 Who would have thought, in just ten years, we could achieve all this? OIST is a successful experiment, one that shows the world what is possible when the traditional academic limitations are removed. Here science can flourish with a crucial combination of cross-disciplinary teams, high-trust funding and the curiosity-driven research that has allowed us to do amazing things in just ten years. What do I love about OIST? It's the creativity. The freedom with which we get to pursue our research, unimpeded. The community was really warm and welcoming. The facilities were fantastic. There were many opportunities, not just scientifically, but also for personal development. This is one of the best universities in the world, not only just because it looks beautiful, but including the research atmosphere, it's just very hard to believe that a very small university can offer this amazing stuff. So, how did we get here? OIST's story begins in 2001. Koji Omi, in his dual role of Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territory's Affairs, announces a bold new idea. Originally, the policies for Okinawa and for science and technology had no relations to each other. Now that I became the minister of these two seemingly unrelated matters, I wondered how I would fulfill my responsibilities. In my head, I sort of connected the two, and that's how I got the idea to start the University of Science and Technology in Okinawa. With this ambitious vision of creating a new, world-class university, Minister Omi begins consulting the best minds at home and around the world. Remarkable persuasion and persistence sets a grand plan in motion. He is joined by Akito Arima, former University of Tokyo President, former Minister of Education, and long-time champion of reform. An international committee is a symbol that produces framework for establishment, governance, and accreditation. Joining Koji Omi and Akito Arima are Sydney Brenner, Stephen Chu, Jerome Friedman, Kiyoshi Kurokawa, Yuan T. Lee, Hiroko Shou, Susumu Tonegawa, and Tolstin Wiesel. The new university is to be outstanding in research and academics. It is to be international, cross-disciplinary, focused on independent young researchers, and it is to become the center for innovation in research and development to drive self-sustaining development in Okinawa. A small island at the edge of the Pacific might not be the most obvious choice at first glance, but Okinawa's historical and geographical position at the crossroad of Asia brought centuries of prosperity for the Ryukyu Kingdom. These islands have a proud and unique past. At the start of the 21st century, Okinawa is ideally suited to become a new global hub for research, education, and innovation. The founders recognize the potential for a new university to be a significant new center for Okinawa, Japan, and the world. Many attractive sites in Okinawa are considered for locating the OIST main campus. The selected site on the emerald slopes of Staley Onnadake, Mantonna, scarred by a turquoise coral lagoon has an incomparable natural environment, and with Onna Village's generous decision to provide the land sufficient for future growth, OIST finds a home. Another key founder, Dr. Sidney Brenner, is selected in 2005 as president of the OIST Promotion Corporation, a transitional organization that will prepare the campus and research units for university accreditation, helping to guide the idea of a cross-disciplinary research space where scientists could be driven by their curiosity. Sidney emphasized the importance of establishing cutting-edge research from the very start. We set up temporary laboratories nearby in Utama City to allow research and recruitment to get underway while the main campus was being built. From the beginning, we implemented the key principles of being cross-disciplinary with no departments where even new PIs would independently manage the research and budgets, and research resources would be shared among all the laboratories. Sidney had an extraordinary ability to convey a realistic vision of creating a modern research institution from scratch here in Okinawa. All of the capabilities of the most advanced laboratories were established and accreditation was achieved within only five years. It was an amazing journey. After an international competition, a group of companies plan a campus for the University of the future. These include renowned laboratory designer, Konberg Associates, the leading Japanese architectural firm, Nikken Sekkei, and the Okinawan contractor, Kuniken. And just a couple of years later, construction of the first labs begins, inspiring part-by-reach motifs from Neukyuan history, and from the colors of the Okinawan landscape, the campus design takes shape. A center for learning and innovation, combining the best of Okinawan and international sensibilities. I think the most important goal that we saw was their interest in making an interdisciplinary and collaborative. What was different about this was, one, we had this beautiful site, and so we approached it as as architects was we want to take advantage of the beauty of the site and the natural characteristics of the site. We incorporated some artifacts or elements of Okinawan culture. The base of the buildings were built out of the local stone, and that's a very important element as far as what campus buildings sit on and how they're anchored to the landscape. Out of the Okinawan forest, the University's first laboratories enlarge. With the opening in March 2010 of Lab 1 in the center building, both beautifully designed with cutting-edge energy efficiency and equipped with the latest technology, the OIST research community on the Onnasong campus is launched. A space where scientists from across disciplines and across the world can come together to do groundbreaking research. And