Kobe University

Research Highlights– enhancing collaboration with Europe –1-1,Rokkodai-cho,Nada-ku,Kobe,657-8501,JAPANhttp://www.kobe-u.ac.jp /en©Kobe University, All Rights Reserved.

Kobe University

Formally established in 1949, Kobe University is a national university based in western Japan. Its roots
date back further, to 1902, when it was originally known as Kobe Higher Commercial School. Today,
Kobe University is one of Japan’s leading comprehensive universities with 10 faculties 15 graduate
schools and a great number of research centers and institutions.

Our Research Initiatives– Working with society, for society –To realize our mission and to meet the demands of our society with increasing
diversity, the university has created the ‘eXtreme project’ for holographic
technology and nine ‘KAITAKU’ projects ( ‘kaitaku’ means ‘developing’ inJapanese) within the Organization for Advanced and Integrated research as ourinterdisciplinary flagship projects for world-class research.
We have also been taking progressive steps in relation to value creation andits implementation including;1) Medical Device Innovation Platform (MeDIP),
2) the Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, the newest
graduate school aiming for producing entrepreneurs, and3) Kobe University Value School (V.School), a novel platform for interdisciplinary
research, education and social contribution with ‘value’ being the keyword.
Through multi-faceted academic exchanges with major overseas universities
in joint research and collaborative education, Kobe University will dramaticallyenhance its role as a ‘hub campus’ that attracts talented personnel fromaround the world and equips students with an international perspective.
Through these international collaborations, Kobe University will endeavour to
produce novel academic values and strive for the inclusive and sustainable
development of our society in the with/post-COVID-19 era.

Our Mission– Toward an outstanding research university excellingin advanced and integrated research in the humanities
and sciences –Kobe University is an academic institution that has continued to encourage
forward-looking and independent thinking in working toward our ideal of
creating ‘harmony between theory and reality’. Building on these traditions,
we are now endeavouring to further utilise our strengths in collaboration andintegration. We pledge to become an outstanding research university thatmeets the highest international standards for teaching and research and canserve as a center for value creation that will help to solve the issues facing oursociety both at present and in the future.
(*extracts related to research)contents
Project 1 HealthP.03

Project 2 Social Transition

P.05

Project 3 Disaster Resilience

P.07

Project 4 IoT & Smart technologies

P.09

Project 5 Climate Change

P.11

Project 6 Biotechnology

P.13

International

P.15

Kobe University At a Glance

P.17

Introduction

02

Health

Healthy aging through disease
prevention and active engagement in life

Active engagement in life
Since its establishment in 2015, the Kobe Active Aging Research Hub

Keystone cooperation
between graduate schools

Industry

Japan predicted to reach 7.3 million (a prevalence rate of about 20%)

Message from Researcher

by 2025. There is a high demand for preventive intervention because

The project aims to prevent dementia through preventive intervention

once symptoms become apparent it is difficult to recover patients’research and the construction of a cohort study of elderly people,

cognitive functions, even with therapies that modify the disease.

while simultaneously implementing these methods socially by holding‘Cognicare’ classes in collaboration with local authorities and care

Kobe University launched the Dementia Prevention Project infacilities. I am convinced that the project will contribute towards

2018 as an interdisciplinary project. We provide opportunities forincreasing healthy life spans and thus cultivate ‘social innovation’.

elderly people to receive preventive intervention (a weekly

Hisatomo KOWA, Ph.D

dementia prevention class named ‘Cognicare’, which is currently
being conducted using a web conferencing system due to the

Health science● Physical exercise
science● Sports science●

Professor, Graduate School of Health Sciences

effects of COVID-19), and periodically evaluate cognitive andGovernment

Environmental systems ● Cognitive science● Sensitivity engineeringscience● Social psychology● Social systems science● Developmental● Educational science● Community science
psychology●

Environment has been acting as a center for the creation of innovative
research activities in which various possibilities related to active aging
attempted; this includes global propositions for support that were

KAARb
Kobe Active Aging
Research Hub

Core ofjoint international
research
Socially
ActiveAdaptive science● Physiology● Lifestyle science●(KAARb) at the Graduate School of Human Development andwill be investigated and assertive social implementations will be

Physically
ActiveDisease prevention
Dementia is a huge social issue, with the number of sufferers in

Keystone coordination
between industry, academia,
the private sector,
and government

developed from said investigations.
More specifically, KAARb carries out four main activities. Firstly, the hub

Asian Hub Base
Mentally
Activeconducts fundamental, applied and practical research activities, which
cover research pertaining to active aging that widely ranges in scale fromindividual to society-based studies. Secondly, KAARb internationallydisseminates its research that mainly focuses on the Asian population,
thereby contributing to a research field that is predominantly European.

Europe /North America

UK
the Netherlands
CanadaUSA
Ireland etc.

PrivateSectorAsia / Oceania
Korea
Malaysia
Indonesia
Singapore
Australia
New Zealand
China etc.

Thirdly, the hub carries out support activities, which connect industry
with private and public sectors not limited to universities, and aids
research projects that cultivate a variety of human resources. Finally,
KAARb conducts networking activities, which enrich global research
networks. Through these four activities, KAARb aims to become an
open interaction platform for advanced active aging research with its

physical functions with the participants’ agreement. Through theabove mentioned activities, we have constructed a bioresourcebank for storing surplus specimens from the regular blood tests.

