Form 2

Summary of Research Center Project* Compile in English withinA4 3 pages.

Center name:International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (SKCM2)

Host institution:

Hiroshima University (HU)

Head of host institution:

Mitsuo Ochi, President and Professor, Hiroshima University

Prospective Center director:

Ivan Smalyukh, Professor, Univ. Colorado Boulder & Hiroshima Univ.

Prospective Administrative director: Manabu Abe, Exec. Vice President & Professor, Hiroshima Univ.
(1) Overall Framework of the Center Project
The proposed WPI introduces the paradigm of “knotted chiral meta matter (KCM2)”. Everything we seearound us, ourselves included, is ordinary matter. Antimatter can exist too, but no macroscopic amounts of
antimatter have ever been observed, albeit antiparticles are generated at accelerators and in processes likecosmic ray collisions. Our KCM2 will have its own analogs of fundamental particles/antiparticles and physicalprinciples for designing new materials based on them; it will offer profoundly deep insights ranging from theinner workings of the World to the origins of life, as well as fundamental breakthroughs capable of enabling
green technologies needed to sustain it. Aiming to create entirely new embodiments of everything, fromfundamental (anti)particles to quasi-atoms and quasi-molecules to both liquid & solid crystals of knots and tomaterials with highly unusual properties, our WPI’s KCM2 paradigm will deepen fundamental understanding of
natural phenomena through creating their pre-designed analogs, as well as will solve the knotty Global problemsof growing energy demand & climate change by designing matter with highly desirable material properties.
(2) World-Leading Scientific Excellence and Recognition
1) Research content
Einstein proved the existence of atoms while explaining Brownian motion & introducing
the notion of so-called “colloidal atoms”. This later led to using colloids to gain insights
into the behavior of atomic crystals and glasses, and recently to the large variety of
optical, mechanical and other types of metamaterials made from pre-designed, artificial “quasi-atom” building
blocks. However, the meta-matter-like behavior of known metamaterials made from such man-made building
blocks is limited to only certain types of properties, like the refractive index or mechanical behavior. We envisage
creation of the “knotted chiral meta matter”, the KCM2 paradigm that builds on particle-like quasi-atom
properties of topological knot solitons, knotted vortices and knots in colloidal or (bio)polymer molecular strands.
Our KCM2 is anticipated to share and explain many properties of ordinary matter and antimatter, but also
overcome their fundamental limitations. For example, Fig. 2.1 shows a knot crystal that Smalyukh developed
through the self-assembly of topological solitons in the order parameter field [Science 2019]. Such knot crystalsof quasi-atoms show ~50% anisotropic electro-strictive strain [Science 2019], more than two orders ofmagnitude larger than that known for crystals in conventional matter. While knotted solitons can have chiralnature, the key role played by chirality is in enabling the energetic stability of such particle-like objects. A
different KCM2 example is a crystal made of interlocked molecular rings (Fig. 2.2) developed by our PI Sato &colleagues [Nature 2021], where topological linking leads to interesting physical properties that may potentiallyenable carbon dioxide capture and transparent thermal superinsulation often needed for boosting energy
efficiency. Like in these examples, the World of KCM2 that we design and create will help
to overcome the perceived limits of the World around us. In implementing this vision, we
will take advantage of the recent developments in topology in both physical and momentum
spaces, and in a large variety of order parameter spaces ranging from chiral liquid crystals
to colloids, magnets, (bio)polymers, gels & other condensed matter & biological systems.
Within the KCM2 paradigm, we will gain insights into the nature of fundamental building
blocks of (anti)matter & origins of life & will create foundations to address global problemsof growing energy demand, climate change & human health vulnerability.
2) Interdisciplinary research
The proposed International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (SKCM2) will interknit
mathematics, physics, chemistry, material science, biology, cosmology & planetary science to create entirely
new research fields & to enable a sustainable future. While KCM2 intrinsically requires collaborations between
researchers with different preparation backgrounds, we will assure that the WPI shared laboratories are set up
to facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations of researchers recruited globally. One way to promote collaborations

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Form 2is through co-mentoring of young researchers, the doctoral students and postdocs, where these researchers
will have primary, secondary and international co-mentors with whom they will jointly publish while supportedby the WPI grant. Having collaborative publications will be an important aspect of performance evaluations.
Establishing the primary function of the WPI under one roof of a new building will promote discussions andscientific exchanges between researchers from different fields. Moreover, we intend to organize various tutorials
and short courses for teaching key concepts from the fields different from one’s primary training. Besides theformal seminars, the WPI will have an informal discussion forum of early outcomes of research, to which all
WPI members will be invited. While engaging our international PIs and their teams, we will take full advantage
of online meetings, short- and long-term stays of overseas PIs and young researchers in Japan and vice versa.

(3) Global Research Environment and System Reform
1) International research environment
The SKCM2 network of PIs will involve the very top global centers, including MIT, Cambridge U., Max Planck
Inst., CU-Boulder, etc. We will strive to increase the time foreign PIs spend at HU beyon 2-3 months throughsabbatical, cross-appointment, consulting & other agreements. Shared laboratory space & equipment from the
WPI funding will be provided to foreign PIs as the top priority at the very beginning of the project. Foreign PIs
will be the primary advisors for postdocs hired at HU, who will spend 50% time abroad in labs of these PIs &50% at HU. In addition to HU-based mentors, all WPI-supported PhD candidates will have foreign PI co-mentors,
spending ~50% time abroad. Joining research groups is like becoming a family member, so that the foreign &HU PIs will be all inter-knotted with family-like links via their young researcher group members.
2) Center management and system reform
Our institute will have a level of autonomy envisaged by the MEXT for WPI centers. The director will make all
key decisions related to personnel, hiring, budget, etc. His leadership team will assist with the implementationof vision and goals of the proposed project. The current group of PIs at HU and other nodes of the WPI involves
a majority of research leaders in the emerging KCM2 field & will be strengthened further through new hires of
top young researchers via open international searches, where 5-10 new PIs will join within the 10-year
implementation period, including potential new joint hires with RIKEN & AIST. To help implement ambitious
WPI-enabled reforms within the entire HU, Abe will initially combine his current role of HU’s Executive Vice
President with the role of WPI’s Administrative Director. Afterwards, Abe will devote himself to the role ofthe WPI’s Administrative Director as soon as possible. Out of three Deputy Directors, two are women: Yabuta
will be a Deputy Director for Science, Kotorii for Outreach & Dissemination & Inoue for Education. Women will
be in majority on the Executive Board. Moreover, Yabuta & Kotorii will form a strategic planning group and,
together with Abe, will help the Director oversee daily operations of the WPI. The overall administration of thecenter will achieve a balance of gender representation, experience, young energy & the need of both using the
WPI to seed reforms and maintain its administrative autonomy, per the vision of MEXT. Kotorii, Senyuk, Yabuta& Inoue, will lead the four research thrust areas of the WPI. Director & PIs will plan and implement educationand system reforms at WPI as a seed to reform HU, with strong support from President Ochi. Director will meetwith the President on a monthly basis. Once the WPI is launched, research and educational activities will be
evaluated within the concept of "meritocracy" introduced under the leadership of Director. To stimulate groundbreaking research with corresponding publications in top-ranked international journals, a cumulative annual
impact factor of publications of PIs will be systematically monitored as a summation of impact factors of journals
in which individual articles are published, serving as a guide for Director in distributing resources & salarybonuses (this strategy will account for field-specific differences, e.g. between materials science and pure math);
additional external grants, international awards, outstanding service to WPI missions & other major successes
will be similarly rewarded too. This concept does not exist at HU; once this new system is validated by the WPI,
it will be implemented throughout HU as an improvement to the existing system. In addition, by adopting thebest practices of administrative procedures learned by the WPI’s foreign researchers at their respective
institutions, we will pursue reforms, which will lead to the improvement of the administrative system at HU.
(4) Values for the Future1) Generating and disseminating the societal value of basic research
Through high-impact publications & outreach, we will convey to both scientific communities & the general public
how our fundamental research helps address many knotty problems that Japan & the entire World face, like thegrowing energy demand & its impact on climate change. For example, buildings consume 40% of all generated
energy for cooling and heating; 20% out of it lost through windows, the least efficient part of the building
envelope. Could one maintain the desired environment within a building interior without energy consumption,
like in a thermos? Sato & Smalyukh will collaborate to develop such transparent super-insulating materials by
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cost-effective fabrication of novel aerogels via knotting/linking molecules. Jointly with Vignolini, they will also
develop materials for the building envelope inspired by gold and silver beetles that use porous chiral structures
for thermal regulation (silver/gold reflections play a role like silver coatings in a thermos, though instead noble
metals beetles use the emergent power of chiral self-assembly of chitin fibers). Learning from nature, we willdevelop low-cost energy-efficient materials from nanocellulose. From yet another perspective, further
developments of electronics require miniaturization, which is limited by quantum effects at small scales. Theselimits can be overcome by our chiral magnetic spin systems and topological insulators. For example, theracetrack memories can utilize topologically protected multi-dimensional solitons like hopfions as information
carriers to design entirely new principles of future electronic devices, where topological objects like knots infields can serve as information carriers. From the standpoint of biomedical applications, changes of chirality &knotting in proteins can cause protein metamorphosis diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, so the ability ofdetecting and controlling these processes may aid in developing biomedical treatments. Knots are also found in
the viral RNA genome of coronavirus whereas the spike protein coat that changes with mutations of coronavirus
may be responsible for vaccine inefficiency, as studied by our PI Hsu. These examples show how our research
may help to address pressing problems that the World faces, also achieving missions of Japan’s Society 5.0. We
will pursue a vast variety of outreach activities designed to elevate public awareness of our sustainability
enabling KCM2 research & to attract talented young people to science careers, led by Kotorii, Deputy director
for outreach & dissemination. WPI’s summer/winter schools & conferences will have public lectures & outreachdesigned to interest the public in Japan in science for sustainability. Mimicking US NSF’s guidance fordissemination of research outcomes to the public, PIs will develop their own unique outreach components of
the WPI-related activity to broadly share the excitement about the research we do. Public lectures by Peace
Nobel Laureates will complement the science programs at WPI schools, as a reminder of the important roles
that need to be played by scientists to sustain global peace. The WPI will seed reforms & boost global reputation,
making HU like the Harvard of Japan, educating a new generation of researchers with a global perspective,
enabling energy demand reduction, climate change mitigation, Japan’s society 5.0 missions & economic growth.
2) Fostering next-generation human resources linked with higher education
Over 50% of the WPI grant funds will be dedicated to supporting young scientists, including PhD students. To
promote highly interdisciplinary research, we will introduce a system of co-mentoring young talented
researchers, doctoral students and postdocs, who each will have three or more co-advisors with different
backgrounds. For example, a doctoral student in Physics at HU might be co-advised by HU PIs in chemistry ormath & by a PI from an international node. Specialized graduate coursework will be co-designed and taught by
the WPI PIs. Our strategy will take advantage of the top international research centers in this research area,
allowing students and postdocs from HU, TokyoTech and RIKEN to spend extended periods of time at the other
WPI nodes, such as MIT, Cambridge & CU-Boulder. Conversely, Japanese institutions will host young
researchers & PIs from the international nodes of the WPI, all co-mentored by foreign & domestic PIs. Thesearrangements will allow doctoral students to take specialized courses at the partner institutions. Furthermore,
to help reform graduate education, we will introduce cross-disciplinary coursework, along with international
research exchange, schools, conferences & forums to bring the broader interdisciplinary community together.
The WPI will pay PhD students’ salary, like in USA graduate programs, as well as will sponsor student/postdoc
exchanges between Japanese & international nodes. Using matching funds, 5-10 new young PIs will be hired
within the implementation period, striving to attract the most talented young researchers & achieve genderbalance & diversity. Our WPI will seed reforms of education & research at HU, in other institutions of the large
Chugoku-Shikoku geographic area and throughout Japan. Our Center will promote internationalization andgender balance in academia, will mobilize and reinforce the global research efforts for a sustainable, peaceful
future. The WPI will strive to hire women PIs, young researchers & administrators. Out of 5-10 faculty hires,
we will recruit 50:50 male-female, Japanese-International, achieving gender balance & a stimulating crossdisciplinary & multi-cultural environment. Young researchers will connect HU with top global centers & will erase
disciplinary boundaries between the fields by working with co-mentors having different backgrounds.
3) Self-sufficient and sustainable center development
In addition to the WPI grant, PIs will pursue multiple individual grant applications in Japan, in countries ofparticipating PIs & globally. Our ability to attract such funding will be enhanced further by the international
network of collaborations & visibility of research outcomes of the SKCM2. Besides these conventional funding
sources, we will pay attention to private foundations (like the Simons, Templeton & Moore foundations in theUSA) & will establish Endowed Chair positions & student/postdoc fellowships jointly with philanthropists andindustry in Hiroshima/Japan/globally, as well as local governments of Hiroshima prefecture/city. While HU’s
support will be sustained past 10 years, the external funding will grow with each success, making the SKCM2
an independent permanent center of research excellence at HU, self-sustained after the implementation period.