in November 2011, with accreditation achieved, OIST Graduate University officially comes into being. It also has a new president. After more than a year of working towards the launch, Dr. Jonathan Dofan takes the helm. OIST Graduate University will conduct internationally outstanding education and research in science and technology and thus contribute to the sustainable development of Okinawa and promote the advancement of science and technology in Japan and throughout the world. We believe that education, learning, discovery and creation of opportunity will bind us together and enable us to collectively build peace and prosperity and to face the challenges of living together on this earth. Vision is a motion. The ball is rolling. Now, it begins to pick up speed. A year later in 2012, Lab 2 is finished, adding facilities for physics and chemistry which greatly expand the scope of the university. With the signature sky bridges connecting Lab 2 to Lab 1 in center building, the core campus comes into its own. And in 2012, another major milestone, the first 38 graduate students arrive on campus. OIST has been sort of instrumental in defining my career trajectories. I came in with a very different background. I left with a very different background. So it was kind of a transformation, if you will. The focus is really on the graduate students and it offers more of a designer PhD program where the student is in charge of crafting out what they want to study and who they want to study it with and redefining what their future career would look like. When I did come for the first time, I think the thing that hit me the most was how flexible and how open people were with their science and working between different sections of the university. It felt like a breath of fresh air. I think it's very rare for a research institution to have such a tight-knit community not only within a single discipline but also across many different disciplines. Last summer, I had an opportunity to go back to OIST as a research intern and it was amazing being able to go back to the place where all my interest in science started and actually doing research there. As the years roll on, OIST keeps growing. In 2015, completion of Lab 3 expands the research campus again and gives a home to the graduate school and to the Technology Development and Innovation Center. The following year sees the completion of the OIST Marine Science Station, a crucial link for ocean research at our island institute. In 2017, OIST appoints its next president, Dr. Peter Grues. And then in 2018, OIST reaches its next great milestone, the first graduation ceremony. Our first PhD graduates were pioneers. When they decided to come to OIST at the very beginning, we were still untested and unproven. But they saw in us what we saw in them potential. Together we proved that the OIST way of doing things didn't merely work, it was a pathway to excellence. And each year, with every successive cohort of graduates, we continue to demonstrate to the world what can be achieved when the traditional boundaries for science and technology are taken away. I could not be more pleased with the hard work, dedication and excellence of all our graduates. The journey continues. OIST continues to go from strength to strength. From the opening of the largest lab building yet, climbing the prestigious Nature Index and developing a team that brings together researchers, businesses and investors to promote economic growth and sustainability in Okinawa. Our mission is to remove barriers to empower OIST students and researchers to develop their emergent ideas, entrepreneurial skills and navigate businesses and commercial opportunities for global impact. We bridge the gap between the great science at OIST and the commercial market. We take big ideas, propel them forward and promote the Okinawan economy. We create strong businesses connections with OIST world-leading cross-disciplinary research to foster innovation and economic opportunities in Okinawa and around the globe. We have created the platform for innovators, businesses and investors to launch new industries from Okinawa that is already contributing to strong, resilient Okinawan society and economy. OIST still has its eyes on the future because we are a work in progress. Like the Ryukyu Kingdom of OLD, where the world came to meet, trade and share new ideas, OIST seeks to embrace the Okinawan tradition of openness and internationalism, a shampoo, a mixture of ideas and expertise, constantly innovating and improving to bring the future into focus. Science prepares us for the challenges of the future. We saw that with COVID. In less than a year, we went from the discovery of the virus to emergency use vaccine authorization from the FDA. The speed was extraordinary and based on 60 years of science. Because scientific discovery isn't often instant, hard work and dedication are required to produce results. But when that happens, it can be world changing. At OIST, we have already shown what we can achieve in just 10 years and we have a long future of excellence ahead. As the science philosopher, naturalist, politician Francis Bacon said, in most skilled words several hundred years ago, science should make the world a better place to live in. And this is my ultimate expectation of the scientist said OIST. We work for the advancement of knowledge for the benefit of humanity. The crucible of science and culture. There are so many different disciplines. There are so many different cultural backgrounds. They came here and worked together. Even though I could have done this anywhere in the world, I feel like doing it at OIST made it special and easier. 10 years from now, I hope it can continue to be successful and continue to grow without losing that special identity that it has. It's changing my life.