Hiroshima University (HU) obtained funding from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's (MEXT) "J-PEAKS: Program for Forming Japan’s Peak Research Universities" for a proposal seeking the "Realization of an industrial cluster ecosystem integrating semiconductors, meta matter, and biotechnology with visualization technology using synchrotron radiation."

The project aims to improve, internationalize, and accelerate the social implementation of research activities in collaboration with other universities. It will be implemented using a management strategy centered on core strengths and distinctive research capabilities in specific fields. Twelve universities nationwide, including HU, were selected for this initiative.

HU will leverage its internationally outstanding research strengths to promote strategies to enhance its research capabilities, focusing on the interdisciplinary research areas of semiconductors, meta matter, regenerative medicine, cell medicine, and drug discovery, based on visualization using synchrotron radiation in the ultraviolet (UV) region, which is rare in the world. In addition, as a hub of "Virtuous Circulation of People, Knowledge, and Resources," HU will form an ecosystem of interdisciplinary fusion to promote international brain circulation and industrial clusters.

HU will conduct this project in collaboration with its partner university, Kobe University, and participating institutions, such as Tohoku University, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Toyohashi University of Technology, the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Arizona State University, and Purdue University.

By leveraging the research strengths of HU and the environment and resources of Hiroshima and the Setouchi area, and through co-creation with local governments and industry, we will bring together "knowledge" from around the world to build and deploy an internationally developed regional development model that drives solutions to domestic and international issues from global and local perspectives, including further development of excellence in academic fields, creation of innovation leading to global-scale problem solving and social transformation, productivity improvement of local industry, and job creation.

President Ochi's Comments

In May 2023, we formulated the "President 5 Initiatives for Peace Sciences - New Peace Science (Creating Peace for Safety and Security)" based on Hiroshima University's strong research capabilities. For this project, we selected two fields, "Semiconductors and Meta Matter" and "Regenerative Medicine, Cell Medicine and Drug Discovery," from the five initiatives, and intensive investment will be made to dramatically improve research capabilities.

To realize our vision for the university 10 years from now, we will establish a mechanism for the participation of diverse talent, transcending barriers of age, gender, position, country, and region, based on our management philosophy. We will create an innovation ecosystem "Hiroshima Research & Innovation Valley (HiRIV)" that is based on collaboration and "convergence of knowledge." We aim to be a university loved by the local community and chosen by the world and hope to provide an opportunity to energize Japan from the local community.