The 2^nd ACCEL Symposium—Top Science to Top Innovation

Strategic Basic Research Programs/ACCEL
https://www.jst.go.jp/kisoken/accel/en/index.html

The 2^nd ACCEL Symposium—Top Scientists Tackling Social Innovation was held at SMBC Hall in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo on March 9, 2018. The ACCEL is aimed at accelerating the world’s leading basic research devoted to the creation of innovation. About 200 participants from industries, governmental bodies, and universities gathered for the symposium. They shared the outcomes of research projects and the vision of the ACCEL program, in which Research Directors and Program Managers (PMs) work together toward turning top science into top innovation.

To begin, Yoshimasa Goto, Executive Director of JST, gave opening remarks. Following this, Keisuke Isogai, Director-General of the Research Promotion Bureau of MEXT, talked about his expectations for the ACCEL program as an innovation accelerator.

The symposium focused on the material research area and broached the following five research themes. (Each affiliation is as of March 9, 2018)

Creation of the Functional Materials on the Basis of the Inter-Element-Fusion Strategy and Their Innovative Applications

Research Director: Hiroshi Kitagawa, Professor, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University

Program Manager: Akihiro Okabe, JST

http://www.jst.go.jp/kisoken/accel/en/research_project/ongoing/h27_01.html

Reinforcement of Resiliency of Concentrated Polymer Brushes and Its Tribological Applications

Research Director: Yoshinobu Tsujii, Professor, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University

Program Manager: Kimihiro Matsukawa, JST

http://www.jst.go.jp/kisoken/accel/en/research_project/ongoing/h27_03.html

Materials Science and Application of Electrides

Research Director: Hideo Hosono, Professor, Laboratory for Materials and Structures, Institute of Innovative Research, and Director of Materials Research Center for Element Strategy, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Program Manager: Toshiharu Yokoyama, JST

http://www.jst.go.jp/kisoken/accel/en/research_project/ongoing/h25_01.html

Photonic Crystal Surface-Emitting Semiconductor Laser—Towards Realization of High Power and High Brightness Operation

Research Director: Susumu Noda, Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University

Program Manager: Shigenori Yagi, JST

http://www.jst.go.jp/kisoken/accel/en/research_project/ongoing/h25_02.html

The Nanospace Science of PCP for Molecular Control

Research Director: Susumu Kitagawa, Director of Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), and Distinguished Professor of Institute for Advanced Study, Kyoto University

Program Manager: Takaiku Yamamoto, JST

http://www.jst.go.jp/kisoken/accel/en/research_project/ongoing/h25_03.html

In the lecture portion of the Symposium, each Research Director presented R&D visions and research outcomes. Then, PMs introduced their implementation activities and developments of the projects for the next steps. In the following PM interview portion, PMs had a lively discussion on what is necessary for connecting research outcomes to social implementation, challenges in working as a PM, and how they will advance their research after the ACCEL program ends.

At the end of the symposium, Michiharu Nakamura, Counselor to the President at JST, and Yoichiro Matsumoto, Chair of the ACCEL R&D Management Committee, emphasized the objectives of the ACCEL program and remarked on how top science should be connected to the creation of innovation.