Vision

Currently, the “rice paddies” in the Niigata region, known as the "rice-growing *dokoro*" (major rice-producing area), are in a critical situation. "What is the role of universities?", "What should scientists do?", "What is a university rooted in the community?". Many academics are feeling and thinking about these questions in present-day Japan.

Our university, Nagaoka University of Technology, is founded on the philosophy of "scientifically developing technology."
Nagaoka is not a university of science and technology.
“The role of this base in the Niigata region, a ”land of rice," is to learn from the "master skills (techniques) of farmers" using the "power of science," increase added value, and pass on the "rice paddies" to the next generation. We aim for profitable agriculture and agriculture that is attractive to young people. We are convinced that this project, which uses rice paddies as its field and confronts nature, has the latest science within it and is a fascinating subject for university scholars to tackle.
We will foster a bio-community by collaborating with many industries, primarily farmers, while properly circulating local bio-resources.
Furthermore, we aim to make this a project where citizens can view rice paddies not as something belonging to others, but as something that belongs to them.

We would like the world to gain a solid understanding of Japan's “KOME” culture. We will make KOME-DOKORO COI-NEXT something that everyone can participate in. Thank you for your support.

Our university has been working to revitalize regional industries through advanced research, technological development, and their implementation in society.
In this project, we will contribute to the revitalization of Niigata, a region renowned for its rice production, by pooling the expertise from various university departments to address serious regional challenges in agriculture, such as falling rice prices, soaring fertilizer costs, and a shortage of successors. We will work towards realizing a resource-circulating society through continuous dialogue with the local community.

Nagaoka City is a “rice-growing region,” with farmland occupying 25% of its area and rice production value ranking second in the nation. Consequently, related manufacturing industries such as sake brewing and rice crackers are also thriving. On the other hand, the city's population decline is severe, and various initiatives are underway with the goal of "city development that encourages young people to settle down."

In 2021, it was certified by the Cabinet Office as one of four regional bio-community hubs nationwide, and we will firmly work towards the realization of a bio-community in close cooperation with Nagaoka University of Technology.