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Tohoku University and the COE Program
Tohoku University has a long and illustrious history of outstanding biomedical engineering research, with numerous collaborations between the engineering and medical schools. The fundamental conditions of this future program have already been established, as we have been awarded several large governmental grants for biomedical research and education. They include the 21st Century COE program ÓFuture Medical Engineering Based on Bio-nanotechnologyÓ (2002-2006) promoted by the Ministry of Education, the Recurrent Education for the Development of Engineering Enhanced Medicine (REDEEM) program (2004-2008) promoted by the Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology and the Education through Synergetic Training for the Engineering Enhanced Medicine (ESTEEM) (2006-2007) program of the Ministry of Industry. All of these activities will now be merged to establish Tohoku University's School of Biomedical Engineering, which will be Japan's first independent graduate school for the discipline beginning in the 2008 academic year.
Tohoku University's strength in biomedical engineering lies in the engineering school having developed strong and integrated activities and close research collaborations with the medical school. For example, allied mechanical engineering departments have very strong research programs in biomechanics from the nano- to micro-levels, covering both experimental and computational studies. The electrical and electronic engineering departments also have strong activities in biomedical electronics and bioinformation sciences. These engineering-oriented studies are unique characteristics of Tohoku University and no other university in Japan has such concentrated and integrated activities in the engineering field.