Message from Director

This can be utilised for various research purposes.

Communication, in particular international exchanges, always greatly

partner organisations.

inspire me, deepen my thoughts, and bring me great joy. When I find

We have recently started a 3-year grant-funded project (2020 -2022)

out that we share common ideas and have identified similar problems,

to conduct a randomised controlled trial of 200 citizens of Tamba City

I am sure that we can mutually contribute towards making the aging

in Hyogo Prefecture, which will contribute to the Japan-multimodal

world better. At the same time, I am very pleased that we are able tointervention trial for the prevention of dementia (J-MINT). This willdevelop friendships in the process. I hope to strive towards theprovide evidence for the effectiveness of intervention methods. We

expansion of international research collaboration, including throughexamine whether multifactorial interventions such as lifestyle-related

the HORIZON Europe programme.

disease management, weekly exercise, cognitive function training, andKeiko KATAGIRI, Ph.D

nutritional management can reduce the progression of cognitive
impairment in people at risk of dementia.

Professor, Graduate School of Human Development and Environment

Core project menbers

International Collaboration

International Collaboration
The J-MINT study is the Japanese version of the FINGER study, which
was first conducted in Finland, and is part of the World Wide Finger
study. In order to advance our research including this J-MINT study, we
initiate international collaboration and the dissemination of research
results at international symposia and conferences. We also have a
student exchange program with FH JOANNEUM University of Applied
Sciences, which is conducive to training researchers.

Aging is one of the most important global issues. As Japan the world’s
most aged society, we assume that by sharing our knowledge, experiences
and practices, we can contribute towards other countries’ knowledge inthe field of gerontology. In this sense, we believe that developing a network
among academic professionals is of great importance.

Narihiko KONDO, Ph.D Yoshiaki KIDO, Ph.D
Professor, Graduate School of Human
Development and Environment

Professor, Graduate School of
Health Sciences

Information on related research facilities
Graduate School of Health Sciences

http://www.ams.kobe-u.ac.jp/en/

Graduate School of Human Development and Environment
Graduate School of System Informatics
03

Healthhttp://www.h.kobe-u.ac.jp/en/node/1023

http://www.csi.kobe-u.ac.jp/english/

We are also strengthening our network with Europe and the United States.
We are convinced that they are pioneers in the field of gerontology, whilst
Japan is the world’s most aged society and has ample experience andpractice. Mutual communication should benefit all parties. In particular, we
believe that the long history of traditional European philosophy will
provide suggestions in consideration to well-being of older adults.

Initially, we developed a close academic network with two esteemedaging institutes located in the University of Hong Kong, and Ewha Womans
University (South Korea) respectively. These institutes are located in East
Asian countries that share similar societal values and where the aging
population is rapidly increasing. We have already started several research
projects together.

Information on related research facilities
Graduate School of Human Development and Environment

http://www.h.kobe-u.ac.jp/en/node/1023

Health04

Social Transition

Migration studies
for inclusive communities

Kazunari SAKAI, Ph.D
Professor, Graduate School of Intercultural Studies

Message from Researcher

The Graduate School of Intercultural Studies promotes migration studies in the Migration Research division of the Research Center for

Around 2016, the year this project started in, the European

Promoting Intercultural Studies (Promis) with over 100 researchers including domestic and international collaborators. In our researchrefugee crisis had reached a peak, the Rohingya refugee crisis

project, the `exploration of various problems due to intensified modern migration on a global scale´ is one of the main topics and a pressing

was getting more serious, and the former President Donald

issue. The purpose of the project is to establish and develop an international center for migration research.

Trump announced the policy to construct the U.S.-Mexico borderwall to repel illegal migrants. It was a time when friction and

Nowadays, there are fears within the receiving society concerning the rise of social, political and economic instability due to intensified

conflict over the international movement of people rose to themigration, divisions in local communities due to increased multiculturalisation, and the erosion of citizens’ sense of solidarity with one

surface all over the world and this project was launched as aanother, which is critical for welfare redistribution and is leading to the instability of the welfare state. The rise of populist groups thatway to meet the needs of the times. Based on our advanced

advocate anti-immigration in EU countries can be said to be one of its reflections. This project investigates knowledge and policies which

research activities in this field, we will establish a researchmodern societies in Japan, the EU, and other parts of Asia require in order to structure sustainable and secure spheres of life.

center on global migration in the Graduate School of Intercultural
Studies at Kobe University in FY2022, to serve as a hub for thisThis project is based on `Research on the Public Policies on Migration, Multiculturalization and Welfare for the Regeneration of Communities

international collaborative research, promoting permanentin European, Asian and Japanese Societies,´ which has been adopted as a Core-to-Core Program (A: Advanced Research Networks) by theand world-class international academic research activities.

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (2016-2020). The research is organised into the following six joint research groups: (1) Borders andHuman Rights for Migrants, (2) Governance on Migration, (3) Intimacy/Publicness beyond Borders, (4) Localised Multiculturalism andNationalism, (5) Cultural Policies about Immigration and Refugee, (6) Migration Dynamics and Adaptation to Host Societies. The project isbeing conducted in close collaboration with research centers in the EU and Asia and promotes interdisciplinary research collaboration.

