Basic Research Programs CREST Type Creation of Innovative Technologies to Control Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Basic Research Programs CREST Type, Creation of innovative technologies to control carbon dioxide emissions
Research Area
HOMEResearch Area > The policy and it schedules it the public advertisement on recruitment, the selection, and the research area management of the study summation in 2009 fiscal year.
Policy for Application collection, Screening and Research Area management by the Research Supervisor
This area will cover innovative technology aimed at reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuel. The main purpose of this area is to widely consider the possibilities of the choices we have in CO2 emission reduction technology, in other words, build an objective portfolio of innovative technology. The development of new emission reduction technology is vital to reducing emissions, but a cooperative effort is necessary on both the supply side and consumption side of the energy chain. Last fiscal year, the focus was on the energy supply side, especially energy producing technology. This was because more time was required in its development and the hurdles to be cleared are higher in changing the social system currently associated with the supply side. However, this fiscal year, a new CREST research area was established specializing in technology to obtain power and hydrogen directly from sunlight. Therefore, the natural energy applications for this area in this year will be limited to areas other than the direct conversion of solar energy. So, when we say the supply side of the energy chain, we mean we would like to strengthen expansion into areas other than energy generation. Technology for combining the different natural energy and control technologies are some examples. Additionally, we would also like to maintain an opening for proposals from the consumption side of the energy chain, that is, research on energy conservation. Of course, this does not change the fact that proposals from the supply side of the energy chain are important. Even if direct conversion of solar energy is excluded, there is still a wide area that is covered, such as the effective use of wind power, ocean, and bio-energy. We anxiously await applications that are new and challenging. The basic stance of this research area is to place it within the of environment energy research for building a sustainable society. To realize this, it is important for the person who heads each research subject to appreciate the positioning of his or her own research within the wider context and to realize fully its social role. No matter how advanced and cutting edge the research, it is necessary for the proposal to acknowledge and describe a firm connection to society. That is, we will evaluate research with a priority on its contribution to society instead of just the advanced science aspect of the research. The reason for such priority is because no matter how superior the environmental research is elementally, the reality that needs to be acknowledged is that you cannot expect widespread use unless it is accepted socially. We adopt the same attitude towards research on the energy consumption side. Naturally, the need for outstanding technology is extremely great, but it also has to be technology that can be accepted naturally by the general public who are to use it. In short, creating an “innovative technology portfolio” of technologies that will be commercialized is another aim of this research area. Such are the basic perceptions on which work should be based: all Research Teams should regard themselves as members of “a virtual lab.” They should become more deeply aware of their contact with society at large. Our great hope is for some spin-off effects to arise, for the Teams perhaps to instigate a movement in society. In summary, we are asking the research proposal to offer the distinctive elements of leading-edge science and social benefit/all-encompassing view. Applicants should understand that this is because the aim of this research area is to generate seeds of technologies with a strong potential for diffusion that can start around 2020 to 2030. Therefore, we call for applications of excellent proposals from a broad range of areas and from a wide perspective - proposals that would enable innovative technological development to materialize. Applicants should ensure that the research path and timescale can be foreseen in concrete terms, for example through research scenarios and milestones.

Finally, this is an advance notice. In the final call for applications a year from now, for all the CO2 reduction measures, we are looking for proposals for research that conducts evaluation from a global viewpoint.
Public advertisement selection schedule
・Public advertisement period : From March 17 to May 19, 2009
・Selection period : From May to August, 2009
・Trial of interview : July, 28 (Tue.)・29 (Wed.) 2009
・Adoption announcement : late August, 2009