Kyoto University is considering the reorganization of its Primate Research Institute in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture following the discovery of misappropriation of research funds, it has been learned. This move is seen as a step toward dismantling the organization in the future.
According to the university's reorganization plans, which are slated to begin next fiscal year, the institute will retain its research function for the time being but will be scaled down and ultimately dismantled, sources said.
A final decision is expected to be made by the end of this month. Sources say that the institute's name, which bears over a half-century-long history, will also be stripped.
Following the reorganization, the institute lose its status as one of the university's core specialized field research bases. A new research center will be established in its place.
The institute's current researchers will work at either the new center or existing facilities in related fields, such as Wildlife Research Center, so that their work can be continued.
The scale of their projects and the funds allocated, however, will be trimmed down, the sources said.
In June 2020, Kyoto University announced the misappropriation of about 500 million yen discovered at the Aichi Prefecture institute for the construction of a chimpanzee breeding facility.
The Board of Audit said in November that the total of misappropriated research funds, including the 500 million yen, came to 1.1 billion yen.
In March, the university opted to forego an application to the education ministry for the renewal of the institute's designation as the ministry's joint usage research center, which is considered a prestigious research base that can be used by researchers domestically and abroad.
Established in 1967, the Primate Research Institute has played the leading role in primatology around the world, focusing on such themes as "what are humans" and "what makes us human."
According to the institute's annual report, about 150 researchers are based there with about 1,100 primates being raised as of the end of fiscal 2019.
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