To strengthen research capabilities and industry-academic collaborative functions, the Materials Innovation Lab was formed in October of 2018 as a research hub and center for the creation of revolutionary international macromolecular and composite new materials. It is expected to produce materials with electronic, optical, and thermal properties which have not been obtainable through conventional macromolecular materials; molding processes and universal designs which have not been possible with conventional inorganic materials (ceramics); and materials which take advantage of the idiosyncratic behavior and characteristics of nanomaterials.

This laboratory’s open policy encourages researchers to share equipment consolidated in a single space and enables new materials to be developed with private sector cooperation. We are continuing to promote further development in collaborative research with corporations, while training young researchers and graduate students to become valuable human resources by exposing them to research in fields outside their areas of expertise.

In conjunction with the FY2018 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Program for Enhancing Common Infrastructure of Science and Technology under the Operations for Promoting Science and Technology System Reform, we established an ‘Open Lab’ where professors and graduate students from multiple academic fields and programs are encouraged to join us in conducting research and building on our core areas of expertise, macromolecular and fibrous materials, we are making equipment available which is essential to organic materials, ceramics, and nanomaterials researchers. In cooperation with the manufacturers involved in comprehensive analytics and device production with whom we have been collaborating on device development, and persons from cross-disciplinary research exchange composed of ongoing university-corporation collaborative research and inter-laboratory cooperation, we are currently promoting a ‘share lab,’ the first of its kind, where new materials are being developed as human resources are trained.