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Form 3

Research Center Project* Compile in English within 25 A4 pages.

Center name:International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (SKCM2)

Host institution:

Hiroshima University (HU)

Head of host institution:

Mitsuo Ochi, President and Professor, Hiroshima University

Prospective Center director:

Ivan Smalyukh, Professor, Univ. Colorado Boulder & Hiroshima Univ.

Appendix 1: “Biographical Sketch of Prospective Center Director” (attached)
Appendix 2: “Reference (recommendation) for prospective center director by world’s distinguished researcher(s) in the center’s target
field” (7 letters attached)

Prospective Administrative director: Manabu Abe, Exec. Vice President & Professor, Hiroshima Univ.
Appendix 3: “Biographical Sketch of Prospective Administrative Director” (attached)

1) Overall Framework of the Center Project* Cleary and concisely describe your center’s mission statement as a WPI center, its identity, and its goals toward achieving theobjectives of the WPI program.

A short slogan that embodies the vision for our Center and its missions is “Building a sustainable
World, knot by knot,” conveying the notion that our fundamental interdisciplinary research on knotted
matter not only expands the bulk of scientific knowledge but also strives to contribute to achieving asustainable, peaceful future.
Missions of the SKCM2 center are the following: Establish a new research field of knotted, chirality-enabled meta matter Develop solitonic knots as new, designable quasi-atoms & quasi-molecules Cross-pollinate topology & chirality knowledge across disciplines & scales Create foundations for technological innovation to solve global knotty problems
 Become a magnet to attract & a knot to inter-connect young talent globally Create a testbed for research-based education reforms within & beyond Japan
 Inter-link natural & social sciences for sustainability & global peace
The SKCM2 center will be uniquely identified on the global stage by the following key identities:
 The only center globally that integrates multi-dimensional knot topology & chirality research Differing from centuries of pre-existing research on matter that nature gave us, this Center strives
to create its own (anti)matter and materials from pre-designed fundamental (anti)particles
 Leveraging our experience as a Global research institute “without walls”, spanning from HU to Tokyo,
MIT, Boulder and Cambridge, we will lead the World in reforming education in Japan and abroad Leveraging its international and interdisciplinary scope, the SKCM2 center will conduct researchcollaborations at an unparalleled level while fostering the next generation of young talent The SKCM2 center will be the only WPI conducting highly fundamental research that also enables asustainable future by boosting energy efficiency to slow down climate change, as well as contributing
to the Global Peace and Japan’s human-health-related Society 5.0 goals
Guided by the above missions and unique identities, the main goal of the proposed WPI is to introduce
the paradigm of “knotted chiral meta matter (KCM2)”, with its own analogs of fundamental particles andantiparticles, with profoundly deep insights ranging from the inner workings of the World to origins of life
and to fundamental breakthroughs capable of enabling green technologies needed for sustaining it. Aiming
to create entirely new embodiments of everything, from fundamental (anti)particles to quasi-atoms
and quasi-molecules to both liquid & solid crystals of knots and to materials with highly unusual properties,
our WPI’s KCM2 paradigm will deepen fundamental understanding of natural phenomena through creating
their pre-designed analogs, as well as will solve the knotty Global problems of growing energy demand &climate change by designing matter with unusual, highly desirable material properties. While crosspollinating and fusing research fields that rarely interact, from pure math to material science and bothsubatomic and cosmological-scale physics, the ambitious goals of our center may lead to field medals andNobel Prizes, as well as other WPI-scale recognitions. More importantly, our research will allow for the
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deeper understanding of the World around us and will create the means for making it more sustainable
by introducing fundamental breakthroughs that enable new technologies & improve quality of life.
2) World-Leading Scientific Excellence and Recognition2) -1 Research fields* Write in your target research field(s)Our WPI center’s activity (Fig.3.1) is mainly centered within the fieldof mathematical & physical sciences, while integrating pure mathwith soft & quantum condensed matter physics, subatomic &biological physics, chemistry, as well as planetary sciences &cosmology. The new KCM2 paradigm introduced & developed by thiscenter will lead to a new level of fusion of these research fields. The
center will collaborate with social scientists to better serve the needsof young researchers and to elevate the awareness of the generalpublic in Japan & globally about the need for sustainability-focusedresearch & the role that scientists can play in securing global peace.
Fig.3.1. Diverse research fields & natural hierarchies are inter-knotted by the KCM2
paradigm while reforming education & yielding great values for a sustainable future.
* Describe the importance of the target research field(s), including the domestic and international R&D trends in that research domain
and neighboring field(s), and describe the scientific and/or social significance of the field(s).

The new interdisciplinary research field and paradigm will allow for non-incremental, substantial advancesin multiple branches of science and technology. The proposed WPI will establish a research paradigm of“knotted chiral meta matter (KCM2)”, with topological knot solitons in physical fields & knotlike
molecules acting as its fundamental building blocks. While individual papers in the research areas
associated with KCM2 have emerged already, many of which are published by members of our team, the
WPI will allow for establishing the KCM2 as a new, internationally visible interdisciplinary research field.
Our KCM2 research will range from fundamental concepts of symmetry breaking and mathematicaldescriptions of solitons and knots, will benefit from experimental realizations and in-depth studies of such
structures in condensed matter and biological systems, will explore the role of knot chirality in the origins
of life and fundamental particles, will establish the means of controlling material properties and physicalbehavior and will culminate with the creation of foundations for new technologies & other sustainable
future values. A large network of interdisciplinary collaboration with top participating researchers within
Japan and in other countries around the World will enrich this effort. The outcomes of our interdisciplinary
fundamental KCM2 research will lead to breakthroughs and key developments in pure math, physical,
biological, planetary and other sciences, as well as will be of transformative importance for futuretechnologies and humankind’s ability to address global challenges like climate change; we expect that
our WPI research efforts will lead to both Fields Medals and Nobel Prizes. The centuries of prior research
focused on understanding and using the ordinary matter around us, but we intend to go well beyond thisapproach by creating our own, pre-designed meta matter based on the notion that knots can act as its
building blocks. Our WPI Center will integrate chirality- and knot topology-focused research in math,different branches of physics, chemistry, biology and material science while using fundamental
breakthroughs to develop foundations for future new technologies. We will explore and exploit the powerof emergent knots and chirality to bring benefits for a sustainable future and human health.
* Describe the value of carrying out research in the field(s) as a WPI center (e.g., Japan’s advantages in the subject fields, theproject’s international appeal as an initiative that challenges world-level science issues, and the future prospects of the research)Through cross-pollinating topology and chirality knowledge across disciplines & scales, we seek to deepen
understanding of ordinary matter around us by creating its artificial analogs, including counterparts of
conventional crystals, glasses, liquids and liquid crystals. This fundamental research will form foundations
to enable metamaterials with pre-designed properties not found (& not anticipated) in naturally occurring
systems but that are highly desirable to address global challenges like growing energy demands andclimate change. The combination of topology and chirality will form an interdisciplinary basis for the new
field of KCM2, which we believe is ideally suited for the WPI mission. Indeed, the WPI is a unique program
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not just in Japan, but globally, & a very attractive opportunity to pursue paradigm-changing research.
Japan is famous for world-class chirality research, with multiple chirality-related Nobel prizes in chemistry& physics, with truly outstanding discipline-specific chirality research in cosmology, biophysics, quantum
matter and material science. The Mizuhiki artforms reveal how not only the top, world-leading scientists
but also the general public in Japan are truly fascinated by aspects of topology, most notably related toknots. Hiroshima University (HU) excels in what we define as the science of knots, ranging frommathematical knot theory (here we have 4 mathematicians focusing on this topic from the pure mathstandpoint) to multi-dimensional topology in physical, chemical, biomedical and planetary sciences. This
creates a fertile ground to establish our center on “knotted chiral meta matter (KCM2)”, here, inJapan, with the headquarters at HU. It is also symbolic and timely for us to have the goal of pursuingthis fundamental KCM2 science for sustainability. A sustainable future requires global peace,slowing down climate change and addressing the challenges related to human health. In the middle of
the global COVID-19 pandemic, in a city that suffered from atomic bombing during the World War II,
with 3 PIs (including the prospective Director) originally from Ukraine that suffers from Russia’s war, withthe global warming accelerating with every day, we feel & hope that our knowledge & creativity in doing
fundamental science can serve to address global challenges for a sustainable future.
As a host institution, HU is located in the peace memorial city Hiroshima & isthe leading university in the Chugoku-Shikoku area (Fig. 3.2), a large part ofJapan that so far has not benefited from the reforms-enabling WPI program.
With a large fraction of international students, HU is aspiring to become amajor international sustainability-focused research center, with high visibility
that is only possible to achieve with the help & partnership of the WPI program.
Fig. 3.2. The new WPI will bring MEXT-envisaged reforms to HU & the entire Chugoku-Shikoku region.
* List up to 5 centers either in Japan or overseas that are advancing research in fields similar to the center’s field(s), and evaluate
research levels between your center and those centers.

Our proposed Center is going to be in many ways a unique Center globally, envisaged as a home forfundamental research on knotted chiral meta matter, as well as the birthplace of the KCM2 paradigm.
The proposed highly fundamental research aims to prioritize fundamental science, helping to make ourWorld sustainable through enabling new insights, technologies & materials needed to reduce the growing
energy demand and climate change, as well as to overcome human health-related challenges. While
there are many Research Centers, National Labs, Institutes & other organizations globally that definesustainability among their key missions, most of these institutions focus on technologies and approaches
that are much more traditional & mature in terms of their development. For example, prospective Director
Smalyukh is a Founding Fellow of the joint institute of CU-Boulder and the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) in the USA, the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI). Both NREL andRASEI focus on the development of technologies based on renewable energy generation from solar, windand other renewable sources, with the research being rather applied in nature and based on broadly
accepted approaches also pursued by dozens of other institutions around the World. One of the existing
WPIs, the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER), also aims to accomplish
goals very important for a sustainable future, but their approach is to improve materials, processes andtechnologies in order to accomplish this goal. Differently from NREL, I2CNER and many other institutions
with similar goals, our proposed WPI will enable approaches for addressing the energy demand andclimate change problems that so far nobody has thought about because even materials that they would
require do not exist. Using the KCM2 paradigm, we will develop these unusual materials from knots tohave properties that have been never possible before. As an example, if Sato and Smalyukh succeed inusing inter-linked/knotted molecules for making highly porous materials with thermal super-insulationand high optical transparency, these materials could be used in windows and other parts of building
envelopes to save about 40% of all energy generated globally that is wasted by commercial andresidential buildings to maintain the comfortable indoor environment through heating and conditioning.
Instead, the future buildings built using the materials we envisage would be capable of maintaining a
comfortable indoor environment without energy consumption, like a thermos maintains a desired
temperature of its contents without consuming energy. Looking back into history, one can find analogies
of how we dream our approach can help solve the pressing modern problems of energy demand andclimate change. Some 200 years ago, quickly growing cities like New York worried about the limitationsof horse-based transportation, with the sad projections that cities could be literally covered by horse
waste if no better ways of cleaning it were invented. However, the horses were replaced by automobiles,
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Form 3an invention that the conventional thinking at that time did not foresee, eliminating this horse-related
challenge. In a similar way, we hope that the pre-designed metamaterials enabled by knotting could one
day help reduce the energy consumption to the extent (note that 40% of all generated energy isconsumed by buildings) that all the needed energy could come from renewable sources alone. This
example shows the out-of-the-box thinking and philosophy of our WPI in relation to sustainability: invent
materials thought to be impossible, so that energy would not be wasted when it does not have to be
wasted, and so that the sources of the climate change problem related to the generation of this energy
are simply eliminated. To the best of our knowledge, no institution globally has such vision, but this iswhat it may take to save our planet.
Beyond sustainability, which is what largely motivates and sets goals for our research, knot topology andchirality are key concepts that also help to uniquely distinguish our proposed WPI from other institutions.
Although topology is recently very popular in solid-state physics, and there are many institutions globally
where such research takes place, this existing research is discipline-focused, combining topology
knowledge with materials physics within a relatively narrow subset of systems. Furthermore, the aspectsof topology in the momentum space of solid-state materials typically involve low-dimensional physicaland order parameter spaces, which is different from the knot theory aspects that we will pursue andapply in the interdisciplinary context of our WPI’s missions.
The knot theory research, a subfield of pure math, is typically pursued by individual researchers scatteredglobally, typically one per department/university. Uniquely, HU has 4 talented mathematicians in thisresearch area (including the PI Kotorii, but also professors Teragaito, Nozaki and Koda). A notable
example of a Center with strongly inter-linked pure math and theoretical physics research is the Institutefor Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, USA, with one well-known example of its success related to theFields Medal awarded to Ed Witten for providing deep insights into the mathematical knot theory basedon quantum field theories; Witten is the only physicist to be awarded the Fields Medal, the highest honor
for mathematicians. However, this cross-pollination within IAS so far had no experimental components
and did not go beyond math and theoretical physics.
At the University of Birmingham, Prof. Mark Dennis (one of the supporting letter writers) leads a ratherinter-disciplinary Topology Center with a rather broad scope. The Prospective Director Smalyukh actuallyparticipates in this international network; he often hosts PhD students from Birmingham in his lab at CUBoulder. While the scope of our Center is even broader, is built on the fusion of topology with chirality
research, still the experience of the University of Birmingham center will be valuable in implementing thevision for the SKCM2 center. Arrangements will be made for collaborations and mutually beneficial student
exchanges between the centers, which are rather different but can be partners.
While there are many Chirality-focused research centers and centers of excellence globally, including
many such centers in Japan (Inst. for Molecular Science, RIKEN, University of Nagoya, Osaka Pref. Univ.,
AIST, Chiba University, University of Hokkaido, Spring-8, Kyushu Univ., Kyushu Inst. of Technology & manyothers), they deal with more discipline-specific aspects & we collaborate with them already. Japan isespecially famous for the breakthrough research on chirality-catalyzed reactions (Noyori‘s 2001 Nobel
Prize in Chemistry), broken symmetry in subatomic matter (2008 Physics Nobel Prize of Nambu, Kobayashi,
Maskawa)… Chirality research efforts in Japan span cosmology, biophysics, quantum matter, materialsciences and so on, constituting pervasive, outstanding efforts, with “chiral” found in titles of ~1000
articles/year in Japan. The history of excellence in chirality research creates a fertile ground to establish
our new WPI, building on these strengths & enhancing them while integrating math, physics, chemistry& engineering to explore & exploit chiral effects. However, there is no example of an institute or otherorganization that integrates knot topology and chirality research, apart from the proposed WPI.
With all unique identities of our center accounted for, there are no direct analogs of the proposed WPI in
Japan or elsewhere in the World. The assembled team of PIs and their colleagues/collaborators publish
over 50% of the highest impact articles that contain “knot” in the titles of articles in Nature & Sciencejournals globally. This team is uniquely poised to establish the new paradigm of KCM2.
* Appendix 4: “Up to 10 English-written papers (review papers are also acceptable) closely related to the center’s project and theirlist” (attached)2) -2 Research objectives and plans* Describe in a clear and easy-to-understand manner by the general public the research objectives that your project seeks to achieveby the end of its grant period (in 10 years). In that process, describe what world-level scientific and/or technological issues are you
seeking to solve, and what will be the expected impact of the scientific advances you aim to achieve on society in the future.

