Outline

Period June 12th to August 6th, 2026 (8 weeks)
Venue Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) , TOKYO ELECTRON House of Creativity
Number of Participants 6 students from the US, 1 from Africa, and 5 from Japanese universities
Industrial Partners Fujitsu Limited , Daikin Industries, Ltd. , Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Host Mathematical Science Center for Co-creative Society (MathCCS) , Tohoku Forum for Creativity (TFC) . Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR)
Co-host Institute for Pure & Applied Mathematics(IPAM) , RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS)

Information related to programs offered by IPAM can be found at “ Student Research Programs ".

Projects

PROJECT01

Fujitsu Limited

Mathematical and data-driven approaches to materials sciences

PROJECT02

Daikin Industries, Ltd.

Design optimization and modeling of phenomena in air conditioner

PROJECT03

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Integrated computational modeling for accelerated single-pixel imaging

Program Schedule

Research discussing
2 student experiencing calligraphy
Sharing Event
presentation

  • Opening Day

    Representatives from each partner company pose an interesting problem related to their industry, as well as the motivation to seek a solution. After the explanation, each team meets with the industry experts to discuss different ideas of how to tackle the problem.

  • Design Thinking Course

    Students engage in an immersive course that shapes their project thesis and charts a clear path toward innovative solutions. Beginning with a dynamic introduction to core design thinking principles, they dive into guided brainstorming and mind mapping sessions. Working collaboratively, teams apply fresh insights directly to their projects, crafting creative and actionable Work Statements that drive real results.

  • Starting the Research

    Once our industry partners approve the Work Statement, students get started on a journey to achieve their proposed solutions. Students work intensively 5 days a week, but they are not alone! Dedicated industry mentors from our partner's companies, as well as young Tohoku faculty and researchers, are available to provide resources and guidance when needed.

    Research discussing

  • Japanese Language / Culture Classes

    Japanese Language and Culture Classes are held during the program, each week offering a different learning experience. Students participate in introductory Japanese language and culture classes, learning useful conversational skills and facts about Sendai. Activities such as tea ceremony, calligraphy, and making Tanabata decorations further enhance students introduction to Japan.

    2 student experiencing calligraphy

  • Sharing Event

    Each team member gives a presentation on their research progress in English. After the presentations, team mentors and team members meet to discuss and refine their current progress towards the proposed solutions.

    Sharing Event

  • Site Visits

    Team members visit our partner's companies to gain new insight on the motivations for their project. Students learn about our partner's resources and facilities, broadening their understanding of the problem's importance. Active discussion of the project's direction takes place.

  • Final Stages of Research

    Research is deepened in preparation for Project's Day (final presentation). With the available resources, motivation, plan of action and progress made, this week is when results take shape. Students are working hard toward their final report.

  • Final Reports

    The results of the research are summarized in the form of a final report shared with our industry partners for final approval.

  • Project’s Day

    Each team presents the results and conclusion of their research in English, introducing novel ideas and posing questions for discussion and future work.

    presentation

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Voices from Participants

Thank you G-RIPS 2026!

I greatly enjoyed G-RIPS 2026. A lot of things contributed to this enjoyment -- a big part for me was people. Everyone was very kind and friendly and collaborative and supportive. I made some of the favorite memories with people from the program and students from our cohort.

In addition, the research project I was part of was immensely interesting and very rewarding. I made a lot of memories with my team doing math, preparing for the presentations, or just get lunch together. The activities organized by the program were also wonderful: the Japanese culture classes were a lot of fun and I loved learning the language and traditions.

On top of that, the organizational part of the program made it go very smoothly. Any questions were always quickly addressed and if any problems came up, the program would always give their best effort to resolve them effectively. The schedule and plans were always communicated to participants and it was made sure that everyone is ready for what’s coming next.

Throughout the program I felt supported and encouraged. Being in G-RIPS made me feel like I became part of a big family. Thank you for everything!

My Impressions

The G-RIPS program was a very memorable and developmental summer for me. Getting to collaborate on an interesting research project with people from different cultures was by far the best part of this experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed befriending, learning from, and creating memories with the other students and the staff. All of the staff at the G-RIPS program were very kind and consistently helpful and responsive.

The program was also a good opportunity for networking as I got to meet people working in different research areas and for both industry and academia. The companies get to see the coming talent, and the students can get a feel for working with and for a company. I found this particularly helpful as a mathematician since it’s less often that we get to interact with companies, but there are certainly companies looking for mathematicians.

What G-RIPS-Sendai 2026 meant to me

My experience with G-RIPS-Sendai 2026 was a very enriching one, both academically and personally. Coming from a background in physics and data science, I really appreciated the opportunity to work on a research problem that was not really different from what I had worked on before. Our project with Mitsubishi Electric allowed me to discover new approaches to computational imaging and to see how research can be connected to real industrial applications.

What I enjoyed most was the collaborative aspect of the program. Working with students from different backgrounds was sometimes challenging, but it also allowed us to learn from each other and approach problems from different perspectives. The discussions with our academic and industrial mentors were also very helpful in understanding the problem and improving our work.

Beyond the research, living in Sendai was an important part of the experience for me. It was my first time going out of my country, I really enjoyed discovering Japanese culture, food, and everyday life. The Japanese classes were also helpful, especially when trying to communicate outside the university. Overall, G-RIPS-Sendai gave me the opportunity to learn new technical skills, improve my research and presentation abilities, and meet people from different backgrounds. I am very grateful to everyone who contributed to making these two months a memorable experience.

Connections formed through multicultural collaboration—bridging academia and practice, practice and vision

There are three things that particularly impressed me.
The first is that I experienced the entire process of putting mathematics into practice. As a student of economics, I am used to working with theories that do not have a tangible form. Through this program, I was able to see not only tangible results but also the process of achieving them.

Secondly, it was my first time working entirely in English. At the beginning of the program, I found this very challenging because what I wanted to convey often did not come across clearly. However, as time passed, this environment helped me become more comfortable using English, and I gained enough confidence to communicate without hesitation.

Last but not least, I had the opportunity to work with people from different countries. This also made it difficult for us to make progress at first, as we had different perspectives. However, through continuous communication, we were eventually able to share the same goal and direction.

Personally, I am also very grateful that I made many friends who come from different linguistic, cultural, and academic backgrounds. I believe that these experiences and friendships will be a source of growth for me in the future.

Beyond the walls of English and math: Ultimate teamwork and personal growth

All I would like to say is that this program is absolutely amazing. Since I participated as an undergraduate student majoring in economics, I struggled to keep up with the American students to carry out the research together. However, I learned a lot of things through the research. This includes how research is done and how to find what I can do using my strengths to contribute to the team. Furthermore, of course, I improved my math and English skills.

I am sure what I learned there will be helpful for my future, whichever path my career takes. As for my free time, it was so much fun and meant a lot to me as well. Hanging out with American students, talking about our cultures, and sharing time with them definitely broadened my perspective. I have never had such a dense and valuable 8 weeks outside of this program.

I experienced something new every single day. It was like a whole new world, even though I was just in another prefecture in Japan. What I experienced through this program is beyond description. This program gave me sweet memories, friends who are American mathematicians, and my second home, Sendai City.

I really appreciate everything in this program, especially the American students, professors, staff running this program, and the sponsors. This program is awesome.