Message

Director-General

Motoi SUWA

Osaka National Research Institute, AIST is an integrated national laboratory, which makes researches on important technologies. It was established in 1918 as the second research institute for chemical industries in Japan. It has since greatly contributed to their advancement by developing industrially important materials as, for example, carbon fibre from synthetic polyacrylonitrile fibre, etc. In the recent trend toward sophisticated and knowledge-concentrated industries in many industrial fields, the importance of material science and technology is increasing year by year as the key technology for overall technological innovation or breakthrough. Especially, the long-term challenge to unexplored research region in material science and technology are attracting growing interests from many fields of technology.

With an end to develop new technologies and to contribute to internationally industrial advancement through these technologies, we carry out intensive R&D programs for advanced materials, putting emphasis on such three kinds as of materials for energy conversion or generation, of optical materials, and of surface functional materials. Thus we contribute to the promotion of international research cooperation as well as to industrial advancement in the Kansai region.

Role of ONRI

As a center of excellence for materials research

The Osaka National Research Institute is one of the 15 research institutes under the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). It is the largest national laboratory committed to industrial science and technology, with its headquaters in the Kansai area. The Institute has produced a number of outstanding research achievements in its 75 years through the exploration and development of new materials as represented by carbon fibers, electrically conductive transparent thin films, just to name a few. With our aim to become a globally acclaimed laboratory, we will continue our efforts in research and development in material science and technology, giving priority to the following three fields in particular:

• Energy-related Materials: Materials used for generation and storage of electric power, such as storage batteries, fuel cells, etc., for electrolytic separation of hydrogen and storage of hydrogen in alloys, for high-temperature carbon and ceramics intended for gas turbines, etc., and for superconducting materials.
• Optical Materials: Glasses and thin film for optical applications, nonlinear optical materials, optochemical sensors and similar photo-functional materials, optical information processing technology, applied photometry, etc.
• Surface-functional materials: Designing of catalysis, bio-functional materials, graphite intercalation compounds, etc., utilization of the specific phenomena occurring at the interfaces of composite materials and theoretical analyses of them, and research on surface modification with ion implantation, etc.

Directions to be followed in future

With emphasis placed on research in the above-mentioned fields, in its function as a national laboratory, the institute will continue its research activities to fulfill the missions as listed below.

• Contribution to the basic technologies for sustaining affluent lives of the nation
  Through our research effort we will contribute to basic technologies for sustaining affluent living in our nation such as those for stable energy supply and its efficient utilization, for high capacity and fast optical communication indispensable for a sophisticated information-oriented society, and for the advanced medical care and welfare techniques that are urgently needed to cope with the approaching "aging society".
• Contribution to the preservation of a safe and pleasant living environment
  With the aim of preserving the environment, we will commit ourselves to preserve a safe and pleasant environment by supplying such as the catalysts that can decompose the pollutants in air, rivers and seas, a high-efficiency hydrogen production process that can supports the utilization of hydrogen as a clean energy source and new techniques on human sensory measurement for a more comfortable living environment.
• Contribution to state-of-the-art technology sustaining leading-edge industries
  The technological levels of our industry are expected to follow a course of further refinement and sohistication. In order to contribute to the progress of such leading-edge industries in the future, we will devote ourselves to the advancement in material science through both basic and original studies such as approaches on atomic and molecular levels and theoretical analyses.
• Contribution to regional and international societies
  In the Kansai area, where a wide variety of industries are operating, as many as 21 public research institutes are catering for their needs. At the core of these public research institutes, we will intensify our efforts to vitalize industries in the area. At the same time, we will promote international exchanges on advanced science and technology, and also contribute from a global perspective through technical assistance and training programs offered to other Asian countries, etc. In order to promote the above-mentioned research activities, the Institute is actively commit to such national projects as Industrial Science and Technology Frontier, R&D on Energy and Environmental Technology (called the New Sunshine Project). Global Environment Research Program and Specific Regional Technology Development System, etc., to fulfill the missions expected of us as a national research institute.
  

The results of the External Evaluation of ONRI