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Form 3The proposed WPI introduces the paradigm of KCM2, with its own analogs of fundamental particles andantiparticles, with profoundly deep insights ranging from the inner workings of the World to the origins oflife and to fundamental breakthroughs capable of enabling green technologies needed for sustaining it.
Aiming to create entirely new embodiments of everything, from fundamental (anti)particles to quasi-atoms
and quasi-molecules to both liquid & solid crystals of knots and to materials with highly unusual properties,
our WPI’s KCM2 paradigm will deepen fundamental understanding of natural phenomena through creating
their pre-designed analogs, as well as will solve the knotty Global problems of growing energy demand &climate change by designing matter & unusual, highly desirable materials. This KCM2 paradigm builds onparticle-like quasi-atom properties of topological knot solitons, knotted vortices and knots in colloidal or(bio)polymer molecular strands. KCM2 will share and explain many properties of ordinary matter andantimatter, but also overcome their fundamental limitations. As an example, knot crystals of solitonic
knotted quasi-atoms [Smalyukh, Science 2019] show ~50% anisotropic electro-strictive strain, more than
two orders of magnitude larger than that known for crystals in conventional matter. A different example
is a crystal made of interlocked molecular rings developed by Sato & colleagues [Sato, Nature 2021],
where topological linking leads to interesting physicalproperties that may potentially enable carbon dioxide
capture & transparent thermal superinsulation needed
for boosting energy efficiency. Like in these examples,
the World of KCM2 that we design and create will help
to overcome the perceived limits of the natural World.
Fig.3.3. Research thrusts, PIs & participating institutions of the Center
depicted with the help of a T(4,3) torus knot.

Pursued by our highly interdisciplinary internationalteam of PIs (Fig. 3.3), the fusion of topology & chirality
research in this paradigm-changing context will allow for
new concepts and material/structural design strategies
that may otherwise seem impossible. For example,
mathematical knot and homotopy theories motivate oursearch of topological solitons such as hopfions indifferent physical systems. The well-known Derrick
theorem would preclude their stability and their very existence, but these constraints can be overcome
with the help of chirality. For example, the chiral terms in the hamiltonians for chiral magnets and liquid
crystals (LCs) allow for stabilizing multi-dimensional topological solitons in chiral condensed matter, where
Hamiltonian expressions become effectively the same in the one-constant approximations for LCs. Suchsimilarities of mathematical descriptions of physical systems arise across the entire hierarchy of length andtime scales as these similarities are related to symmetry breaking in these different systems. The spin
texture of a soliton called hopfion is a physical embodiment of the celebrated mathematical Hopf fibrationin the order parameter. It now can be studied experimentally in LCs and magnets, and in the emergent
magnetic field. Our combined experimental and theoretical studies will reveal what types of topologicalknot solitons can be stabilized by chirality, providing insights into topologically similar objects in other,experimentally less accessible systems, like particle physics and cosmology. Similarities of Hamiltonians inchiral spin systems & quantum chromodynamics will provide opportunities to establish a unified
fundamental understanding of phases, origins and consequences of nonlinearities, universality classes andgeneralizations, all done in the spirit of historic cross-inspiration between theories of particle physics andcondensed matter. Synergistically with these efforts, we will be pursuing discoveries of new phases in softcondensed matter systems like LCs and colloids, where very fundamental questions of co-existence oforder, chirality, topological knotting and fluidity also arise and will be addressed by both modeling &experiments.
While the bulk of our research will focus on experimentally highly accessible systems, like LCs, colloids,
magnets and biopolymers, our findings will have immediate impacts for the studies of objects andphenomena on less accessible scales, like the still elusive types of elementary particles and cosmic strings,
for which even their very existence remains unknown. Conversely, theories of particle physics andcosmology will inspire us to develop a deeper understanding and practical utility of related phenomena
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based on these highly accessible condensed matter and biological systems. The potential technologicalapplications that could be enabled by emergent knot chirality research will range from energy-efficientbuilding technologies to thermally insulating materials, to biomedical detection & treatment of diseases,
as well as spintronics, electro-optics & data storage.
Fig.3.4. Overall vision of the proposed research program that pursues
fundamental studies spanning from (a) pure math and theories of particle
physics to (b,c) novel materials, solitons and structures, to (d) bioinspired
photonics and thermal control, and to (e) enabling sustainable future.

The power of our approach is best illustrated with examples that cross the disciplinary boundaries
but have lots in common, calling for cross-pollination of knowledge (Fig. 3.4). Chiral carbon centers of LC
molecules mediate emergent self-assembly of micrometer-range crystal lattices of topological Hopf solitons,
which were discovered and named “heliknotons” [Tai & Smalyukh. Science 365, 1449-1453 (2019)].
Researchers later theoretically predicted such chirality-stabilized Hopfions and ensuing interesting
quantum mechanical effects related to the emergent fields in magnetic solids at tens-of-nanometers lengthscales [Phys Rev Lett 125, 057201 (2020)]. They then also experimentally found such solitons in cuticles
of certain beetles and in chiral self-assemblies of bacteria-made colloidal cellulose nanocrystals. The
relation to sub-atomic systems might be not obvious, but particle physicists were the first ones to develop
theoretical models based on the celebrated mathematical Hopf fibration and Hopf maps. The so-called
gravitational hopfions are related mathematical models associated with cosmic black holes that recently
generated a great deal of excitement (curiously, their polarized images resemble ones of LC hopfions,albeit at very different length scales). We will use helical phases of cellulose nanocrystals to templatehighly porous, thermally super-insulating aerogel materials for applications in building envelopes, includingtransparent insulation for windows. These examples show how abstract mathematical concepts of the
topological soliton (Fig. 3.4a) can materialize in the open crystal lattices of the heliknoton-type Hopf
solitons found embedded in synthetic chiral LCs (Fig. 3.4b) and also in that formed by bioderived cellulose
nanocrystals and in chiral configurations in cuticles of the Chrysina resplendens gold scarab beetle andChrysina chrysargyrea silver scarab beetle (Fig. 3.4c,d). Bioinspired porous photonic materials withdesignable reflectivity can be used as thermally super-insulating building envelopes to reduce the energy
demand and its impact on climate change (Fig. 3.4e). At each hierarchical level, emergent fundamental
phenomena define complex physical behavior that can have practical utility & can be controlled by external
stimuli, like by magnetic fields for the case of chiral magnetic colloidal LCs. The interdisciplinary study ofsuch effects will generate new fundamental knowledge & will allow researchers from different fields toapply & exchange the concepts developed within their fields effectively. Such inseparable knot-chiralitycentered knowledge took decades to “diffuse” across fields to yield not only fundamental insights but also
practical utility. Our proposed WPI plans to reduce this time 100-fold by eliminating disciplinary boundaries.
* Describe concretely your research plan to achieve these objectives and any past achievements related to your application.

General overview of research plans. Our center will be structured to optimize our ability to pursue
ambitious research goals while using the available resources most effectively. It comprises four researchthrust areas shown in Fig. 3.3. Considering the space limit of this document, we first give a brief general
overview of the research plans of different research thrusts and the cross-pollinating interactions between
them, & then provide additional details in relation to examples of specific efforts. Within the researchthrust area on LCs, colloids & gels, the goal is to develop new forms of knotted soft matter. New chiralLCs & nano-colloidal systems will be synthesized by Haino; Smalyukh will use them as host media for novel
solitons, vortices and crystals, whereas Senyuk will exploit such solitonic active matter to gain insights into
the behavior of knot quasi-atoms in an out-of-equilibrium setting. Additionally, LCs with designable highdimensional order parameter spaces will be modeled & co-implemented by Dijkstra, Smalyukh, Haino &co-PI Tasinkevych. Sato will synthesize new breeds of knotting-enabled high-porosity gels, like hydrogels& aerogels, & will collaborate with Smalyukh to control & understand properties like infrared reflectivity,
visible-range transparency and thermal conductivity, as needed for future building envelope applications.
The research thrust of quantum matter knots will explore multi-dimensional topology in both real
and momentum spaces in spin systems and quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Inoue will lead synthesisof new magnetic materials designed to host the multi-dimensional topological solitons and their crystals.
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These efforts will be guided by modeling of stability diagrams by Leonov & Smalyukh & will culminate indirect 3D experimental visualizations/mapping by Donnelly. Sasaki & Leonov will collaborate to explore thefundamental synergies between the phase diagrams in spin systems and QCD, and then Shigaki will workwith Inoue and Donnelly to experimentally probe these insights from the condensed matter and nuclear
physics perspectives. Kuroda will study the momentum-space multi-dimensional topology, once again
developing synergies with particle physics related to Weyl and Dirac semimetals in the solid state, working
closely with Sasaki, Smalyukh and Leonov.
Within the biopolymer thrust, Yabuta will study the topology of nano-sized organic matter in
extraterrestrial materials (e.g. meteorites), as well as will carry out an enantiomer analysis of not only
amino acids but a larger suite of organic compounds in extraterrestrial objects to reveal how molecularchirality in Space played a role in chemical evolution toward the origins of life. Tate & Hsu will study therole of knotting & solitonic configurations in biopolymers like RNA & DNA & in defining protein structuresin contexts ranging from fundamental properties of biopolymer knotting & linking to Alzheimer's disease& Coronavirus mutations. Sato will synthesize molecules that will be “programmed” for knotting & linking
in controlled ways, as well as for the self-assembly into materials with unusual mesoscale structure enabled
by chirality-controlled spontaneous knotting/linking. Vignolini & Smalyukh, along with co-PI Matczyszyn,
will study how knot solitons can emerge in both the natural photonic structures (like in cuticles of beetles)
and in hierarchically self-assembled cellulose nanocrystal based chiral LCs.
We intend to address many fundamental, inter-disciplinary questions on relations between chirality
and the different knots (& their crystals) in vortices, colloids, LCs, proteins & so on. This study of various
knots & solitons in diverse physical, chemical & biological systems will be integrated through the deep
connections with mathematical knot theory modeling by Kotorii, Kalman, Sasaki, Dunkel & Matsumoto &the co-PIs from the entire Hiroshima knot theory group. We intend to expand the current cohort of PIs bybringing in 5-10 new hires at HU, further enhancing & integrating these research thrusts to further boost
cross-pollination between the diverse research fields. Considering the size constraints of this proposal,
below we provide detailed plans & approaches for only a representative subset of activities to be pursued.

