Organizations

RIKEN Scientists' Assembly

The RIKEN Scientists’ Assembly (RSA) was established to promote research and to further the development of RIKEN. The RSA serves as the voice of RIKEN personnel involved in research, provides a medium for interaction among RIKEN’s researchers, and works to improve RIKEN’s research environment. RSA membership is composed of around 1000 research personnel working in the Advanced Science Institute, the Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, and the Harima and Tsukuba institutes.

The RIKEN Scientists’ Assembly Steering Committee (RSA-SC), which oversees the RSA, currently consists of 33 active members elected from 9 "districts" within RIKEN. The Steering Committee has been actively speaking up on various issues including improving communication within RIKEN and efficient use of research resources (personnel, time, budget, equipment, space, etc.).

The Scientists' Assembly has a number of working groups:

Researcher exchange

This working group promotes exchange and communication between researchers on a RIKEN-wide basis for the creation of a better research environment and a more effective framework for sharing facilities. Activities to encourage active exchange between researchers include regularly held general meetings and seminars for the presentation of research results by Incentive Grant recipients.

Public relations

This WG serves as a bridge between the RSA-SC and the RSA. It is responsible for posting updates on the activities of the RSA-SC on the RSA website and in this Bulletin. Opinions of RCA members are reflected in planning future activities.

Laboratory environment improvement

This working group serves as a point of contact to directly address day-to-day problems and issues confronted by research personnel working in the laboratory. It compiles individual opinions and recommendations on the laboratory work environment into the “collective opinion” of RIKEN research personnel. Current efforts include promoting closer cooperation between administrative staff and researchers, easing regulations for external grant funding application processes, greater efficiency in the use of space and facilities throughout RIKEN, and initiating training programs for research personnel.

RIKEN’s future

This working group deliberates mid- to long-term issues related to research personnel at RIKEN. Last fiscal year it worked to revise the RSA Articles of Association so that fixed-term contract employees can serve on the Steering Committee. In the current fiscal year the working group will look into solutions for problems related to the “free agent system” of tenured research personnel and the difficulties encountered by postdoc researchers.

Interdisciplinary collaboration

This is a limited-term working group focusing on promotion of interdisciplinary collaborations within RIKEN. Networking between young researchers will be encouraged to enable them to make proposals for new interdisciplinary research themes.

RIKEN Chief Scientists' Assembly

In 1922, soon after RIKEN’s establishment as a foundation, President Okochi created the Chief Scientist System. Each Chief Scientist heads an Institute Laboratory (IL) and enjoys complete autonomy to determine scientific direction, make budget requests, and appoint lab staff.

RIKEN's Chief Scientists' Assembly (CSA) unites the Chief Scientists and Group Directors into a single entity that plays a forceful and unique role in promoting interdisciplinary research at RIKEN and refining the whole of RIKEN’s research system. The CSA has been called "RIKEN's DNA" and is considered to have been the driving force behind RIKEN's 90-year history.

The CSA is not positioned as a formal institution within RIKEN management, but is considered to perform the function of laying the seeds for new research at RIKEN.

Future Design Committee

The Future Design Committee proposes, on the basis of intermediate and long term perspectives,

new research fields for RIKEN, the establishment of new Institute Laboratories (ILs), and new Research Departments.
new research organs and systems to promote new fields.

Ad hoc Committees

Recent ad hoc committees have included:

Chief Scientist selection committee
Associate Chief Scientist selection committee
Tenured employee selection committee
Senior Research / Technical Scientist screening committee
Pre-employment system for later career promotion.

RIKEN Labor Union

RIKEN's Labor Union uses collective bargaining to obtain better working conditions. The issues it deals with include employment contracts, income, working hours, holidays, pensions, health insurance, safety and healthcare, work rules,. and the natural and working environments. The Union is headquartered at the Wako campus, and membership is open to all RIKEN employees.

RIKEN Alumni

RIKEN's alumni organization is known as the RIKEN OB Kai. The association was formed over 30 years ago in 1974. The first chairman was Shin’ichiro Tomonaga, 1965 Nobel Laureate. The acronym “OB” stands for “old boy” and is a term used in Japan to refer to school alumni and former corporate employees and institution personnel. When the RIKEN OB Kai was launched, Tomonaga spoke about what the OB acronym meant to him. “If you asked me, I would say ‘OB’ stands for ‘Old Baby.’ I think each person should be free to interpret the acronym as they please. It only seems fitting that a RIKEN-related group should show the same respect for individual freedom as does the research institute itself.” (From the April 1975 issue of Kaiho, the RIKEN OB Kai newsletter.)

In other words, OB Kai membership is open to any one who has worked at RIKEN at one time or another. It doesn’t matter whether you are “old” or “young.”

OB Kai Events

Annual General Meeting and social gathering (an opportunity for former and current RIKEN
personnel to touch base)
Former & Present RIKEN Personnel Goodwill Get-together
Club activities (The OB Kai has a variety of clubs including tennis, softball tennis, Go, and fishing.)

Member Benefits

A directory of OB Kai members, updated every three years.
The OB Kai Kaiho, issued one to two times a year. (The newsletter contains reports on OB Kai activities and articles on RIKEN’s past submitted by association members.)
The RIKEN News, which is published three to four times a year. (Contains reports on current RIKEN research and events.)

http://www.riken-obkai.jp/

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