Migration

Cleavage in
Communities

Poverty

Violence

Poverty

Violence

WelfareMulticulturalisation
Exclusion

Discrimination
Terrorism

Field Research

JP-Asia-EU
Cooperation

Religious Conflictin Sending & Host
Countries

Theory andMethodology

WelfareState Crisis
WelfareThrough this project, we have built a consortium consisting ofleading universities in the EU and Asia with unique characteristics.

Migration

Disparity

ExclusionMulticulturalisation

Int’l Research Core Building

Answers to Problems
Construct
Secure and Sustainable
Living Environment

Information on related research facilities
Promis05

Social Transition

http://web.cla.kobe-u.ac.jp/group/Promis/index.html

Theorising

Regeneration ofCommunities

International Collaboration

Support &Policy Proposal

In the EU, we have partnerships with hub universities in countries
that have many migrants and issues related to multiculturalisation
and welfare policies, such as KU Leuven (Belgium) in EU studies,
University of Paris Nanterre (France) in History and International
Relations, University of Naples “L’Orientale” (Italy) in Asian andMediterranean studies, and the University of Hildesheim(Germany) in Cultural Policies. In the United Kingdom, which leftthe EU, we have also been deepening our collaboration with
migration studies departments of the University of Cambridge
and the University of Essex.
In Asia, we are collaborating with Mahidol University in Thailand
and the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam,
where migration from other ASEAN countries has increased inrecent years. We are also working with Inha University in South
Korea and National Chengchi University in Taiwan, which arereceiving more and more migrant workers from other parts ofEast Asia. Mahidol University in particular is one of the best
migration research centres in Asia and is increasing its researchexchange with our project members.
In addition, we are beginning to collaborate with research
institutes in Eastern Europe, such as Poland and Romania, as wellas the United States and Mexico. Consequently this project is
expected to develop into a global network hub for migration
studies.

National Museum of
Ethnology

Kyoto University
Graduate School ofLetters Asian ResearchCenter for the Intimate
and Public Spheres

Tokyo University ofForeign Studies
Institute forInternational Relations

Kobe University
Utsunomiya University
Faculty of International
Studies

The formation of an advanced
research network that iscomposed of core institutions
in Europe, Asia and Japan

Toyama University
Faculty of Humanities,
East Asian Languages
and Cultures Course■International Joint Researchand Survey

Other ResearchInstitutions in
Domestic and Overseas■Convening International

Symposia and Workshops■Scholar Exchanges between
Core Institutions■Fostering of Young Researchers
through the Next Generation
Seminar

Asia■VietnamVietnam National University
Ho Chi Minh City
■Thailand
Mahidol University■TaiwanNational Chengchi University■South Korea
Inha University

Other Cooperative
Researchers in
Domestic and Overseas

Europe■Germany

University of Hildesheim■Belgium

KU Leuven■ItalyUniversity of Naples “L' Orientale”■France

University of Paris NanterreSocial Transition

06

Disaster Resilience

Envisioning disaster-resilient
society of the future

Atsushi IIZUKA, Ph.D

Professor, Research Center for Urban Safety and Security

Message from Researcher

Kobe University has been comprehensively researching how to ensure the safety of cities since the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake.

I am now working on the Integrated Earthquake Simulation (IES); which

Consequently, researchers are currently working out how to design a sustainable, resilient city with the vision of ‘hundred-year plans to

is a project that was recently developed into an integrated engineeringachieve thousand-year dreams’.

system.

The new academic research unit that was formed in 2018 is called ‘MIRAI: Multidisciplinary Integration for Resilience and Innovation’This project used the K computer (RIKEN’s previous model of supercomputer)( ‘mirai’ means ‘future’ in Japanese). Striving towards such a vision involves keeping ideas and inspiration circulating around Kobe

to process large amounts of data such as geographic information andUniversity and other institutes for disaster research including the RIKEN Center for Computational Science’s Fugaku supercomputer, Hyogo

property registers. This allows us to conduct an earthquake simulation

Earthquake Engineering Research Center’s E-defense system, and JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology).

over an entire city and provides more concrete guidelines for disaster
reduction and prevention policies. Using technologies like IES that we■ Knowledge Interaction for innovation

From ‘Resilience’ to a ‘Safe and Secure’ future society

MIRAI has established multiple research units aiming

have developed as a base, each industry can commercialise them bycreating business models.

Environment

to integrate knowledge of disaster prevention andmanagement through the three major pillars of society,As the unit leader of MIRAI, I will take the initiative to work with overseas■ Inheritance of traditional local culture

economy and environment. These research units include

partners and invigorate the university by circulating knowledge, ideas■ Using green power to reduce theexperts in engineering, health sciences, humanities andand inspiration for designing the future of society.

intensity of carbon emissions■ Integration of urban design andBusiness & Economics from Kobe University. The units

resilience

work on various projects simultaneously and explore
the development of ‘Urban Science’ as a novel researchframework. A multidisciplinary meeting is organised every
month to inspire new ideas and perspectives across all

Knowledge Integration and Practiceprojects. There are also different groups that students can
get involved in too, such as the Creative Dojo ( ‘Research

Synthetic progression

Unit for Future Creation & Innovation Creative Dojo’ ) andvarious events, such as academic symposia, which allow us toachieve greater mutual understanding across disciplines.