Pure & applied math insights into the knotted chiral meta matter. PI Kotorii & co-PIs Koda, Nozaki

and Teragaito will research the pure math aspects of Hopf fibration and topological solitons while
collaborating with Smalyukh. Hopf fibration is a continuous map from the 3-dimensional sphere S3 to the
2-dimensional sphere S2, a representative element of a generator of the 3rd homotopy group 3(S2) of the
2-dimensional sphere S2. The preimage (Fiber) of each point in S2 by Hopf fibration is a trivial knot in S3
and a pair of any two fibers is a non-trivial link, called a Hopf link. On the other hand, a 3-dimensional
topological soliton (a nonsingular vector field) can be regarded as a continuous map from the 3dimensional Euclid space R3 to the 2-dimensional sphere S2 and so it can be regarded as an element of
3(S2) by one-point compactification. Experiments revealed topological solitons which are different from
Hopf fibration as an element of the 3rd homotopy group, called heliknotons. Smalyukh described some
topological solitons which dramatically change topologies at some point through physical state change
tuned by external stimuli. Knot theory researchers will construct mathematical models corresponding tothese changes. The team will explore the possibility of new topological solitons & inter-transformations.
Extending this further from a pure to applied math perspective, Dunkel at MIT will study the energetic
pathways of such solitonic inter-transformations, in order to gain insights about subsets of material
systems capable of revealing such behaviors beyond the experimental examples already studied.
The pure math/topology team members at HU, Koda, Kotorii, Nozaki and Teragaito, will research
the chirality of Knots and links together with other members in this WPI as follows. A chiral knot is the
knot that is not equivalent to its mirror image, that is, it cannot be continuously transformed into its mirror
image. The judgement/sensing of chirality of knots is an old problem. Many knots, including well known
examples like the trefoil knot, are chiral, which can be revealed by knot invariants, such as Jones
polynomial. But we don't have invariants completely sensing chirality yet for all knots and so one cannot
systematically identify all knots at large crossings numbers. We will explore how to probe chirality of knots
and links in natural sciences. Moreover, we will also investigate chirality of virtual knots which is a
generalization of classical knots, adding virtual crossings. Collaborating with chemistry and biological thrust
members of WPI, mathematicians will help correlate virtual knots and objects in science, such as
substances and phenomena, and will give the object new properties from the viewpoint of chirality. Further,by investigating the chirality of virtual knots, we will establish classification and new possibilities for them.
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Kotorii at HU and Kalman at TokyoTech will also research physical manifestations of higher-orderlinking numbers of non-closed curves together with chemical and biological members in this WPI as follows.
Shapes of chemical strings like protein and DNA have been distinguished and classified by Knot theory.
However, these strings are not loops. Therefore, we have had to close them into loops to use knot theory,
which treats loops. Because there is no canonical way to close them, this causes a problem that theseclassifications depend on the ways of closing. We will introduce indices that directly distinguish strings,
including non-pool and pool ones, by generalizing the existing link invariants. In particular, we will
generalize the higher-order linking numbers as an expansion of linking number for any component links.
Then, together with the (bio)polymer thrust members of this WPI, we will verify the applicability of these
indices by using simulations of proteins & DNA, and classify/distinguish these strings.
The combined pure math, applied math & physics perspective on knotted matter will put us in an
ideal position to address a series of key fundamental questions with interdisciplinary importance: What are the allowed transformations between knot configurations & their physical stability?
 What restrictions do different material symmetries impose on the knot types?
 What knot invariants have physical significance for each (chiral) knotted field realization?
 How do soliton-type and singular knotted fields coexist with each other?
 What new knot-soliton condensed matter phases are possible?
 When knots decay or emerge, what are the topological cascades of knot types in different systems?
 What is the relation between topological complexity and energy landscapes?
 How do knotted structures interact? What types of dynamics of singular/solitonic knots can be realized?
 How topological concepts in dynamic phenomena can lead to entanglement of material properties?
 Is knotting in high-dimensional order parameter spaces, (SO(3)=𝕊 /ℤ & SO(3)/D2=𝕊 /𝑄 ) possible?
 Could high-dimensional topological objects 4(𝕊3)=ℤ2 and 4(𝕊3)=ℤ2 with dynamic knotting emerge inout-of-equilibrium matter?

KCM2 at subatomic-to-Universe scales. Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is the modern theory todescribe strong interactions responsible for nuclear forces binding protons and neutrons in nuclei. The
mechanism to generate the proton mass has a crucial impact over the formation of matter in the Universe
after the Big Bang. Because of the characteristic feature of QCD, called asymptotic freedom, confinementof the elementary particles (quarks and gluons) into composite systems (hadrons) emerges, and the pairof a quark and an anti- quark gets condensed leading to spontaneous breaking of the QCD global symmetry(chiral symmetry), which gives rise to the mass of the hadrons in the ground state as well as a tower ofresonances. Yet today, it remains highly challenging to reach a contemporary consensus on the mysterious
interplay between the two phenomena. This is one of the central issues in understanding the physics ofthe early Universe in which the temperature reaches 1012 Kelvin (n.b. 107 Kelvin in the Sun‘s core)accessible in the present & near-future accelerators, and of compact stellar objects that are much denser
than the ordinary matter around us. The ordinary matter composed of hadrons is expected to change intoa plasma of quarks and gluons at high temperature &/or high density. Such a phase transition is driven
by a drastic change in the strong interaction mediated by the gluons in a hot/dense medium. The main
goal is to disentangle the interplay between emergence of massive hadrons & confinement of quarks &gluons in extreme environments, & eventually to establish the
intrinsic properties of QCD & its phase diagram. Given the fact that
there exists an intriguing similarity to the phase structure of chiralmagnetic materials, Sasaki will lead the theoretical thrust research
effort aiming at the primary description of complex phenomena
related to the underlying symmetry & topology in those systems(Fig.3.5).
Fig.3.5. Particle/nuclear physics fundamental insights arising from fusing topology &chirality paradigms by the SKCM2 Center.

Topological objects in QCD: The Skyrme model describes nucleons as static solitons of the theory for pions.

Interestingly, the model yields all the topological solutions known in physics: (1) monopoles with 2(S2),(2) skyrmions with 3(S3) as dressed monopoles, (3) baby-skyrmions with 1(S1) as magnetic vortices
connecting monopole - anti-monopole pairs, and (4) Faddeev-Niemi knots with 3(S2) as twisted magneticvortex rings made of helical baby skyrmions. Thus, the Skyrme model is a model of monopoles that build
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Form 3up those topological objects carrying finite energies. The Skyrme model can also be deduced from QCD
with 2 colors, therefore it has a high potential to describe the topological aspects of the real-life QCD thatcarries 3 colors through. The proposed project aims to extend the above framework to QCD in various
conditions to explore the origin of the proton mass supposed to be generated via strong gauge dynamics
as well as various phases of the theory at finite temperature, baryon density and external magnetic fields.
Phases of high-density QCD: Skyrmion matter crystals at high density are known to be described by abody-centered cubic (BCC) lattice of half-skyrmions. In strongly correlated many-particle systems, 2ndorder quantum phase transitions can be realized because of topological defects - the phase change takes
place through "deconfinement" of a skyrmion into 2 half-skyrmions at the boundary and a U(1) gauge
field emerges. In quantum field theory such emergent gauge degrees of freedom are naturally expected.
When the underlying dynamics can be separated into "slow" and "fast" modes and the latter are integrated
out, non-abelian gauge potentials (Berry phases) are induced. It is of particular interest to study thephysics of QCD at high baryon density by means of topology. We will also find how its changeover would
take place for given external parameters as well as the experimental verification in heavy-ion experiments
and in astrophysical observations.
QCD critical point(s): Existence of a 2nd-order QCD phase transition at finite temperature and baryon
density remains hypothetical, whereas in systems of strongly interacting electrons the methodology todetermine the location of a critical point is established. The goal is to employ the method, with appropriate
extensions, to predict any critical point(s) in the context of QCD.
Experimental insights guided by the theory: The QCD phase diagram can be probed for at least threeparameter axes: temperature, baryon chemical potential (quark density), and magnetic field. The
controllable parameters in heavy ion collision experiments are somewhat limited: collision energy, nuclear
mass number, and collision geometry (centrality), among which the collision energy has the dominant
impact. Collaborating with Sasaki, PI Shigaki will be working to pursue the highest temperature with low
chemical potential via the highest collision energy at the LHC at CERN, Switzerland. The regime at finite
chemical potential can be accessed via using lower collision energies. It has been considered earlier, but
is now attracting a broader interest, e.g. in relation to the equation of state of neutron stars.
QCD versus chiral spin systems: The researchers will explore & exploit the similarity between the phase
diagram of chiral spin structures in chiral magnetic materials and the phase diagram in QCD. Being related
to symmetry breaking, the Hamiltonians of the chiral spin systems in solid-state magnets and in chiral LCs
resemble the one describing elementary particles of single chirality. Therefore, the behaviors of elementary
particles can be modeled by chiral spins in chiral magnets and LCs. Inoue & Shigaki will be working
together with Sasaki & a few other QCD theorists (Kenji Fukushima, Yoshimasa Hidaka, et al.) to find what
one can extract from the comparison between the spin systems in magnetic solids & QCD systems. Oneof the ideas is that an inhomogeneity known in chiral spin systems may emerge in the QCD system. PIs
will introduce an experimental approach to look for the proposed phenomenon; they are currently
assessing the feasibility of addressing this within the ALICE experiment. The high statistics data at ALICE(2022-2025) will confirm the behavior with improved accuracy to compare with the spin system.

Knotted phases of soft matter. Drawing inspiration from the QCD diagram/phases, Smalyukh, Haino,

Senyuk and Sato will collaborate to design & experimentally demonstrate highly ordered, low-symmetry(triclinic & other) fluids with emergent physical behavior not encountered in nature, which will be thenused as host media for novel solitons and topological phases based on them. Nematic LCs are states ofmatter that combine orientational order & fluidity. They are ubiquitous in technological applications &often serve to model behavior of less experimentally accessible systems, ranging from elementary particles
to cosmology. While symmetries of crystalline solids are classified in textbooks, diversity of possible LC
fluids remains to be explored. Only several (<10) distinct nematic LC symmetries with uninhibited 3D
fluidity have been discovered so far. Nanoscience breakthroughs recently allowed Smalyukh & otherresearchers to introduce molecular-colloidal nematic LCs that combine the thermotropic and lyotropic subclasses (Fig. 3.6) [Nature 590, 268-274 (2021); Science 360, 768-771 (2018)], where rich phase behavior
emerges from stimuli-tunable molecular and colloidal interactions at the hierarchy of length scales, fromangstroms to micrometers. These LCs promise to reveal unusual order and fluidity, like the monoclinic andorthorhombic symmetries. On the other hand, they are found hosting topological solitons with particle-likebehavior manifesting in solitonic crystals & different forms of active/driven matter. Historically, LCs were
often discovered accidentally. To increase the odds of discovery, a common recipe was to design building
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Form 3blocks with symmetries of anticipated phases and hope that interactions between them lead to such phasebehaviors. Yet, Smalyukh recently revealed an emergent effect of high-symmetry disc- and rod-likecolloidal and molecular building blocks forming orthorhombic & monoclinic nematic phases, where themolecular and colloidal subsystems order along obliquely oriented directions in the latter case (Fig. 3.6a).
Hypothetically, the orientational order of colloidal nanoparticles with pre-designed shapes within amolecular nematic host could lead to a large series of symmetry-breaking transformations (Fig. 3.6b),
starting from the Dh symmetry of the uniaxial molecular nematic LC host, including chiral & topologicallyinteresting phases, but one needs to find the design rules for these molecular-colloidal assemblies tobecome the energetic ground states. Much of prior work focused on exploration of nanocolloidal
interactions & self-assembly, where multipole-like electrostatic, elastic & magnetic interactions play
important roles. Understanding of these interactions now puts the PIs in a position to demonstrate LCs
with different symmetries of order.
Fig.3.6. Molecular-colloidal nematic LCs. (a) Monoclinic nematic formedby thin discs dispersed in a nematic host with molecular ordering
direction shown by magenta lines. The symmetry plane & axis aremarked. Green regions next to particle edges are regions where order ofthe molecular host is perturbed by the colloidal surfaces. (b) Point groupsymmetries & transformations of orientational order that can emerge inmesostructured nematic LCs formed by a uniaxial Dh molecular host
doped with colloidal particles with various geometric shapes. Chiral &nonchiral phases are depicted with magenta & yellow colors, respectively.

