MEXT Vice Minister visits the Suita Campus

On Wednesday, May 31, Vice Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology YANAGI Takashi visited the Suita Campus.

Mr. Yanagi talked about initiatives for enhancing education quality in doctoral programs and developing doctoral talent with President NISHIO Shojiro, Executive Vice President KANEDA Yasufumi, Executive Vice President TANAKA Toshihiro, Executive Vice President ONOYE Takao, and Executive Vice President TOYOOKA Hiroki.

Following this discussion, the group toured the following research facilities:

• Osaka University Shimadzu Omics Innovation Research Laboratories, places for industry-university co-creation and developing highly skilled talent
• Joint Research Chair “Consortium for Future Innovation by Cultured Meat” at the Graduate School of Engineering to study practical applications of 3D bioprinting approaches to cultured meat production
• Photonics Center for the development and industrialization social application of photonics technology which supports society by measuring, quantifying, and utilizing various biometric information
• The Photonics Hub (LIPS), a sustainable world-class hub for the JST’s COI-NEXT project "The Photonics Hub for Life and Biomedical Engineering," which conducts R&D by utilizing advantages of medical-engineering collaboration between OU and participating institutes
• Advanced Electronic Devices (Sekitani Lab.), SANKEN, a facility that promots R&D and industrialization of flexible electronics
• The Futuristic and Intellectual Co-Creation Town Division of the Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives (OTRI), a R&D hub for the JST’s COI-NEXT project to solve social issues through co-creation between early-career researchers at OU and local residents

Mr. Yanagi speaking with President Nishio and Executive Vice Presidents

Mr. Yanagi speaking with Director IIDA Junko of Osaka University Shimadzu Omics Innovation Research Laboratories

Professor MATSUSAKI Michiya, Joint Research Chair “Consortium for Future Innovation by Cultured Meat”

Professor FUJITA Katsumasa, Photonics Center

Professor SEKITANI Tsuyoshi, SANKEN