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In 1980 the Government of Japan established an organization to develop new sources of energy and industrial technologies, called New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Initially, the main purpose of the organization was to conduct researches in the energy sector since the importance of the issue was proved by the oil crises of the 1970s, however over the years, the NEDO’s activities have expanded to cover research areas of electronics, information technologies, telecommunications, biotechnology, robotics and nanotechnology and so on. Today NEDO is one of largest public research development institutions in Japan, mainly managing research activities in innovative sectors of R & D. Dr. Tohru Nakamura, Director of the Department of Electronics, Materials Technology and Nanotechnology, explained the principles of the organization and projects in the nano-industry.
Dr. Nakamura, what goals does NEDO pursue, and what is its role in the implementation of innovative projects for various industries?
NEDO focuses on two directions. First, we are developing new energy and environmental technologies including the energy conservation. In this field, a wide range of problems are being solved, aiming with developing, implementing and promoting decisions related to the renewable energy. The NEDO competences also include the acquisition of carbon emission quotas determined by the Kyoto protocol.
Another NEDO activity pursues the development and commercialization of innovative technologies to improve the competitiveness of the Japanese industry. For effective implementation of projects we combine the resources of governmental organizations, research institutes, educational institutions and businesses. The scope of development is different, up to long-term projects that provide the basis for the successful development of entire sectors of the economy.
NEDO activities are funded by the government particularly the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The budget of the organization exceeds 120 billion yen, and it has about 800 employees. The most important areas of research, in addition to energy, are electronics and telecommunications, biotechnology, new materials and nanotechnology, information systems and robotics.
Are there any activities involving start-ups?
It is important to support promising start-ups and the developments of technology in order to improve the competitive edge of the industry, so we pay great attention to it. In particular, in the financial year 2013, part of 120 billion yen has been allocated for various projects to promote start-up of medium sized enterprises and ventures, not counting other venture capital investments. Of course, the maturity and commercialization prospects are the priority criteria in the assessment of such projects.
Could you tell us about the work of your department and projects related to nano-
technology?
The budget for new materials and nanotechnology is about 3.6 billion yen. We exhibit about 40 major projects, divided into six groups in NEDO booth of Nanotech 2014: Health care (Welfare) Technology, Safety and Security Technology, Carbon Technology, Recreation Technology and Manufacturing Technology. The achievements in each demarcation were demonstrated in particular on our booth at Nanotech 2014.
Carbon Technology area was located in the center of the booth in this case, I think this is a key field for the nanotechnology industry. We are actively researching the prospects of nano-carbons such as carbon nanotubes and graphene for the functionalization of inorganic and organic materials.
The Health care Technology group include, among others, the following developments: the biosensors based on FET coated by self-assembled organic monolayer; high-speed and high-sensitive system for diagnosis of disease using functionalized fluorescent ferrite beads; the world’s first energy-saving air filters based on nanofibers with antibiotic, deodorant, and air-conditioning capabilities.
The Safety Technology includes the creation of a micro tactile sensor for robots, which is similar to human skin due to the use of nanofilms as a basis. Based on cellulose nano-fibers, an environmentally friendly packaging material with high gas barrier properties is being developed. A large-scale project is aimed at studying the properties of new materials based on the nanofibers.
The Security Technology group includes, for example, such projects as the creation of environmentally friendly insulating nanocomposites and semiconductor CO-sensor with low power consumption.
Development of new materials and processes for the production of printed organic-electronics are intended to produce recreational and flexible goods. There are a number of projects associated with the creation of nanomaterials for surface treatment, in particular polishing.
Manufacturing Technology group includes advanced metal ceramics developments and fundamental development of nanoporous membranes for highly-refined separation technology.
I only mentioned some of our projects, but they characterize trends in nanotechnology.
How is your project management arranged, what is their duration and whether there are failures?
At the initial planning stage the road map is developed to consider the relation to address the actual problems and future development, and. then technical targets are determined and detailed plans are drawn up, including the innovation commercialization strategies and management of intellectual property rights.
Financing can be arranged through the budget or in the framework of public-private partnership. The project participants will be identified by open tenders. If necessary, agreements with foreign organizations will be concluded, conditions are created to ensure cross-industrial cooperation. Project management includes a set of measures of regular monitoring and a schedule to evaluate intermediate results and prepare innovations for promotion in the market. To accelerate the implementation of the most successful and promising projects, additional funding may be raised to accelerate. After completion of a project, a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the results is performed.
Duration of projects depending on their purpose and complexity ranges from one to ten years. Of course, it is not possible to ensure a success rate 100% but we do make much effort to ensure that all of the projects can reach the commercialization stage.
Are you considering the cooperation with any Russian organizations?