PIs Dijkstra, Smalyukh & co-PI Tasinkevych will design & demonstrate highly sought-after
mesostructured composites with low-symmetry orientational order and fluidity, like triclinic nematics(having uninhibited fluidity combined with low-symmetry order that has no symmetry operations apartfrom trivial ones). In the preliminary work they obtained early evidence of this lowest symmetry triclinic
nematic LC fluid by dispersing asymmetric bent-core silica nanoparticles in a molecular nematic host fluid.
Once robustly demonstrated in experiments, the various low-symmetry nematic LCs will then serve as host
fluids for new types of topological solitons, where symmetries are related to the order parameter spaces.
Unlike in solids, where symmetries of the crystal basis are required to be compatible withcrystallographic lattices, no such constraints apply to nematic LC fluids that can adopt even a larger variety
of symmetries yet to be discovered. However, the general design rules for obtaining molecular-colloidal
hybrid LCs with various unusual symmetries of orientational order and fluidity, like the triclinic nematics,
remain to be revealed, which will be a key part of the proposed research effort. The emergent orientational
order with different symmetries will be designed to arise from a thermal self-reconfiguration of relativeorientations of the molecular and colloidal subsystems supplemented with competing anisotropic elastic,
steric and electrostatic colloidal interactions. Analytical modelling of electrostatics-modified & stericinteractions between bent-core colloidal particles & the anisotropic molecular interactions at colloidal
surfaces will be used to predict and explain the temperature-concentration phase diagram for different
colloidal surface charge and the experimental orientational distributions in the triclinic hybrid molecularcolloidal LC, as done in Smalyukh’s recent study of monoclinic nematics [Nature 2021]. In the preliminary
studies, our colloidal silica nanoparticles with bent-core C2h-symmetry indeed seem to form the triclinic
C1h-nematics under conditions when the surface-interaction-controlled ordering axes of the particles aredifferent from the molecular nematic host’s principal director. For large opening angles (~150) of thebent-core colloidal particles, three unique axes of orientational ordering are observed, all at oblique angles
to each other, with one corresponding to the molecular & two to the colloidal building block subsystems.
The researchers will tune the volume fraction (number density) of colloidal particles in the molecular hostto explore how the elastic nature of nematic colloids can define the ensuing colloidal LC phases.
Experimentally, colloidal interactions will be probed using a combination of laser tweezers, video
microscopy, light scattering & nonlinear optical imaging capable of mapping different director fields of thetriclinic and other mesophases. The PIs will pursue systematic studies of molecular-colloidal LCs toelucidate how formation of different mesophases & lyotropic-thermotropic phase diagrams depend on theparticle’s surface charging, geometric shapes (opening angle of the bent-core particles, etc.) & surface
boundary conditions (perpendicular versus tangential versus conically degenerate), as well as the natureof the LC host fluid (e.g., chiral versus nonchiral). Senyuk & Smalyukh will collaborate with Mertelj to study
magnetic switching of molecular & colloidal directors; Dijkstra & co-PI Tasinkevych will supplement
experimental efforts by numerical modeling of the ensuing phase diagrams. Thermodynamically stable
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triclinic nematic LC phases will reveal how such low-symmetry orientational order & fluidity can co-exist.
Fig.3.7. Topology & crystals of heliknotons. (a) Field
comprising a triad of orthonormal n(r), χ(r) & τ(r). (b)Preimages in the smoothly vectorized n(r) of a heliknoton
coloured according to their orientations on 𝕊2 (inset). (c)Knotted skyrmion structure in n(r) co-located with knots ofvortex lines in χ(r) and τ(r). Gray isosurfaces in (b,c) show
regions of distorted helical state. (d) Primitive cell of a triclinic
crystal; isosurfaces of distorted helical background are colocated with red vortex knots black/white & preimages ofn(r). (e,g) closed & (f) open heliknoton crystal lattices.

While topology recently plays important rolesin phase discovery in hard condensed matter,
phases with topologically nontrivial field
configurations can also arise in soft matter, enriching behavior of chiral LCs. Some of the most exotic
condensed matter phases, such as twist grain boundary & Abrikosov phases, also contain arrays of
topological defects in their ground states. 3D particle-like topological solitons can be the building blocks
of exotic phases too, especially when realized in low-symmetry nematic LCs. Smalyukh recently discovered
so-called “heliknotons” (Fig. 3.7) [Tai & Smalyukh. Science 365, 1449-1453 (2019)], a type of 3D
topological solitons with a dual nature of being a non-singular Hopf soliton in the material director fieldn(r) & a vortex (disclination) knot in the immaterial fields of helical axis χ(r) (Fig. 3.7b,c). Heliknotons
form various crystalline lattices, open and closed, including triclinic crystals (Fig. 3.7d-g). An importantquestion is what it would take for heliknotons to self-organize into solitonic LCs with only orientational
ordering of the solitons? In Senyuk & Smalyukh’s recent studies, the interactions between heliknotons
already could be controlled between few KBT and hundreds of KBT, as well as effective shapes could becontrolled between nearly isotropic and highly elongated. Preliminary studies reveal that heliknotons
emerging in chiral nematics with submicron pitch can also self-organize into a disordered amorphous phase,
as well as into an orthorhombic nematic phase, where all building blocks are particle-like topologicalsolitons (similar to the ones shown in Fig. 3.7d,e, but smaller and more elongated). This brings about
hierarchical liquid crystallinity, where nanometer-long organic molecules form a chiral nematic LC host
medium that hosts heliknotons and then these micrometer-long topological solitons form yet another,solitonic nematic LC on larger scales. What are the nematic mesophases that can emerge in such systems?
Preliminary studies indicate richness of behavior in terms of multi-stable switching that involves soliton
states with the same or different topological invariants, the Hopf indices, as well as what can be controlled
by confining the host nematic fluids into thin layers (as in our prior results, Fig. 3.8). What types of new
physical behavior and properties can arise because of these stable phases formed by topologically
nontrivial solitonic field configurations? Technological needs & fundamental needs call for research toreveal LCs with different symmetries, topological diversity & varying combinations of order & fluidity.
Fig. 3.8. Phase diagrams of stability of solitons phases under confinement in a thin film of
thickness d for a chiral colloidal LC with helical pitch p, explored via tuning magnetic field.

The particularly interesting high-dimensional order parameter spaces areSO(3)=𝕊 /ℤ of triclinic & SO(3)/D2=𝕊 /𝑄 of orthorhombic nematicLCs discussed above. The allowed topological solitons in these systems
are understood based on homotopy theory, but little is known about
their stability and interactions. What types of solitonic knotted field configurations can exist in these soft
matter systems? For example, 3 𝕊 /𝑄 )=ℤ and 3 𝕊 /ℤ )=ℤ topological solitons would be ratherinteresting analogues of the 3 𝕊 )=ℤ Skyrme solitons in high energy physics, but can they emerge as
global or local free energy minima in these systems & can they form space-filling crystalline states? Here,the two approaches for new nematic LC designs can hypothetically merge; even more colorful spectrumof hierarchical LCs will emerge if this happens. Smalyukh will collaborate with Leonov & search for thisother layer of hierarchical nematic LC self-assembly in our exploration of both molecular-colloidal &solitonic nematic LCs, as well as will employ our discovery of light-powered colloidal spinning [Nature 570,
214-218 (2019)] to develop active matter analogs of these systems. New symmetries of molecular-colloidal& solitonic LCs could impart material properties. They also may inspire the quest of low-symmetry
condensed matter states in molecular, polymeric, micellar & other systems. The road of discovery ahead
is promising entirely new worlds of these beautiful states of condensed matter & their technological utility.
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Form 3

Emergent knots & chirality in bioderived systems. Orientationally ordered photonic structures, often
resembling the ones in LCs, are common to many forms of life, ranging from beetles to crabs, fish & birds,& are even found in fossils of dinosaurs. These mesoscale features evolved to become nature’s all-in-one
solutions for specific needs of survival or advantages, for example, enabling spectrally selective or
broadband reflections of solar radiation and thermal energy management under harsh ambient conditions.
Many photonic structures in nature reflect in the near infrared range (responsible for over 50% of energy
due to solar radiation that tends to transform to heat), typically to enable thermal management. Certain
ants, like Cataglyphis bombycina, survive under extreme temperature conditions not only using broadband
visible and near-infrared reflection (responsible for their silvery appearance), but also by dissipating heat
via radiative cooling and exhibiting porous structures to enable low thermal conductivity. While various
photonic & metamaterial designs have been developed recently to both control selective or broadband
reflectivity and for radiative cooling, nature keeps surprising us by revealing similar designs. Biologicalsolutions for light and thermal regulation, many of which remain to be discovered and understood, areimportant for inspiring development of biomimetic and bioderived materials. For example, technologicalneeds of thermal management in modern buildings (responsible for 40% of energy use) are largely
reminiscent to those faced by diverse forms of life on Earth over the past hundreds of millions of years.
Consequently, nature’s light control and thermal management solutions can be adopted in developing
more efficient building materials, smart clothing, and so on. Various photonic reflectors and thermal
barriers found in nature can be mimicked to produce energy-efficient building materials for applications inwindows, walls, roofs and other parts of building envelopes. Moreover, such materials can be made fromthe most abundant biopolymer, cellulose, derived from wood and even from dirty initial feedstocks like
waste. Nature’s particularly interesting approach for controlling light & heat involves helicoidal cholestericstructures, which in their simplest form can work as one-dimensional photonic crystals; more sophisticatedforms of such nature’s designs can allow for gold- or silver-like reflection-based appearance, narrow- or
broad-band spectral reflectivity, various types of focusing & light/heat re-direction & so on. The diverse
properties of such structures in various natural embodiments are achieved by varying the helical pitch, thedistance over which the constituent building blocks rotate 360, which determines the wavelength ofreflected light, as well as by forming various spatial gradients of pitch, defects, multi-layer configurations,and so on. For example, Smalyukh and Vignolini recently developed solar-gain regulating smart window
films that mimic multi-layer structures found in the cuticles of beetles (Fig. 3.9), where layers of helicoidal
structure are inter-spaced by a nematic-like birefringent layer. While this may already sound like an
exceptionally sophisticated design for a beetle to develop within evolution, they were surprised to findevidence for topological solitons dubbed “heliknotons” that Smalyukh discovered in synthetic LCs [Science2019]. Although the concept of heliknotons has been around for only two years, it is likely that beetles
and other forms of life invoked such topological solitons in optical and thermal management for overhundreds of millions of years (see the lower helicoid in Fig. 3.9d). This calls for fundamental explorationof solitonic topological structures in cuticles of beetles, as well as in cellulose-based LCs & templated bythem solid films with imprinted LC order. The researchers will uncover physical principles behind energetic
stability & potential technological utility of spatially localized solitons in such systems.
Fig. 3.9. Natural & bioinspired helicoidal structures & solitons. (a) Photos of Chrysina
resplendens, the gold scarab beetle (top), and Chrysina chrysargyrea, the silver scarabbeetle (bottom), both achieving broadband optical reflections by helical structures intheir cuticles. (b) Schematic of a chiral structure formed by cellulose nanocrystals
mimicking that in cuticles. (c) Solar spectrum at Earth’s surface & (inset) thermal
spectrum at room T. (d) A cross-section through the outer part of the cuticle of Chrysina
resplendens, showing regions: epicuticle (1) & exocuticle comprising upper helicoid (2)nematic-like layer (3) & lower helicoid (4), & endocuticle (5). Image from [J. Roy. Soc.
Interface 14, 20170129 (2017)]. (e) Schematic of assembly with near-100% reflectivity
formed by 2 helical layers separated by a nematic retarder, found in the cuticle. (f,g)
A TEM image (e) of nanocellulose & a photograph of an aqueous colloidal nanocellulose
at ~10 wt.% (g). (h) SEM image of the helical structure of cellulose nanocrystals.

The advent of man-made photonic crystals allowed for deepening
the understanding of how they interact with light, allowing for both optical and thermal management indifferent forms of life. However, little attention was paid to spatially localized configurations found in such
systems, which are often embedded in a uniform far-field background like that of cholesteric helicoidal
configurations and which resemble topological solitons like heliknotons and skyrmions recently extensively
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Form 3studied in synthetic LC materials. This calls to understand and re-create them in nanocellulose-based chiralnematic LCs to demonstrate energetically stable topological solitons like skyrmions, hopfions andheliknotons in the nanocellulose-based LCs and to explore their potential relations to similar spatiallylocalized structures found in nature (Fig. 3.9). Smalyukh, Vignolini & co-PI Matczyszyn will also uncoverpotential uses of solitonic structures in cellulose nanomaterials for visible light and thermal management
and for controlling how such organizations can be explored for templating well-defined localized mesoscale
structures. Topological solitons are marvels of mathematical/nonlinear physics, but the potential of finding
them in nature and in biologically derived materials remains unexplored. We will address this need througha combination of experiments (Smalyukh, Vignolini & Lin) & numerical modeling (Tate); it is anticipatedto be transformative because of enabling thermal & optical management applications, nanotemplating of
localized structures, energy-efficient metamaterials and so on. We will focus on identifying the organizing
principles behind topology-dictated self-organization, & on using the ensuing self-organized structures to,in return, control light & heat/energy transfer. The proposed research will also provide a fascinating
platform for training of students and will be integrated with a large number of outreach activities.

