Japanese

On March 27, Hiroshima University (HU) held an opening ceremony for Science Knot, a new hub for industry-academia collaboration and home to the International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM²). An opening ceremony was also held for SHIRU CAFE, a student career support center located within the building.

The facility is a six-story research building with a total floor area of approximately 6,000 square meters. It was developed under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s (MEXT) facility development program for regional core research universities, in coordination with WPI-SKCM², a center selected for MEXT’s World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI). The facility is designed to accelerate the full process from basic research to interdisciplinary research and ultimately to social implementation.

At the opening ceremony, held in the facility’s first-floor lobby, HU President Mitsuo Ochi delivered an opening address in the presence of approximately 80 guests, including representatives from MEXT, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and Kobe University, a partner university in the Program for Forming Japan’s Peak Research Universities (J-PEAKS).

In his address, President Ochi expressed his gratitude to those involved and shared his vision for “industry-academia collaboration through connections among students, researchers, and tenant companies in the facility, as well as the revitalization of research through innovative ideas.”

Mutsuko Inoue, Deputy Director-General of the Science and Technology Policy Bureau at MEXT, expressed her hope that “by making full use of the environment in which researchers from different organizations are brought together under one roof, this facility will serve as a driving force for creating a major innovation ecosystem.”

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, members of Hiroshima University Opera, part of the Vocal Music Research Laboratory, performed a beautiful choral piece, adding a special touch to the ceremony.

Finally, participants had the opportunity to tour the facility with a guide and experience its state-of-the-art research environment firsthand.

Immediately after, an opening ceremony for SHIRU CAFE was held in the first-floor lobby.

SHIRU CAFE is a student-run cafe located on the first floor of the facility. It serves as a space where students can interact with corporate recruiters and reflect on their future careers.

In his address, President Ochi expressed his hope that SHIRU CAFE would serve as a hub where researchers, companies, and students can connect—a gateway for students to gain a better understanding of society, a place for companies to meet the talent that will lead the next generation, and a space that embodies the university’s vision of co-creation.

In addition to bringing HU students together through SHIRU CAFE, the facility will foster a new form of industry-academia collaboration by connecting tenant companies with the university’s key J-PEAKS centers, including WPI-SKCM², across disciplines and organizations.

References:

• We are currently accepting applications from companies interested in joining the Open Innovation Lab at Science Knot
  https://j-peaks.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/news/news-106/
• WPI-SKCM² Website:
  https://wpi-skcm2.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/
• Hiroshima University J-PEAKS Website:
  https://j-peaks.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/