On July 1, 2025, the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System (THERS) opened Common Nexus (ComoNe) on the Higashiyama Campus of Nagoya University. The new facility will serve as a hub for co-creation and collaborative learning that is open to students, faculty, and staff from Nagoya University and Gifu University, as well businesses and the public.
ComoNe will host various events throughout the year, including exhibitions that showcase the work of researchers and creators both within and beyond universities, networking sessions between students and companies, and hands-on learning experiences for children. The facility aims to spread academic knowledge throughout society and serve as a space where people can connect across fields and generations to foster innovation.
The view of Common Nexus from the Central Library. Toyoda Auditorium can be seen in the distance.
As the opening time of 4:00 p.m. approached, a crowd began to gather outside. Students and members of the public excitedly waited to explore ComoNe. Once the doors were unlocked, everyone rushed inside, eager to be among the first to enter and claim a spot. After just a few minutes, students were already relaxing in the open areas. They expressed their excitement with comments like “I am happy to have a place like this” and “I want to live here [laughs].” Elderly visitors and families with children could also be seen throughout the space. A group of elementary school students who stopped by on their way home from classes looked around with great curiosity.
Students waiting outside with their phones at the ready, hoping to be among the first to record the inside of Common Nexus.
Earlier in the day, a commemorative ceremony was attended by 120 special guests, including the presidents of Nagoya University and Gifu University, the governor of Aichi Prefecture, and officials from various government agencies. THERS Chancellor Seiichi Matsuo explained during his remarks how the vision for ComoNe aligns with one of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) development policies for national universities: the creation of innovation commons. “As a public good, we want to make this a place for open innovation that is accessible not only to universities but to broader society,” said Chancellor Matsuo.
THERS Chancellor Seiichi Matsuo speaks during the commemorative ceremony.
Representatives from THERS, Nagoya University, Gifu University, the Aichi Prefectural Government, and MEXT, among others, cut a ribbon to open the new facility.
ComoNe has one floor above ground and two below ground, with a total area of 7,313 square meters—the equivalent of a full soccer field. “This is the first facility of this scale at a national university that is freely accessible to the public,” said THERS Chancellor Matsuo. The building includes open spaces for working or relaxing, exhibition areas that can be used by universities, businesses, or individuals, lecture and event halls, a makerspace, a video production studio, a rental kitchen, and membership-based coworking spaces. The goal is to reach two million annual visitors within five years.
Related Links:
- Introducing Common Nexus: A Hub Where People and Academic Knowledge Intersect
- ‘A Hub Unlike Anything Seen Before at a National University’: The Vision Behind Common Nexus
- Common Nexus website, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter)
This article was originally written in Japanese for the “Public Relations Meidai” web magazine and published on July 3, 2025. The Nagoya University International Communications Office has translated and edited it for clarity while preserving the original content’s intent. For the original Japanese version, please see here.