A key aspect of our center’s activities is applying cutting-edge research in game theory and computer science to design good “mechanisms” that are easy for the mechanism’s participants to use while also achieving high performance. These practical applications also inspire new theoretical research at the center. The Theoretical Research Division promotes not only theoretical research with immediate potential for practical use but also a wide range of fundamental research activities. The matching and auction theories that we use for market design today were not developed solely with practical applications in mind; they are also the product of the free exploration of ideas. The Theoretical Research Division thus encourages theoretical researchers to freely explore ideas in a spirit of creativity, with the long-term goal ultimately being to make our society even better.