Crystals of knotted and linked molecules. PI Sato has recently realized a porous crystal consisting ofmolecular knots, or catenanes, where [2]catenane was used as a structural component; the ensuing
porous crystal exhibits an extremely small Young's modulus among all known crystalline materials and canflexibly change its macroscopic shape like gummi candy before and after the application of mechanicalstress, despite being a crystal [Sato team. Nature 598, 298-303 (2021)]. Within this WPI program, Sato
will work on the development of such “knotted” materials with excellent mechanical and thermal properties
consisting of various types of molecular knots, focusing on the following three efforts.
Chiral molecular knot-based crystals with superior mechanical & thermal properties will be developed incollaboration with Smalyukh & modeled by PIs Kalman & Kotorii & co-PI Shokef (Tel Aviv Univ., Israel).
The previously reported porous crystal [Sato & team. Nature 598, 298-303 (2021)] crystalizes in a chiralspace group, and the [2]catenane components are helically arranged in the porous crystal. We will
investigate the mechanical properties of these crystals and clarify the relationship between chirality, knot
invariants and mechanical properties. For example, it may be possible to evaluate the shear modulus
produced when torque is applied to the porous crystal and it is twisted, and investigate the relationshipbetween the direction of torsion and the arrangement of the molecular knots ([2]catenane). Chirality andthe mechanical properties of materials are issues that are also relevant to various structures produced byliving organisms and are fundamental issues that will be addressed within this program.
Fig. 3.10. Chemical design strategies of knotted molecular crystals & gels basedon (a) silane-functionalized catenanes & (b) proteins, & the naturally occurring (de) protein knotting in biological systems.

Molecular knot-based aerogels will be developed by Sato incollaboration with Smalyukh & Senyuk. They will investigate thethermal insulation properties of porous materials composed ofmolecular knots rather than strong bonds such as covalent orionic bonds. They will investigate thermal conduction inmaterials with both porosity and molecular knots, attempting todevelop materials that exhibit excellent thermal insulation
properties and high optical transparency at the same time. Specifically, they will synthesize new aerogels
by polymerizing various alkoxysilanes and silane-functionalized molecular knots (silane-functionalized
catenanes) (Fig. 3.10a) and then investigate their physical properties.
Another strategy of forming knotted soft matter is by using knotted protein-based porous materials. We
will develop new materials by assembling knotted proteins and peptides. By combining the intrinsic chiralityof the knotted protein/peptide and the meso-scale chirality generated by the self-assembly process, novel
material properties will be realized. As an example of a knotted peptide, a lasso peptide structure formed
from approximately 20 amino acid residues will be utilized as components for porous materials (Fig. 3.10.b).

Ubiquitin chain branching & topologically knotted proteins. Another example is related to protein
ubiquitination, a post-translational modification by which a ubiquitin (Ub) protein is tagged on to the target
protein substrate through a cascade of enzymatic reactions to signal cellular functions. Another Ub can be
attached to the first Ub that is anchored onto the substrate protein via one of the eight connecting points
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Form 3on the Ub, including seven lysine (K) residues and a methionine (N) residue at the beginning of thepolypeptide chain (Fig. 10c). Different Ub linkage types encode for different biological signals. The
prototypical ubiquitination function is used in the ubiquitin-proteasome system, which requires a linear
chain of K48-linked Ubs to be recognized by the 26S proteasome for mechanical unfolding and processive
protein degradation of the ubiquitinated substrate. In addition to the homotypic Ub chains that are formed
by a single Ub linkage type, heterotypic Ub chains have been reported, including linear but mixed Ub
linkage types or a branched chain of which a Ub molecule can be modified at multiple sites to form a more
complex topology (Fig. 10d). Given the large number of branching options of Ub chains, understanding
the mechanism by which the Ub branching is made with appropriate spatial and temporal resolutions calls
for new experiments & theory to be pursued by Hsu and Tate. A K11/K48-branched Ub chain is involvedin cell cycle regulation and protein misfolding implicated in Huntingdon’s disease. K11/K48 chains arerecognized by the proteasome for substrate degradation. Interestingly, K11/K48 chains are preferred
substrates for a 52 knotted ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase, UCH-L5, whose ubiquitin-removing activity is
activated upon binding to the proteasome (Fig. 10d). PI Hsu recently found the unprecedented stability of
UCH-L5 to withstand the mechanical unfolding of a bacterial proteasome, suggesting that the knotted
topology confers the mechanostability required for UCH-L5 to function in a hostile environment in a tug of
war against the mechanical unfolding and degradation of K11/K48 ubiquitinated substrates by theproteasome. Hsu will biochemically reconstitute a K11/K48 chain in complex with the human proteasomeand UCH-L5 for cryo-EM study to glean atomic insights into the structural basis of K11/K48 chain
recognition by both the proteasome and UCH-L5. The long-term goals of this thrust area of our WPI are:(i) develop new technologies to quantitatively describe the topologies of different branched Ub chains, (ii)
explore the use of UCH-L5 as a sensor to detect branched Ub chains, and (iii) understand the dynamic
interplay between the knotted UCH-L5 & the proteasome. KCM2 enables interdisciplinary collaborations
to solve complex biological problems, potentially helping to delineate the Ub branching problem. In thespirit of the KCM2, mechanical characteristics of UCH-L5 under tension will also be explored.

Integration of interdisciplinary efforts. The above plans are just examples of many KCM2 activities

that will be pursued, so diverse that some may say they are unrelated. However, they are all inter-knotted& inter-linked by the topology, chirality & knot theory foundations on which the progress will build. The
cross-pollination between these different fields will be enabled by co-supervising each student/postdoc by
3 PIs with different disciplinary backgrounds & geographic locations, as well as through a series of hybrid
weekly virtual/in-person seminars, schools, conferences, etc.
2) -3 System for advancing the research* Describe the center’s research organization (including its research, support and administrative components) and your concept forbuilding and staffing the organization. Regarding the composition of the center’s personnel, describe measures to obtain diversity
such as gender balance.

We will create a center of excellence with efficient and cost-effective functioning capable of supporting
the most ambitious research and education goals of the WPI Center. The prospective director Smalyukh
will oversee & direct the overall research operations & governance, societal dissemination & administrative
efforts as suitable for a WPI center, including the new hires of top young researchers via open international
searches, where 5-10 new PIs will join within the 10-year implementation period. To help implement
ambitious WPI-enabled reforms within the entire HU, Abe will initially combine his current role of HU’s
Executive Vice President with the role of WPI’s Administrative Director. Afterwards, Abe will devote himself
to the role of the WPI’s Administrative Director as soon as possible. Sasaki will build on her experience of
having career positions in different countries to coordinate the engagement of international PIs & young
researchers in institutions like MIT, Cambridge U. & others with ones at HU, including research exchanges,
conferences & joint international grant applications. Our WPI will take advantage of the past successful
Core-to-Core Program, "Consortium for Spin-Chirality-Based Advanced Materials", that PI Katsuya Inoue
has been leading since 2015. Building on his experience, Inoue will serve as a Deputy Director for
Education missions. He will also oversee smooth integration of the Hiroshima Synchrotron facility andother state-of-the-art user facilities at HU with the newly added facilities of our WPI. Prof. Aida will leadthe young researcher fostering effort; with Kotorii, they will form a dream team aiming at empowering
women in Japan/HU to take leadership positions in Academic environments. Working closely with President
Ochi, Abe & Smalyukh, Ikegami will build WPI’s relations with the local government of Prefecture & Higashi
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Form 3Hiroshima city, as well as industry partners. Ikegami & Shimabara will lead our WPI’s Grants/Fundraising
Program aiming at supplementing the WPI Award by government and industrial grants secured by PIs
through separate individual proposals, as well as taking full advantage of sources of funding from individual
philanthropists & private foundations both in Japan & Globally. Deputy Director Kotorii will oversee theoutreach & societal dissemination efforts, bringing knot chirality science in the forms of exhibits anddemonstrations to schools and the general public at places like the Atomic Bombing Site in the Hiroshima
downtown. Prof. Yabuta will be the Deputy Director for Science. In total 4 women will serve on theManagement Board, as outlined in the Administrative Link Diagram (Fig. 3.11). Moreover, Yabuta & Sasaki
will form a strategic planning group as well, together with Abe, to help the Prospective Director Smalyukh.
Kotorii, Senyuk,Yabuta & Inoue (Fig. 3.3) will also lead the WPI’s four research thrust areas. The overall
functioning of the center is summarized with the "Management Link” schematic (Fig. 3.11), where
attention is paid to achieve a balance of gender representation, experience, young energy & the need ofboth using the WPI to seed reforms & maintain its administrative autonomy, per the vision of MEXT. Ourleadership will be helped by highly skilled, dedicated staff members hired by the WPI center. The WPIleadership will plan & implement education and system reforms at this WPI as a seed to then reform theentire HU, with strong support from President Ochi, as well as other universities within the ChugokuShikoku region & entire Japan. Director & Admin Director will meet with HU President on a monthly basis
to secure the WPI’s support needs & to discuss implementation of reforms. Annual business meetings of
all WPI members at summer/winter schools & symposia & monthly meetings of all PIs will help develop a
strategy of WPI’s long-term development, including additional joint grant
proposals, seminar series, course development planning, etc. A steeringcommittee of WPI leadership & administrators will meet on a weekly basis toassure effective day-to-day operations. Director will seek periodic advise from
~5 External Advisors, prominent researchers & other Center directors to help
guide & independently evaluate the WPI's operations from a broad perspective.
Fig. 3.11. Administrative & research operations of the Center will be masterfully inter-linked to maximize
its output of research, education, outreach & benefits for the sustainable future.
* Describe your concrete plan for achieving the center’s final staffing goal, including steps and timetables.

Our expectation is that the SKCM2 center will keep growing and flourishing, and that it one day will employ
thousands of employees. However, the short-term staffing goal within the implementation period is that
we have about 20-25 PIs and about 150-180 core researchers in our WPI after 5-7 years of theimplementation period. Our WPI will strive to hire women scientists & administrators. Out of the 5-to-10
new WPI faculty hires, we will recruit 50:50 male/female, Japanese/International, thus boosting genderbalance and creating a stimulating, highly diverse cross-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment, witha large number of young talented researchers.
* If the center will form linkage with other institutions, domestic and/or foreign, by establishing satellite functions, provide thename(s) of the partner institution(s), and describe their roles, personnel composition and structure, and the collaborative
framework with the center project (e.g., contracts to be concluded, schemes for resource transfer).

In ~2 years, we intend to hire a new PI with a possible cross-appointment at the Hiroshima branch of
AIST, which is located right next to the HU campus; this potentially could lead to the establishment of a
WPI satellite at AIST-Hiroshima, but this option will be considered later, jointly with the AIST and MEXT
leadership. The vision here is that our WPI Director, Prof. Vignolini (PI from Cambridge U, UK) & the AISTHiroshima leadership will collaborate to consider the possibility of hiring a new, highly successful PI with across-appointment through an open international search. Very fruitful research partnerships between
national laboratories & universities have led to many scientific breakthroughs & Nobel Prizes, like in thecase of JILA (a joint institute of CU-Boulder & NIST). The AIST-WPI-HU collaboration could become anembodiment of such partnership between HU & AIST. By building on the pre-existing strength of AISTHiroshima in nanocellulose-related topology/chirality research, a collaborative effort on chiral topologicalnanocellulose systems will be established with a potential new joint appointment hire of a new PI. In thisand other recruitment efforts, strong attention will be paid to achieving gender balance and attracting adiverse cohort of young talented researchers to HU.
* If the center will form linkage with other institutions, domestic and/or foreign, without establishing satellite functions, provide theHiroshima University-15
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names of the partner institutions and describe their roles and linkages within the center project.

Our current partnerships with the participating institutions (Fig. 3.12) do not involve formation of satellites.
We currently have 2 WPI PIs at Japanese institutions beyond HU, Sato at RIKEN-UTokyo and Kalman at
TokyoTech. Our partnerships and collaborations with Kalman and Sato are key to achieving the Center’s
missions from the standpoint of view of knot theory descriptions and chemical synthesis of materials withinter-knotted molecules, respectively. However, other scientific interactions of the SKCM2 researchers inJapan and the ensuing joint publications will also involve researchers at about two dozen other institutionsin Japan (as non-PI collaborators - they will secure their own funding for such collaborations). Our intention
is to keep a flexible open-door policy and encourage mutually beneficial collaborations both within Japan& globally. Beyond research, our partnerships with the Tokyo-based PIs will also have outreach andeducation components; for example, Tokyo-based VR-based platforms will be used for outreach &education in North Japan (Tokyo Platform), where equipment will beavailable for mobile classrooms and will be used together with ourcollaborators in other Japanese institutions, which will differ fromthe separate platform intended for South Japan (HU platform).
Fig. 3.12. SKCM2 as an international institute without walls.