NEDO is active in the international market, specifically in the energy and environmental solutions. We are basically interested in international cooperation including the Russian governmental agencies, academic institutions and businesses. The forms of cooperation will be diversified depending on each issue, from information exchange to joint development of innovations and collaboration of technological researches.
Thank you for the interesting interview.
The interview was taken by
D.Gudilin and O.Salikova
Dr. Nakamura, what goals does NEDO pursue, and what is its role in the implementation of innovative projects for various industries?
NEDO focuses on two directions. First, we are developing new energy and environmental technologies including the energy conservation. In this field, a wide range of problems are being solved, aiming with developing, implementing and promoting decisions related to the renewable energy. The NEDO competences also include the acquisition of carbon emission quotas determined by the Kyoto protocol.
Another NEDO activity pursues the development and commercialization of innovative technologies to improve the competitiveness of the Japanese industry. For effective implementation of projects we combine the resources of governmental organizations, research institutes, educational institutions and businesses. The scope of development is different, up to long-term projects that provide the basis for the successful development of entire sectors of the economy.
NEDO activities are funded by the government particularly the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The budget of the organization exceeds 120 billion yen, and it has about 800 employees. The most important areas of research, in addition to energy, are electronics and telecommunications, biotechnology, new materials and nanotechnology, information systems and robotics.
Are there any activities involving start-ups?
It is important to support promising start-ups and the developments of technology in order to improve the competitive edge of the industry, so we pay great attention to it. In particular, in the financial year 2013, part of 120 billion yen has been allocated for various projects to promote start-up of medium sized enterprises and ventures, not counting other venture capital investments. Of course, the maturity and commercialization prospects are the priority criteria in the assessment of such projects.
Could you tell us about the work of your department and projects related to nano-
technology?
The budget for new materials and nanotechnology is about 3.6 billion yen. We exhibit about 40 major projects, divided into six groups in NEDO booth of Nanotech 2014: Health care (Welfare) Technology, Safety and Security Technology, Carbon Technology, Recreation Technology and Manufacturing Technology. The achievements in each demarcation were demonstrated in particular on our booth at Nanotech 2014.
Carbon Technology area was located in the center of the booth in this case, I think this is a key field for the nanotechnology industry. We are actively researching the prospects of nano-carbons such as carbon nanotubes and graphene for the functionalization of inorganic and organic materials.
The Health care Technology group include, among others, the following developments: the biosensors based on FET coated by self-assembled organic monolayer; high-speed and high-sensitive system for diagnosis of disease using functionalized fluorescent ferrite beads; the world’s first energy-saving air filters based on nanofibers with antibiotic, deodorant, and air-conditioning capabilities.
The Safety Technology includes the creation of a micro tactile sensor for robots, which is similar to human skin due to the use of nanofilms as a basis. Based on cellulose nano-fibers, an environmentally friendly packaging material with high gas barrier properties is being developed. A large-scale project is aimed at studying the properties of new materials based on the nanofibers.
The Security Technology group includes, for example, such projects as the creation of environmentally friendly insulating nanocomposites and semiconductor CO-sensor with low power consumption.
Development of new materials and processes for the production of printed organic-electronics are intended to produce recreational and flexible goods. There are a number of projects associated with the creation of nanomaterials for surface treatment, in particular polishing.
Manufacturing Technology group includes advanced metal ceramics developments and fundamental development of nanoporous membranes for highly-refined separation technology.
I only mentioned some of our projects, but they characterize trends in nanotechnology.
How is your project management arranged, what is their duration and whether there are failures?
At the initial planning stage the road map is developed to consider the relation to address the actual problems and future development, and. then technical targets are determined and detailed plans are drawn up, including the innovation commercialization strategies and management of intellectual property rights.
Financing can be arranged through the budget or in the framework of public-private partnership. The project participants will be identified by open tenders. If necessary, agreements with foreign organizations will be concluded, conditions are created to ensure cross-industrial cooperation. Project management includes a set of measures of regular monitoring and a schedule to evaluate intermediate results and prepare innovations for promotion in the market. To accelerate the implementation of the most successful and promising projects, additional funding may be raised to accelerate. After completion of a project, a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the results is performed.
Duration of projects depending on their purpose and complexity ranges from one to ten years. Of course, it is not possible to ensure a success rate 100% but we do make much effort to ensure that all of the projects can reach the commercialization stage.
Are you considering the cooperation with any Russian organizations?
NEDO is active in the international market, specifically in the energy and environmental solutions. We are basically interested in international cooperation including the Russian governmental agencies, academic institutions and businesses. The forms of cooperation will be diversified depending on each issue, from information exchange to joint development of innovations and collaboration of technological researches.
Thank you for the interesting interview.
The interview was taken by
D.Gudilin and O.Salikova
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