Tokyo, Oct 15 (IANS): Two top-tier national universities in Japan have said that they will merge into a new national university by the end of fiscal 2024 in order to enhance their global competitiveness in the field of science.

The Tokyo Institute of Technology and the Tokyo Medical and Dental University on Friday said they intend to apply for the status of internationally competitive universities, which will enable the new entity to receive funding from the government's new 10-trillion-yen ($68-billion) programme for helping universities generate global competitiveness.

The two institutions are among only 10 national schools designated by the Japanese government as having top-level research capabilities in the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

Tokyo Medical and Dental University President Yujiro Tanaka told a press conference that he proposed the merger about two years ago as a way to promote collaboration between the medical and engineering sciences.

Tokyo Institute of Technology President Kazuya Masu said the merger will fuse various academic fields to develop world-class education and research.

The two sides said they will set up a panel to prepare for the integration and are considering inviting students and alumni to name the new university.

The Tokyo Institute of Technology has more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The Tokyo Medical and Dental University has more than 3,000 students and runs a hospital.