The partner institutions outside Japan (Fig. 3.12) include 3 American Universities, the University ofColorado Boulder, MIT and Georgia Tech, the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, as well as 3 European institutions,the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, the Max Plank Institute in Germany and the Universityof Utrecht in the Netherlands. Beyond being the home institutions of the PIs, these institutions will host
postdoctoral fellows and PhD students coming from Japan for collaborative visits and long-term stays.
Beyond research and the use of various facilities, arrangements will be made to allow young Japanesescholars to take specialized courses while visiting these institutions, so that the breadth of interdisciplinary
training of young researchers can be boosted. The PIs from these international institutions will co-mentor
PhD students and will be the primary advisors for postdocs based in Japan, as well as will send their otherstudents and postdocs to HU and other WPI nodes for collaborations. The international PIs will spendsome time, typically 2-3 months per year, in Japan and will help co-organize various summer/winterschools, symposia, conferences and so on. The PIs will be compensated for their WPI-related efforts
through a combination of salaries (e.g. summer salary when visiting Japan), consulting fees and bonuses,
as described elsewhere in this document. Soon after the WPI grant is announced, the international PIs
will visit Japan for extensive planning of joint research and education activities, as well as the Director andother representatives from HU will visit different nodes to efficiently integrate/interlink these partner
institutions and research groups to pursue our Center’s missions. The postdoctoral fellows and PhD
students will be recruited internationally. The international PIs will help HU recruit talented womenscientists in order to achieve better gender balance with our WPI center at all career levels. Youngresearchers will connect top global centers like MIT & Cambridge with HU & will erase disciplinary
boundaries between the fields (by working with multiple co-mentors) ranging from math to physics, &planetary science. Empowered by partnerships with the top international research institutions, our WPI
will seed university reforms & boost reputation, making HU like the Harvard of Japan, educating a newgeneration of researchers with a global perspective & contributions towards energy demand reduction,
climate change mitigation, Japan’s society 5.0 goals & economic growth.
* Appendix 5: “List of Principal Investigators” (attached)* Appendix 6: “Biographical sketch of principal investigator” (attached)* Appendix 7: “Composition of personnel in center” (attached)* Appendix 8: “Letters from researchers invited from abroad or other Japanese institutions expressing their intent to participate in thecenter project” (attached)a) Principal investigators (professors, associate professors, or other researchers of comparable standing)* Paste onto table a) in Appendix 7.

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Form 3b) Total number of members* Paste onto table b) in Appendix 7.

2) -4 Securing research funding
Past record* Give the total amount of research funding (e.g., competitive funding) secured by the principal investigators who will join the center
project. Itemize by fiscal year (FY2017-2021).

The table summarizes funding of the current cohort of PIs. For
example, Vignolini & Smalyukh have the level of funding fromvarious government and private funding sources exceeding 2 million
USD per year. Some of our PIs are young in their career, but very
successful in attracting funding, able to do so even while still being
postdocs & students, e.g. via competitive fellowships & grants.
Funding prospects after the establishment of the center* Based on the past record, describe your concrete prospects for securing resources that match or exceed WPI grant (FY2022-2026).

The international PIs currently secure 5-10 times more funding than HU PIs. Part of the reason is that the
researchers at HU & in Japan generally rarely pursue sources of funding outside of Japan, but this willchange once this WPI is funded. Coaching sessions on how to apply to international foundations will be
introduced & HU PIs will gain access to funding from many private/philanthropic foundations around theWorld; the English-speaking personnel of our WPI will be able to support such grant applications.
Furthermore, extensive collaborations of HU PIs with PIs at top research institutions globally will maketheir applications more competitive. We therefore expect that the grant totals per PI for HU researchers
will increase 3X within the next 5 years and 5X by the end of the project implementation period. The
research funding of international PIs is anticipated to double in 10 years. The above estimates accountonly for the external funding not including the WPI grant from MEXT that will be based on this proposal.
* Calculate the total amount of research funding (e.g., competitive funding) based on the amount of funding that the researchers will
allocate to the center project. Be sure that the funding prospects are realistically based on the past record.

Based on the past record, we expect that the total funding of individual international PIs will range between
1 and 3 million USD per PI within the project implementation period. For Japan-based PIs, the anticipatedfunding of the PIs and co-PIs with whom they collaborate will range within 0.2-1 million USD per PI. While
the funding of additional grants secured by PIs will soon exceed that of the WPI grant from MEXT, all our
WPI’s PIs and co-PIs will jointly operate the annual considerably larger than that of the WPI award alone,
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Form 3

which will grow within the implementation period so that the formal end of the WPI project after 10 years
will be inconsequential for the Center’s operations. Overall, to help sustain the proposed Center after 10
years, we will pursue external funded projects, including by new WPI hires, will retain the University’scommitment and will secure funding from international foundations (see section 4.3 below for details).
2) -5 Interdisciplinary research* Describe the fused research domains, why interdisciplinary research is necessary and important in the target field(s), and what new
field(s) can be expected to be created by way of this project. Describe your concrete strategy for fusing different research domains andcreating new field(s) by the fusion.

Topology and chirality manifest themselves in phenomena on many length and time scales, across thenatural hierarchy, from elementary particles to biological and cosmic systems, as well as in pure math, likein the knot theory, in planetary sciences and cosmology, and so on. Topology and chirality are both
examples of a “poster child” for emergence, the notion of the sum of the parts being less than the whole,so that a reductionist goal of reassembling understanding from well-understood components is not possible.
Promising significant new discovery, the emergent synergy of knot topology and chirality requires dealing
with a hierarchy of length and time scales as well as with creation of entirely new concepts, laws andgeneralizations, which are only possible within an interdisciplinary international research network, like theone we propose to establish. For example, chirality of structure can enable spatial-time configurations withthe chirality of motion and vice versa, but understanding these emergent phenomena is hindered bydisciplinary boundaries. This motivates us to cross-pollinate and fuse the topology- and chirality-focusedresearch domains, bringing together researchers that rarely meet. This philosophy provides the underlying
motivation of our proposed institute. It will create a new interdisciplinary knotted chiral meta matteremergence-focused research domain that is not a branch of physics, chemistry, biology, or material science,
nor that is a subfield of engineering, but rather is an intrinsically interdisciplinary mixture of these, a pursuit
in which substantial progress is made simultaneously in the context of all these fields. Our Center will
holistically explore the enabling role of chirality and knot topology at subatomic-to-cosmic scales, with afocus on the tabletop research and translation of fundamental knowledge into applications, leading to the
new field of knotted chiral meta matter. Mathematical concepts, like the ones of knot and homotopy
theories, will aid us with understanding, classification and generalization of findings. While the bulk of ourresearch will focus on experimentally highly accessible systems, like liquid crystals, colloids, magnets andbiopolymers, our findings will have immediate impacts for the studies of objects and phenomena on lessaccessible scales, like black holes and elementary particles. Conversely, theories of particle physics andcosmology will inspire us to develop deeper understanding and practical utility of related phenomena
based on these accessible biological and condensed matter systems. The anticipated future technologicalapplications enabled by the Center’s fundamental research will range from sustainable energy-efficientbuilding technologies to materials for extraterrestrial habitats to biomedical detection and treatment ofdiseases and to spintronics and data storage devices. Cumulatively, these future values of our research
will help assure a sustainable future.
3) Global Research Environment and System Reform3) -1 System for advancing international research* Describe your concrete plan for building an international research center including the makeup of its foreign researchers, establishmentof oversea satellites, or similar functions. Include a time schedule for the plan.
* Describe concretely your strategy for staffing foreign researchers (e.g., postdoc positions) through open international solicitations.
Describe the procedures you will use to do so.
* Describe measures to help foreign researchers sustain & strengthen activities under conditions when international exchange is limited.

We intend to establish an institute without walls, a Center of research excellence with the prominent global
presence and visibility. Therefore, we have attracted international PIs with highest research visibility andfrom top institutions globally to participate in our effort. While we plan to have no international satellites,
we intend to strongly engage the international PIs and co-PIs, as well as the young researchers, as key
contributors to all research and education missions of our WPI center. This will be done by inter-knitting
our activities through joint advising/mentoring of young researchers who will mediate inter-PI interactions
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Form 3and partnerships. The young researchers will be hired through international searches while making theselections/recruitments jointly with PIs at the international nodes, so that candidates for these positions
will meet everyone’s high expectations, as needed for fruitful international collaborations. The director willoversee all key decisions related to internationalization, including personnel, hiring, budget, etc. Hisleadership team, outlined in the “Administrative Knot” diagram, will assist with the implementation ofvision and goals of the proposed project, so that we can hit the road running once the WPI award isannounced. Once we hear about the WPI funding, we will work immediately (by starting with securingvisa paperwork, if needed) to have international PIs & co-PIs come to visit HU. HU will buy out fractionsof teaching/service effort time of foreign PIs from their institutions, to increase the time they can spend
at HU, e.g. through long-term sabbatical & other stays, cross-appointment, consulting & other agreements.
Foreign PIs will be the primary advisors for postdocs hired at HU, who will spend 50% time abroad in labsof these PIs. All Center-supported PhD candidates will have foreign PI co-mentors, spending 50% time
abroad. Joining a research group is like becoming a family member for our Center’s PIs, so that the foreign
PIs will be all inter-knotted with family-like links & knots to their HU-employed group members. Welcoming
new group members is what foreign PIs look forward to (see their commitment letters). These PIs will begreat role models for HU young researchers to follow, giving them global research perspectives &collectively integrating knowledge of best practices in mentoring from ~100 top institutions globally. Youngresearchers will connect the top global research centers with HU & will erase disciplinary boundaries
between the fields (by working with multiple co-mentors) ranging from math to physics & planetary science.
The international scope of the proposed WPI will also benefit from Smalyukh’s diverse international
experiences, ranging from undergraduate education in Ukraine to PhD studies and faculty career in theUSA, and to a series of extended stays and sabbatical visits in Germany, France, Israel, United Kingdom,
the Netherlands and Japan. His experience will serve to help build success in interactions between HU andother PIs and co-PIs. Building on experiences (transferred via multiple past & future discussions) of threeother WPI Directors of previously funded WPIs who are based in the US home institutions, Smalyukh will
work to maximize his time available to be devoted to different missions of the WPI, including the time
when he will be physically in Japan. He will also travel to different nodes of the WPI Center while leading
administration, collaborative research efforts at HU, CU & globally, building the research community. His
day-&-night, 24/7, year-round strong commitment, enthusiasm & dedication will be vital for inspiring &educating a new generation of researchers with a global perspective, as well as to building up the center’sorganization and putting its operation in order at HU, which will receive his very direct & full involvement.
A regular in-person seminar series at HU will have a zoom component, allowing international researchersjoin, with timing chosen to make this comfortable for WPI members in different time zones. If thepandemic continues limiting international exchanges, we will mitigate its impact by using VR andteleconferencing platforms, remote experimental training with the help of GoogleGlass and similar tools.
3) -2 Establishment of international research environment* Describe your concrete strategy for establishing an international research environment, administration system, and support system(e.g., appointment of staff who can facilitate the use of English in the work process and provision of startup funding) to accommodate
researchers from overseas.

A robust and highly effective environment with optimal conditions for international collaborations andyoung researcher exchanges will be established (Fig. 3.13). PIs from international institutions will havetheir research group footprints at HU and will physically stay 2-3 months a year in Japan/Hiroshima todirect collaborative research, mentoring & co-mentoring postdocs & students at HU. There will be regularresearch seminars & other meetings every week online to share progress with other WPI members. WPI
schools will be organized every year; all members will get together for a week or two to allow the extensive
discussions to exchange the ideas. We recognize that the close communication among the members is the
top priority in this WPI management. The frequent exchange of ideas at various organized occasions will
ensure productive inter-disciplinary research in a cross-pollinating way. Some of key efforts will include:Reforming graduate education & cross-disciplinary training
International research exchanges, schools, conferences & forums
Public lectures by Peace Nobel Laureates complementing science at the HU-WPI winter schools
Partnership and synergy with Hiroshima Peace ForumDevelopment of synergies with Boulder TASI & Cond. Matter Schools
A KITP Program at UC Santa Barbara in 2027, to be organized by Sasaki, Smalyukh & Mark Bowick
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Form 3

(Assoc. Director of KITP, UCSB) to bring together an even broader community for about 12 weeks
We will hire at least 20% of staff from outside of Japan, will handle paperwork & all activities solely
in English & will set a highly effective environment for international engagements as described below* Concretely describe how the center will provide an environment in which researchers can work comfortably on their research by being
exempted from duties other than research and related educational activities (e.g., allocation of adequate staff support to handle
paperwork and other administrative functions) including your procedure and time schedule.