EconomySociety■ Sustainable development plan as an■ Community engagement

MIRAI promotes industry-university collaboration with theaim of establishing a platform for open interactions withsociety and enabling research outcomes to be smoothlyinternational port city

■ Resilience against natural/man-madedisasters■ Resilient urban economy that can■ Regeneration of local communities■ Management of terminals for the■ Solid local healthcare systems & urban

overcome economic stagnation

creation of urban transportation hubs

and urban governancehealthcare networks

and public sectors, including Kobe City Government,
subsidised projects and joint research.

Towards society and markets■ Establishing Consortia for social implementation■ Transforming the ‘costs’ of disaster preparedness into ‘investments’

Research Center for Urban Safety and Security (RCUSS)

has taken the initiative to establish a research consortium for caltual(China) and Hanoi Medical University (Vietnam).

heritage studies with colleagues in japan, Hungary and UK, of which the
Graduate School of Humanities is also a member. One of their aims is

Recently, MIRAI have started to collaborate with the University ofcollaboration through HORIZON Europe.

entire city of San Francisco. Kobe and UC Berkeley agreed to organise

MIRAI envisions the disaster-resistant cities of 100 or even 1000 years

annual workshops entitled ‘Kobe PEER Workshop’ during the period

in the future. To realize this mission, we encourage our researchers tofrom 2020 to 2025 in order to explore grand designs for societies in thecollaborate with overseas institutions.

22th century.

in highly active collaborations with European institutions and researchers.

http://www.rcuss.kobe-u.ac.jp/English/index-e.html

The Research Center for Urban Safety and Security (RCUSS) was established on May 11, 1996, approximately one year
after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. It was set up to renew and expand the former Reclamation Engineering
Research Institute at Kobe, and aims to create a genuinely safe and secure urban society.

Disaster Resilience

Professor Hiroshi OKUMURA, the dean of Graduate School of Humanities

Gadjah Mada University (Indonesia), Chengdu University of Technology

There are also several members of the MIRAI projects who are engaged

Information on related research facilities

07

MIRAI collaborates with various international partners including

California, Berkeley, which conducts earthquake simulations for the

implemented. At present, we work with various private
Hanshin Expressway and SUN-TV, to implement government-International Collaboration

A research team led by Professor Akihiko HOKUGO from the Graduate
School of Engineering has been involved in a research project for disasterstudies entitled ‘LINKS- Strengthening links between technologies andsociety for European disaster resilience’ awarded funding from the EU
Horizon 2020 programme’s Secure Societies (SU-SEC) section.

Research Consortium for Caltual Heritage
Disaster Resilience08

IoT& Smart Technology

Towards super smart communities
through cyber physical systems

Hisashi TAMAKI, Ph.D
Vice-Dean, Graduate School of System informatics

Message from Researcher

Kobe University has been comprehensively researching how to establish a super smart community by developing cyber and physical techniques,

Recently, I have been working on the design and utilisation of smart energy

e.g. in collaboration with Kobe City Government.

systems. I am convinced that the renewal of conventional energy systems is an

In order to accelerate our research and promote the social implementation of developed technologies, the `Research Center for Integration of
CPS-related Techniques toward Actualization of Super Smart Community Concept (CPS3C)´, was established in 2017 at the Graduate School of
System Informatics. The objective of the center is 1) to realize methodologies and techniques for utilising system information, i.e. meaningful
information which is found within large-scale and complex systems that are based on high-speed and large-capacity computing technologies, and2) to design highly useful frameworks and structures for cyber-physical systems.

project to develop an airflow control system based on AI technologies that analyse the movement of people and air currents. We are carrying out thisproject on `Santica´, which is an underground shopping complex in the heart of Kobe. In collaboration with companies and a local provider, theproject developed next-generation heating, cooling and ventilation technology, in addition to achieving a 40% reduction in energy consumption in
to other large-scale public facilities (such as shopping areas, railway stations,disasters. A self-sustainable decentralised energy system is one of the promisingsolutions that will enable future societies to be sustainable and resilient.
The `Nushima project´ and the `Santica project´, which are both supported by the
Ministry of the Environment (Japan), attempt to construct a self-sustainable
decentralized energy system prototype based on DC power feeding and the

The CPS3C aims to perform a demonstrative experiment on smart energy and to establish a consortium on smart mobility. First of all we have athe underground mall. We are exploring how we can apply our technologies

important countermeasure against the effects of global warming and natural`Santica Project´Efficient air conditioning with artificial intelligence andsensors for spaces with exterior openings

Centralmonitoring room

airports, and other large spaces).

