The education ministry said Tuesday that it has approved a 25-year plan to strengthen academic research capabilities submitted by Tohoku University, the first recipient of subsidies under a new state program.

Before the current fiscal year ends in March next year, the ministry is set to start providing the university, in Miyagi Prefecture, with some ¥15.4 billion in aid for the program's initial year.

Under the program, the ministry plans to select several universities as subsidy recipients in stages. On Tuesday, the ministry began accepting applications for the second-round selection process, with the deadline of May 16 next year.

Universities including the University of Tokyo, the Institute of Science Tokyo and Waseda University have announced their intentions to submit applications for the second round.

Education minister Toshiko Abe told a news conference Tuesday, "I hope that Tohoku University will lead the research power of our country as a whole through the steady implementation of its plan, including the establishment of a system in which young researchers can conduct research with creative ideas."

Regarding the second-round selection, the minister said, "I expect ambitious proposals will be submitted to realize world-class research universities."

The program is designed to provide subsidies for up to 25 years to universities aiming to offer world-class research capabilities, using proceeds from investment through a government-financed university fund worth about ¥10 trillion.

According to the Japan Science and Technology Agency, which manages the fund, and the education ministry, the fund's revenue stood at ¥993.4 billion and net profit totaled ¥116.7 billion in fiscal 2023. Its overall assets under management came to ¥10.96 trillion, with a return rate of 10%.

In August last year, a panel of experts at the ministry conditionally selected Tohoku University as a candidate subsidy recipient from among a total of 10 national and private universities that submitted applications for the first-round selection.

By June this year, the panel judged that Tohoku University's management reform based on data was advanced and could be highly evaluated, concluding that the university had met the criteria as a recipient of aid under the program.

Last month, the ministry formally approved Tohoku University as the first recipient of the aid, and the university submitted the plan to strengthen its research capabilities, which includes increasing the number of foreign researchers and improving its own-income ratio.