“Materials” are the source of technological innovation. A wide variety of materials—including metals, semiconductors, ceramics, and polymers—are utilized across all modern technological fields such as energy, information and communications, healthcare, and high‑speed transportation. Many technological breakthroughs have been made possible through the creation of high‑performance materials. To further accelerate such materials development, it is essential to promote emergent research driven by the flexible ideas of young researchers.

This panel invites research proposals with the potential to lead to emergent studies in the fields of materials and chemistry (metals and inorganic materials). Topics may relate to material properties, structures and functions, interfaces and nanostructures, processing and microstructure control, coordination chemistry, catalysis and resources, nuclear energy, nano‑/micro‑systems, as well as approaches drawing from AI, robotics, data science, process science, and various advanced measurement technologies.

To develop your proposals into truly emergent research, there will surely be several boundaries you must cross—boundaries of academic disciplines, institutions, national borders, and at times even your own established perspectives. In this panel, while respecting your passion and pride, I will work together with the experienced Advisors and the members of JST to provide continuous and wholehearted support for your efforts to cross these boundaries.

We sincerely hope that this panel will give rise to numerous research outcomes that no one could have imagined, and that will one day lead to new technological fields. We look forward to receiving a wide range of inspiring research proposals—Across your Boundaries!