AI

EA OA

Control Panel

VAV

Secondly, `the Autonomous Mobilities and Social Systems Consortium´
studies the possibilities of a wide range of autonomous mobilities in social
systems and obtains guidelines for their implementation, taking advantageof the characteristics of Kobe city, which has a compact, three-dimensionaltransportation network that includes urban areas from the mountains to
the waterfront, in addition to the rural areas in the north and west, and sea

Wind anemometer
Thermometer
HygrometerCO2 densitometer

RAG

RA

CameraDense Coarse

VAV

DamperOA
CS

Cold

Laser range
finderCR

R

conditioning at underground shopping malls by understanding and predicting
the environmental conditions using IoT technologies, respectively.
As the director of the CPS3C, I am taking the initiative to collaborate with overseas
partners and to intensify and variegate our activities by exchanging concepts,
knowledge and approaches for realizing the future smart community.

International Collaboration
Smartness has become highly relevant to our communities, precisely because suchqualities can effectively address the new demands of our societies in the fields oftechnology, or for our society in global transition. With its aim of cultivating both newtechnologies and value creation, the CPS3C enhances international researchHeatsourcepartnerships. At present, we have established a research network with the Université

Machine room

Grenoble Alpes (France), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) and the Politecnico di▼FL

Underground shopping street passages

and air routes.

EA

SA

utilization of renewable energy, and to investigate a system of controlling the air

Milano (Italy) and have started to collaborate with Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

Integration of CPS-related Techniques toward Actualisation of Super Smart Community Concept : CPS3C
Grand Design of CPS

System of Systems Approach

Solution

Systems Approach - Practice of “Society 5.0”

DesireRequirements

IssuesSystem Design
System Management■ Energy Value Chain■ Maintenance of Infrastructures■ Resilient Society against

Natural Disaster■ Smarter Production Systems■ Service-Oriented Systems■ Health Care Systems, etc.

Cyber Physical System - Realization of “Super Smart Community”
Cyber Space(Data-based)

Cyber Space (Model-based)Intellectualised Information Processing(HPC, Cloud Computing, etc.)

Emergence and Creation of Solution(Advanced and Autonomous Decision-Making, etc.)
Artificial and Computational Intelligence

Big Data
Data Accumulation

World Data Viz Challenge 2019

(Spain) on a wide range of smart technologies.
Furthermore, our cutting-edge research activities attract the interest of various
researchers and policy makers worldwide. The CPS3C promotes the disseminationof research results at international symposia and welcomes research visits to our
The 9th Kobe University Brusseles European Centre Symposium

facilities.

Information on related research facilities
Graduate School of System Informatics

http://www.csi.kobe-u.ac.jp/english/index.html

Simulation-based Analysis and Synthesis
Data Utilisation

Optimisation and Control

Promotion Office for Super Smart Communities
Established in the Innovation Commercialization Division in 2019 in order to promote industry-academia collaboration on smart
communities at Kobe University. The office supports CPS3C initiatives for the social implementation of their smart technologies.

Internet of Things(Wireless Sensor Network, Ubiquitous Sensor, Smart Meter, etc.)

Physical Space

09

IoT& Smart Technology

Operation / Manipulation(Actuator, Controller, Visualisation, etc.)

UDC078 (Urban Design Center KOBE)

https://www.udc078.jp/

Established by CPS3C initiatives as a general incorporated association that provides a practice systems approach to urban design.
UDC078 is a member of the UDC Initiative, which is the Japanese network for industry-government-academia collaborations on
urban planning for the future.

IoT& Smart Technology

10Climate Change

Offshore renewable energies
and hydrogen: Future energy sources

Teruo OHSAWA, Ph.D
Professor, Graduate School of Maritime Sciences

Message from Researcher

Japan has the 6th largest exclusive economic zone in the world, and the development of offshore renewable energies, which are non-fossil,

Since commercial offshore wind farms and offshore facilities for

non-nuclear and non-foreign energy sources, are expected to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases and radiation contaminationhydrogen production have yet to be established on a commercial scalerisks, in addition to improving the rate of national self-sufficiency. In order to implement offshore renewable energies on a large scale, it isin Japan, our project on offshore renewable energies and hydrogen has

necessary not only to reduce the installation costs but also to establish technologies to stabilize power output and to store energy offshore.

been quite challenging. In this context, the Japanese government has

This is because it is difficult to connect the generated energy to the onshore grid due to large fluctuations in power output and the long

recently declared its goal of realizing a carbon-neutral, decarbonised

distance to the coast.

society by 2050 and formulated a `Green Growth Strategy towards
2050 Carbon Neutrality´ in October 2020. This goal certainly requires‘Research and Development of Offshore Energy Station to Generate Electric Power and Hydrogen from Offshore Renewable Energies’

the further development of technologies related to the production

is one of the university’s flagship ‘KAITAKU’ projects. Under the leadership of Professor Teruo OHSAWA (Graduate School of Maritime Sciences)of hydrogen from renewable energy resources, in addition to

the project was established in the Organization for Advanced and Integrated Research (OAIR) with the aim of conducting fundamental

technologies to stabilize electricity transmission with hydrogen. Our

research on hydrogen and offshore wind energy. We believe that liquefied hydrogen has the potential to be the key technology for storing theteam will keep striving to contribute towards the marine sector’shuge amounts of power generated by offshore renewable energies, such as that generated by offshore wind farms, on a floating system.

efforts to realize a decarbonised society.

