sustainability (IPoS) started |
| 2005 |
Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S) established as a research institute in The University of Tokyo International Alliance for Research Universities (IARU) established (http://www.iaruni.org) |
| 2006 | Transdisciplinary Initiative for Global Sustainability (TIGS) established (http://en.tigs.ir3s.u-tokyo.ac.jp) |
| 2007 |
Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS) established in the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences (GSFS), jointly operated by the six departments within the Division of Environmental Studies:
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| 2008 | Asian Program for Incubation of Environmental Leaders (APIEL) started |
| 2009 | First International Conference on Sustainability Science (ICSS) hosted by IR3S. Since then, IR3S annually hosts ICSS as well as its Asian platform ICSS-Asia. |
| 2010 | Sustainability Science Consortium (SSC) established (http://ssc-g.net) |
| 2012 |
International Society for Sustainability Science (ISSS) established (https://ifi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/isss/about/index.html) GPSS-GLI launched |
| 2022 |
Sustainable Society Design Center (SSDC) was established under GSFS. The GPSS-GLI was placed under the Center. |
| 2024 | New GPSS started after restructuring GPSS-GLI. |