Two OU institutes selected for the J-Innovation Hub: Regional Hub for Open Innovation (Global Development Type)

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry selected research institutes as regional hubs for open innovation (global development type) in the first J-Innovation HUB project. From Osaka University, two hubs were selected: the Research Center for Nuclear Physics and the Research Alliance Laboratories for Wearable Flexible Printed Circuit Boards (Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Graduate School of Engineering, Joining and Welding Research Institute).

In 2017, the consortium “Quantum Innovation for Safe and Smart Society (QiSS),” which consists of several universities, institutes, and corporations studying fundamental quantum beam technology, was established with funds from the Program on Open Innovation Platform with Enterprises, Research Institutes and Academia (OPERA) of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). This consortium is led by the Research Center for Nuclear Physics of Osaka University.

Amid the rapidly declining birthrate and aging population, in order to realize enriching, healthy, long lives and a safe, super-smart society, by utilizing radioactive nuclide, neutrons, and muons produced by accelerators, these OU institutes, in cooperation with related universities, research institutes, and corporations both inside and outside of Japan, are engaged in the following challenges:

1. Extending healthy life expectancy of humans by developing special radionuclides used in a targeted alpha-particle therapy as a novel therapy for treating patients with progressive cancer diagnosed at their initial visit.
2. Supporting the safety of super-smart society by unraveling the mechanisms of soft errors in electronic appliances, which are caused by cosmic ray neutrons and muons, and by developing countermeasures against this serious problem in the modern society where the Internet of Things (IoT) network is constantly evolving.

The Research Alliance Laboratories for Wearable Flexible Printed Circuit Boards are jointly operated by Osaka University and corporations. These laboratories aim to promote practical use of artificial technologies (AI) for packaging next-generation power semiconductors, wiring electronic accessories in mobile electronic devices (e.g., electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, fuel-cell vehicles, drones, and electric aircraft) as well as installing the Fifth Generation Mobile Communication System (5G) and wearable health care systems to communication devices.

Moving forward, Osaka University will further global industry-university co-creation through activities at these two research hubs, hugely promoting open innovation in Japan.

[Reference]

J-Innovation Hub: Regional Hub for Open Innovation (Global Development Type)

In this system, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry assesses and selects regional hubs for open innovation, primarily universities, which actively serve as hubs for company networks, and intensively supports these selected hubs in order to enhance their reliability and quality as well as encourage cooperation and competition among hubs. The hubs focusing on collaboration with global companies inside and outside of Japan through industry-academia-government collaboration for their further overseas expansion are designated as a “Global Development Type.”

News release from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (link in Japanese)

• Osaka University Research Center for Nuclear Physics

• Osaka University Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research