Cross-Sector Research Collaborative for Clean Energy Materials

The task of transforming contemporary society into a low-carbon society capable of sustained development is an urgent challenge, but it is also a formidable one and far too heavy a burden for businesses to bear individually. YNU, meanwhile, has several cutting-edge research groups that are actively pursuing the development of clean energy materials, one of the keys to harnessing the renewable energy sources essential to building a low-carbon society. But collaboration with industry and government is critical to ensure that society reaps the maximum benefits from such research.

The Cross-Sector Research Collaborative for Clean Energy Materials is working to spread information about YNU’s research “seeds” as widely as possible through the business and government sectors and build a platform for cross-sector partnership by pursuing open innovation with the university as the central anchor.

One way we do this is by holding regular symposiums in which our researchers present and debate their recent findings in the fields of ionic liquids, porous materials, and electrocatalysts?pivotal areas of clean-energy materials technology in which YNU is playing a leading role. We also present briefings on recent international conferences to share information on developments overseas as well as in Japan. As a result, we are expanding our collaborative research activity, not only through joint research projects with individual companies but also through the creation of a consortium covering multiple topics with a high potential for cross-fertilization, as well as through participation in national research projects and other large-scale programs.

The collaborative also provides a wide range of educational opportunities, including post-doctoral research fellowships and joint-research fellowships for mid-career researchers, long-term company internships, international programs in cooperation with overseas universities, summer school courses, and collaborative research courses.

By pursuing research and human resource development in cooperation with industry and government, the Clean Energy Materials Research Collaborative aims to build a new platform for cross-sector collaboration that makes open innovation a tangible experience for participants.