Therefore, we are developing an offshore energy station which can generate green electricity from offshore renewable energies, produce

International Collaborationhydrogen through water electrolysis and store it as liquefied hydrogen for transportation to land. The R&D for this study consist of five stages:
1) Installing offshore renewable energies, 2) Designing a floating body system for energy storage, 3) Designing an independent power system,4) Developing a hydrogen production system and 5) Establishing liquefied hydrogen storage technologies. The final goal of this research is toconstruct technologies to safely realize all these processes on a moving offshore platform, including power generation from renewableenergies, the conversion of energy from electricity to hydrogen, and the liquefaction of hydrogen for storage and transportation purposes. We
are also exploring how we can advance our research further in cooperation with the private sector.
Research and development of offshore energy station
The offshore energy station is a floating system which can generate electric power fromocean renewable energies, produce hydrogen through water electrolysis, and store it asliquefied hydrogen for transportation to land.

Power generation

Ocean
Renewables

electrolysis

liquefaction

In collaboration with NTNU (Norwegian University of Science andGraduate School of Maritime Sciences’ traditions stretching back overTechnology); Research into the development of optimization solutions

100 years. The school’s motto is ‘The spirit to be active internationally’for complex systems relating to maritime safety, economics, and ocean

and we currently welcome joint research in the following fields:

environments. Specialised hydrodynamic methods are used to develop

1) The implementation of liquefied hydrogen storage technologies;
such as LH2 superconducting level sensors, LH2 pumps.

Onboard Sloshing Experiment by Kobe University
Training Ship 'Fukae-maru'

2) The development of a hydrogen production system; such as
Seawater MHD hydrogen generator.

4) Installation of offshore renewable energies: including floating LIDAR,
Electricity

HydrogenGas

and energy production forecasts.

LiquefiedHydrogen5) The design of an independent power system; electronics devices forrenewable energy stabilization.

Research into Wind power; Development of a mesoscale model of an
applied to offshore wind farm development issues. It can be used to aid
well as what type of turbine is most appropriate.
In collaboration with EC-Nantes (École Centrale de Nantes); Developmentof advanced model experimental technologies, sensors and equipment
for floating wind turbines in extreme conditions. These technologies

We are also conducting the following prominent research activities.

LH2 Cryostat and 400 L LH2 Tank

desaltingtransportation.

decisions regarding the optimal positioning of turbines on a farm, as

tank tests, and simulations.

Transportation

ship and ocean analysis systems for maritime activities, such as ocean

advanced integrated wind field analysis method. This method can be3) Design of floating body systems; including types, mooring systems,

Fresh water

Sea Water

The project promotes international collaboration in accordance with thethat allow turbines to withstand strong winds, waves and currents
enable new types of floating wind turbines to be developed, and arealso useful for reducing the construction and installation costs.

Offshore Energy Station

Offshorewind
Photovoltaic

Independent
power system
Battery

Ocean
wave

Production
and storageof hydrogen

Prediction of
atmospheric and oceanographic
conditions

Usage of CO2 -free hydrogen
Green society

Transportation ofliquefied hydrogen
H2

Electro- LH2 LH2lysis

Fuel-cellcar

Information on related research facilities
The Graduate School of Maritime Sciences

http://www.maritime.kobe-u.ac.jp/en/index.html

Kobe University is the only national university in Japan with a graduate school for maritime sciences, offering aunique range of education and research from the perspective of `human activities related to the ocean´. The
school has a long history of providing education for the crews of merchant ships and possesses various
research facilities and vessels including the trainig ship ‘Fukae-maru’, the ship navigation simulator

LH carrier
Floating system
Ocean / tidal current

11

Climate Changesystem, and the ship model basin, and the hyper-cryogenic laboratory. In April 2021, the Faculty of Maritime
Science will be restructured into the Faculty of Oceanology to provide undergraduate courses that will
cultivate new generations who possess a broad interdisciplinary knowledge of ocean-related issues.

Climate Change

12Biotechnology

Engineering Biology
with and for open innovation

Tomohisa HASUNUMA, Ph.D

Director of Engineering Biology Research Center/
Professor, Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation

Message from Researcher

With the United Nations paving the way for a better and more sustainable future by adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),

Established on July 1, 2018, the EGBRC at Kobe University is charged with

the international community has begun to strive for a `bio-economy,´ with the aim of reconciling economic growth with environmentallythe mission of exploring the frontiers of engineering biology by leveraging

responsible action through the strategic use of biological resources and biotechnology. The Engineering Biology Research Center

Kobe University’s unique features and strengths. The EGBRC is the sole

(EGBRC) at Kobe University has taken the initiative in this regard by, for example, making efficient use of biomass and other renewable

research center in Japan that aims to create innovation in this emerging

resources and applying environmentally friendly biotechnology to the manufacturing of functional materials and general-purpose chemicals

interdisciplinary field. Our goal is to make the EGBRC a hub for innovationthat help to enrich our lives.

