Chemistry plays an important role in natural science and in human society, in the acquisition of new knowledge and by generating solutions to issues affecting society, such as the environment, energy, safety, and health. This COE project, which is proposed cooperatively by the Department of Chemistry in the School of Science, and the three Departments of Applied Chemistry in the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, aims to actively respond to these social mandates, and aims to bring about innovations in chemistry. It also aims to establish these departments as an internationally visible education and research center at the University of Tokyo. The main goal is to foster a new generation of chemists with a broad interest in science and engineering, and generalists with a balanced view of natural science. Retrospectively speaking, the Chemistry and Applied Chemistry Departments have been the center of higher-level chemistry education in Japan from the very beginning of the modern university system in Japan, and they have produced numerous professors, entrepreneurs, industrial leaders, and policy-makers. This COE project has been established to strengthen this long-standing tradition in the framework of global network of chemistry education and research.