The rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT) has changed the face of our world and society over the last 50 years; bringing sweeping changes to education, research, and management of institutions of higher education and academic research, including universities, junior colleges, colleges of technology, and inter-university research institutes. A campus is now unbound by space and time in cyberspace, in addition to a physical campus with which we are all so familiar. Against this backdrop, the social raison d’être and responsibilities that such institutions have long assumed, such as “academic freedom,” “transmission of advanced knowledge and culture,” and “accumulation of information on advanced technology and knowledge” are under review. Meanwhile, it is not clear how we should go about increasing the management efficiency of such institutions has posed a significant challenge amid the declining birthrate, intensifying international competition, and tight national finances. In this context, the Academic eXchange for Information Environment and Strategy (AXIES) was established in February 2011.