that combines `hardware,´ or tangibles such as research space and equipment,and `software,´ or intangibles such as researchers and intellectual property. We willOn the other hand, recent years have seen revolutionary

achieve this by building and expanding a research and development platform

developments in biotechnologies that include DNA sequencing,while simultaneously promoting advanced research and development throughbioinformatics, and genome synthesis/editing, which have beenindustry-university-government collaboration.

harnessed to engineering biology that can trigger hitherto
unavailable `potential biofunctions.´ Driving this rapid progress inthe biotech industry are increased automation and Internet
connectivity between devices through the use of big data andChemical andProcess Research
Unit

Bio-based Fuel andChemical Research
Unitrobotics. The EGBRC is building a platform that combines Digital,
Biotech, and Robotics by integrating computational technology
for metabolic pathway design, enzyme selection and genesequence design. By optimally combining elements of dry(information technology) and wet (biotechnology) technology, we

Biologics Research
Unit

aim to develop a smart-cell creation technology that can be used for

Advanced Platform
Technology
Development
Unit

Aiming to bea hub for
Innovation

International Collaboration
Building on our extensive track record of teaching/researching engineering biology, in

general-purposes. The `smart cell,´ defined as a highly functional
designed cell with controlled expression of the function, cancontribute towards fundamental medical treatments (which was
impossible in the past), the drastic reform of industrial
manufacturing processes, and the prevention of food shortages

addition to partnerships with outside institutions, we intend to shape the bio-economy by

Functional Food
Material and Agrobio
ResearchUnitcreating the kinds of innovation that meet demands from the government and society at large,

Bioeconomy
Research
Unit

including the bio-production of a variety of useful substances. The EGBRC is a research center,
which was established through the development of the iBioK (innovative Bio-production Kobe;
http://www.org.kobe-u.ac.jp/bioproduction/en/index.html ) project supported by MEXT (Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), Japan from 2008 to 2019. This project had hosted

around the world.

an annual series of iBioK international conferences that invited a number of internationally prominent
researchers. Recently, the EGBRC has participated international alliances, including the Global Biofoundry

Information on related research facilities
Engineering Biology Research Center

Alliance (GBA), which discusses `bio-foundries´ that integrate platform technologies in advanced
biotechnology, disseminates research results, shares cutting-edge research trends, and examines

http://www.egbrc.kobe-u.ac.jp/en/index.html

business models. In this way, we are contributing towards the development of the bio-economy.

The EGBRC consists of six research units each aligned with Kobe University’s core technologies-namely, the Bio-based Fuel andProfessor Ken-ichi YOSHIDA, a core member of the EGBRC, is active as the first FEMS (Federation ofChemical Research Unit, Biologics Research Unit, Functional Food Material and Agrobio Research Unit, Chemical and Process

European Microbiological Societies) Ambassador for Japan (since 2019). He was also the executive

Research Unit, Advanced Platform Technology Development Unit, and Bioeconomy Research Unit. By extensively promotinginter-unit collaboration, the EGBRC facilitates interdisciplinary work for its researchers. The EGBRC also taps into the know-how

director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre (2014 -19) and is currently the executive

it has gained from experience in government-subsidized projects and joint research, while at the same time designing a

director of the Centre for EU Academic Collaboration of Kobe University (2019-).

research framework that encompasses multiple fields. In this way, it is able to flexibly respond to the ever-diversifying needs ofthe industrial sector and to enhance opportunities for industry-university collaboration and open innovation.
The EGBRC has made available a wealth of equipment and instruments that are necessary for research in engineering biology,
a cutting-edge field that straddles multiple disciplines. By putting in place a system for shared use by researchers from both
Kobe University and elsewhere, we support interdisciplinary research and industry-university collaborative research.

13

Biotechnology

Ken-ichi YOSHIDA, Ph.D
Professor, Graduate School of Science,
Technology and Innovation

Global BioFoundry Meeting 2019
Biotechnology

14International
Partner institutions and overseas bases

Belgium : 9 / France : 25 / Germany : 24 / Italy : 12 / UK : 15

Liaison Office in Seattle(KULOS; est. 2020)

Kobe University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Interdisciplinary Research Base (est. 2018)

Brussels European Centre(KUBEC; est. 2010)

China Office (est. 2008)

Europe

145

Asia

168

(17 Erasmus + partners)

North America

30

Kobe University and Beijing
Foreign Studies University
International Collaborative
Research Base (est. 2015)

Middle East
AfrikaSouth America

79

Liaison Office in Kraków(est. 2016)
Kobe University and Babeș-Bolyai
International Collaboration
Centre (est. 2018)

6

Hanoi Liaison Base(est. 2015)

Liaison Office in Perth(KULOP; est. 2020)

Oceania10

as of Now. 1st, 2020

Ever since it was opened to the world one and a half centuries ago, Kobe has been daily witness to a cross-border exchangeof people, goods, and capital. Today, Kobe boasts a long history as one of the oldest international port cities in Japan.

KUBEC activities over the 10 year period

Taking locational advantage of this cosmopolitan city, Kobe University has been contributing to the global community
through our innovative research and cultivation of rich understanding and strong leadership skills. The University also
aims to play a leading role as an interface between overseas institutions and corporations and Kobe-based businesses,
public and private organisations, with Kobe University serving as a hub campus to realize such connections.

+ 900 participants attended the Annual Symposia+ 50 workshops and+ 800 participants

KU’s participation in European Programmes

Our Initiatives for Europe

From early on, Kobe University has recognised the crucial importance of partnerships with universities and institutions in Europe. The
Kobe University Brussels European Centre (KUBEC) was established in 2010 as the first Japanese University liaison office in Brussels toenhance our international competitiveness and promote the exchange of students and researchers between Europe and Japan. We also

FP7 [2013-2017]‘Japan-EU Partnership in Innovation, Science and Technology (JEUPISTE)’

hold the Overseas Advisory Board meeting annually in KUBEC to gain perspectives from global intellectuals.

HORIZON 2020 [2016-]

We are actively participating in research and education programmes with Europe including HORIZON 2020, Erasmus+and the ICI-ECP‘Strengthening links between technologies and society for European disaster resilience (LINKS)’ (2020-2023)‘Agile CoCreation of Robots for Ageing (ACCRA)’ (2016-2019)
double-degree project. In recognition of our initiatives for Europe, Kobe University was awarded the first Jean Monnet Centre of
Excellence in Japan.

‘EU-Japan Advanced Multidisciplinary Master Studies (EU-JAMM)’

We are confident in our continuous initiatives to strengthen the partnership between Japan and Europe through international activities
and events including the annual symposia in Brussels.

Our advisory board members (in Europe)

Gdansk University / Nicolaus Copernicus University / Trier University / TU Dresden / Jagiellonian University
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University / Vrije Universiteit Brussel(former President of the European Council)

Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence [2015-]

His Excellency Dr. Hans-Gert Pöttering(former President of European Parliament)‘Strengthening the Academic Basis of EU Studies in Japan, Kobe’ (2015-2018)‘Consolidation of the Kobe Academic Base for EU Studies’ (2019-2021)

Prof. Ing. Jiří Drahoš(Senator of the Czech Republic and former President of the Czech
Academy of Sciences)

Jean Monnet Chair [2015-]<Prof. Masahiko YOSHII> ‘Kobe Programme for Enhancing European Studies’ (2015-2018)<Prof. Noriyuki INOUE> ‘Kobe Programme for a Refined Network in EU Studies’ (2019-2021)

Dr. Michael Reiterer(former Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Korea)

Professor Hilary Lappin-Scott, OBE

15International

Erasmus+ Key actions- Mobility for leaners and staff- [2014-]-PartnersAegean University / Babeş-Bolyai University / Ca’ Foscari University of Venice / Comenius University / Eötvös Loránd University
Juej Dobrila University of Pula / University of Belgrade / University of Naples "L'Orientale" / University of Rijeka / University of Silesia

His Excellency Mr. Herman Van Rompuy(Honorary Distinguished Professor, Cardiff University and Director
and CEO, Lappin-Scott Consulting Ltd.)

Bilateral Cooperation-Industrialised Countries Instrument Education Cooperation Programme (ICI-ECP) [2013-2016]

Jean Monnet Network [2019-]
Advisory board meeting 2019 (at KUBEC)‘European Transoceanic Encounters and Exchanges (ETEE)’ (2019-2022)
International

16

Kobe University At a Glance

Faculties & Graduate Schools
Letters / Humanities
Global Human Sciences
Intercultural Studies
Human Development and Environment
Law
Economics
Business Administration
Science
Medicine
Health Sciences
Engineering

1902
4 campuses / 10 faculties / 15 graduate schools
Kobe University founded in

System Informatics
Agriculture/Agricultural Science
Oceanology (restructured in AY2021) / Maritime Sciences
International Cooperation Studies

3,734

1,673 Teaching Staff
2,061 Administrative Staff (incl. technical staff and nurses)

16,08011,521 Undergraduate Students
4,559 Graduate Students

Staff

Students

Mobility

3,253

academic year 2019

Science, Technology and Innovation

724 Visiting Researchers/Faculty Members
2,529 Outbound Researchers/Faculty Members(all data as of May 1, 2020)

Facilities for promoting research activities
Office of Research Management

http://www.research.kobe-u.ac.jp/gksh-web/ura/international/index_en.html

The Office of Research Management is responsible for creating grant proposals, surveys, and data collection as part of the University’s
practical strategies to support research activities. The office also supports faculty members’ activities for enhancing internationalisationin relation to research.

Innovation Commercialization Division

http://www.innov.kobe-u.ac.jp/index.html

The Innovation Commercialization Division initiates the university's social engagement with its 3 departments of 1) Industry-Academia
Collaboration and Patients, 2) Social Implementation, and 3) Promoting Open Innovation. This includes offices in the department ofsocial implementation, which foster two pilot projects related to 1) ‘Dementia Prevention’ and 2) ‘Super Smart Community’ which is
responsible for the current ‘Smart Brain City’ project.

17

Kobe University At a Glance

Visit Research at Kobe for more information:
http://www.kobe-u.ac.jp/research_at_kobe_en/index.html

Publication & Editorial : March 2021 by Office of Research Management, Kobe University
http://www.research.kobe-u.ac.jp/gksh-web/ura/international/index_en.html
E-mail: gksh-ura@research.kobe-u.ac.jp
Kobe University At a Glance18