To expeditiously achieve the center’s goals and missions, various cumbersome procedures will beeliminated; the administrative staff will be granted extensive discretionary powers to be more effective
and proactive. In addition, staff will be allocated to provide “one-stop support” for all procedures andpaperwork related to employment and daily life (Fig. 3.13). The workload of HU PIs will be reviewed andtasks that do not have to be done by persons with a professor-level skillset will be delegated to the support
personnel; in conjunction with this, to further enable the center director and PIs to focus on research, anadequate number of secretaries and other administrative assistants with appropriate skills will be hired by
the center. These measures will be implemented by the end of FY2023, so that the WPI center can release
its researchers from nonessential administrative duties as quickly as possible. The URA unit of theuniversity will provide dedicated support in attaining international grants, in recruiting scientists andpromoting relationships with other entities, such as local government and industry, as well as otherinstitutions in this part of Japan. We will strive to keep the workload
related to service and all administrative duties of WPI PIs/Director
within 10-20%, so that most of their time can be dedicated to researchand education/outreach efforts.
Fig. 3.13. The Center will establish the international research environment.
* Describe your strategy, procedure and timing for periodically holding international
research conferences or symposiums (as a rule, at least once a year).

Smalyukh, Inoue and practically all PIs have extensive experiences (Fig. 3.14) in organizing international
meetings like summer schools, symposia and conferences. For example, Smalyukh organized an annual
series of summer schools, called Inter-continental Advanced Materials for Photonics (iCAMP summer
schools, https://www.colorado.edu/i-camp/ ) that took place on all inhabited continents in countries suchas USA, UK, Argentina, Uruguay, China, Australia and South Africa; their success was highlighted in
multiple articles by researchers and editors, including in journals like Nature Photonics, Physics Today,
Liquid Crystals Today and many others. Inoue organized a large number of international meetings as partof his Core-to-Core program at HU funded by the JSPS. Figure 3.14 shows photos with exciting thank you
notes from students at the events organized by Smalyukh (top) and Inoue (bottom). Building on thisexperience, we will run a series of summer/winter schools and other meetings to deliver on education andinternational scientific exchange missions of the proposed WPI center. The major goal of the summer andwinter schools of our WPI will be to combine advanced graduate-level education with learning about
diverse cultures and the best practices of research/education
around the World. While some of the schools will be held at
HU, the others will be organized at our other WPI nodes, andalso in other locations to be chosen; in all cases, the lectures
will be webcast in real time and later archived. The WPI’s
symposia and workshops will complement the education
missions of the extended schools (one-two weeks) bybringing the top international researchers to shorter
meetings, in order to exchange the excitement about themost recent scientific developments in the field. We intend
to organize at least one school and one symposium orworkshop per year, though some years will see moremeetings organized.
Fig. 3.14. Building on past successes, the Center will organize a series ofsummer/winter schools, symposia, workshops and other meetings.

3) -3 Center management and system reform
The proposed Center is envisaged as an independent research organization, acting as an autonomous unit
within HU, envisaged as a test bed to reform HU & other universities.
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Form 3* Describe the role of the center director and the administrative director.

Our WPI nominates Professor Ivan Smalyukh as its Director. Ivan started his career as an undergraduate
student and a research assistant in Lviv, Ukraine. He then did his PhD and postdoc in the USA, before
starting his independent career at the University of Colorado Boulder in 2007. Dr. Smalyukh has experiencerunning a large research group (30-40 people at a given time within the last 10 years, with the total
number of group members within 2007-2022 now approaching 200). Ivan is well acquainted with theestablishment and management of institutes as he is a founding fellow of the Renewable and Sustainable
Energy Institute in Boulder, Colorado (a joint institute of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL
and University of Colorado) as well as served on a Founding Task Force and Executive Committee of theMaterials Science Engineering Program at the University of Colorado. His excellent achievements, broad
perspectives and outstanding communication skills will help the newly formed WPI to attract top-quality
researchers from around the world and organize them as effective research enterprises. As many of theattached letters confirm, he is the best candidate for the proposed Center’s director post. He will spend
maximum possible time at HU and more broadly in Japan on a regular basis, aiming to oversee themanagement of the entire center. While on a sabbatical leave from CU-Boulder, in addition to many othervisits over last 7 years, Smalyukh cumulatively already spent nearly a year in Hiroshima. His collaborations
with researchers at HU & in Tokyo flourish. Building on experiences of three other US-based WPI Directors
at Harvard University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and University of California at Berkley, hewill strive to maximize the hime devoted to the WPI, including the time when he will be physically in Japan.
Smalyukh will have daily zoom calls with staff when not in Japan & will be aided by the Yabuta-Kotorii
committee in planning activities & running the Center. The HU president’s office will work closely with
Smalyukh to ensure that he has all the needed support to lead a very successful international institute.
Soon after receiving a positive notification from MEXT, Smalyukh will work with HU president’s office &CU-Boulder to sign memorandums of understanding (MOUs) specifying all relevant matters needed forthe his effective leadership. Within the HU, our WPI will have a level of considerable autonomy envisaged
by MEXT for WPIs. The Director will make all key decisions related to personnel, hiring, budget, etc. Hisleadership team (see the “Administrative Knot” diagram, Fig. 3.11) will assist with the implementation ofvision and goals of the proposed project.
Prospective Administrative Director Abe will cooperate with the Director & coordinate the administrative
support necessary for the execution of center’s missions, including execution of plans designed by the
Director and supervising administrative staff in the course of all administrative duties. Dr. Abe has been
engaged in top-level chemical science research and fully understands the research missions of the center.
As an Executive Vice President of the entire University, he also has an in-depth understanding of how toeffectively use the WPI-based reforms as a testbed to reform the entire University system. His personal
networks will help recruit talented administrators. His experience on the international stage and excellent
language skills will also facilitate communication with foreign researchers and administrative staff. Abewill initially combine his current HU’s Vice President role with the role of WPI’s Administrative Director.
Afterwards, Abe will devote himself to the role of the WPI’s Administrative Director as soon as possible.
* Concretely describe your concept for establishing the center’s administrative organization, the center’s decision-making system andhow authority will be allocated between the center director and the host institution. (Describe concretely the mechanism for decision
making when the person in charge of management and the person in charge of research and education in the center are different,and describe the responsibility relationship between the two.)

The center Director is given all the needed authority related to organization and management of thecenter, playing the following major roles in the institute’s functioning:
1. The Director defines strategic missions and goals, including both long- and short-term missions andgoals, as well as determines the plans and timetables that effectively lead to their implementation
2. The Director develops ideas, designs and plans that maximize the interactions and effective
collaboration of researchers, strengthening the Center’s organization as an entity within HU
3. The Director recruits & continuously updates the composition of a strong leadership/administrative
team that can be effective in delivering on assigned tasks
4. The Director initiates and oversees the recruitment of promising young researchers & new PIs
5. With help of his leadership team, the Director oversees the dissemination of the Center’s researchoutcomes to the scientific community & society, as well as oversees the investment/spending of various
resources
The Administrative & Deputy Directors will communicate with other center members while the Director
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Form 3is occupied with tasks, like international activities. Deputy Directors Kotorii, Yabuta & Inoue will bring to
the table tremendous experiences in conducting outreach/dissemination activities, overseeing science
missions & organizing international exchanges/collaborations & reforming graduate education.
* Concretely describe how the center will adopt a rigorous system for evaluating research and will introduce a system for merit-based
compensation (e.g., annual salary scheme). Describe your procedures and timing for operationalizing these systems.

The salary compensation for international scholars recruited by the WPI and collaborating with the WPImembers on a part-time special appointment basis will be at a completive level, comparable to that of top
US-based research institutions. Japan-based scholars traveling to other countries in which our WPI nodes
are located will be compensated & supported at a level comparable to that of host institutions. This isimportant as, for example, the minimum salaries of postdoctoral fellows at MIT are ~$60,000 or higher(depends on the number of years after PhD), where the University can issue necessary paperwork for thevisiting postdoc scholar only if such minimum requirement is met. Therefore, our WPI will handle eachexchange visit of young/senior researchers with thoughtful & generous considerations of all related aspects
to assure that the researchers are comfortable & well supported while pursuing international collaborations.
While the annual salary of the participating PIs will be set by their home institutions, including in cases ofjoint/cross appointments, our WPI will strive to reward exceptional productivity and contributions to our
WPI’s development by bonuses allocated based on merit-focused evaluations (the concept of meritocracy
will be introduced by our Director). To implement this bonus-assigning procedure, the Institute willcalculate the so-called “PI Performance Index of WPI” (PIPIWPI, denoted as Π
) in the beginning of theperformance period & then on an annual basis. In partnership with HU-based PIs, the Director derived thefollowing expression for this index:Ω𝛿𝜂𝜋 ∑ 𝜒 /𝛿 𝜋 ∑𝜋 Δ 𝜋 Z,
Where, 𝜋 3.14 and the first term ∑ 𝛿𝜂 intends to reward publications, with 𝛿 being the numberof PIs of the center involved as co-authors of a publication; 𝜂 is the impact factor of a journal in which
the article is published, summed over n, the number of articles published by a PI in a given year (only1 count). This term encourages collaborative publications in high-impact journals. The
journals with 𝜂
second term rewards additional research grants that the PIs will secure to supplement the WPI grant from
the MEXT, where 𝜒 is the number of equivalents of 1 Million USD in a grant secured, m is the number of
research grants received within a given year. The 3rd term rewards major national and international awards
received by PIs in a given year, where Ω counts major awards for research and educationaccomplishments, summed over the number of such awards in a given year, whereas the 4th and 5th terms
reward and “punish” for other positive contributions Δ and negative impacts Z on our WPI, respectively.
Each year, a threshold value of the Πindex will be determined and a “bonus bank” will be allocatedto the PIs in proportion to their PIPIWPI indices. This scheme for rewarding excellence in research &outstanding service to the WPI missions. It will be perfected based on experience and eventuallyconsidered for adaptation at entire HU. The PIPI-based meritocracy scheme was discussed extensively
with the PIs and received their approval, though feedback on its further improvement is welcome andconsidered up until it will be implemented with the start of the project performance period.
Π∑3) -4 Research environment* Concretely describe how equipment and facilities, including laboratory space, will be provided in a manner appropriate for a “world
premier international research center.” Include your procedure and timing.

To provide a space and environment for productive research, HU will secure research space currently
occupied by nine of the HU PIs, which will be available for our WPI from the time of adoption, along withthe full access to user facilities at no cost (Fig. 3.15). The WPI Center will be initially housed in an HU
research space (1,800 m2, owned by the PIs affiliated with the University) and the Venture BusinessLaboratory (VBL, 1,510 m2). In addition to these spaces, a new research building, which will be directly
connected to the existing building, will be secured to enable the physical gathering of the WPI members
under one roof. The new research building, which will serve as the core of the center, will have an open
space, the Exchange Lounge, which will provide an environment for meetings & informal discussions topromote the fusion of different fields and brain circulation. In addition, HU has established a network thatallows for a collaborative use of research facilities of five universities in the Chugoku region, with facilities
including Hiroshima Synchrotron Radiation Center (HiSOR), an important national joint-use facility, as well
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as RIKEN and AIST labs in the surrounding area. All of these shared-use facilities are well equipped. By
FY2025, a new research building (5,000 m2) will be completed to provide a physical environment whereapproximately 150 people can conduct research under one roof. The
new research building, which will serve as the core of the Center, will
have a conference space and lounge to provide an environment formeetings and open discussion to promote interdisciplinary
collaborations. The Phoenix Intl. Center MIRAI CREA at HU was
recently built, equipped to house researchers with families, also having
many conference rooms for meetings.
Fig. 3.15. Shared research facilities & capabilities at HU, to which the WPI members will
have access at no cost.
* Describe measures taken with regard to the research environment to sustain and strengthen research activities under conditions
when international exchange is limited.

To maintain & strengthen research activities in situations where human exchange is restricted, like during
pandemics, the following system for foreign scholars will be established:
1) develop & adopt remote training & communications that utilize modern platforms like GoogleGlass,distributing such tools among all international & domestic nodes of the WPI2) digitization of communications about research ideas & outcomes with Slack & similar tools3) enhancing support for remote & automated equipment operation
4) reforming educational activities with VR-based education & outreach platforms, aiming at seamless
communication between HU & Tokyo platforms & also among collaborating researchers nationwide5) support for families: employ foreign researchers’ spouses in positions of their choice, such as
researchers, URAs & administrative staff, through resource allocation at the President's discretion
6) in cooperation with local governments, such as Higashi-Hiroshima City, provide English-language
support for the daily lives of researchers & accompanying persons, including schooling & housing
7) create an environment in which all administrative work can be completed solely in English, with staff
who can handle it; to learn how to support overseas researchers, we will send administrative staff & URAs
to international nodes for training to strengthen the support system & will recruit 20% staff from abroad.
* Concretely describe how the center will consider arranging for its researchers to participate in the education of graduate students.

The Center will fully support the salary of students as Research Assistants when they are involved in WPIrelated research. Each student will be co-mentored by 3 PIs with different backgrounds, with one PI being
the primary mentor. The Center will oversee the creation of new graduate coursework & tutorials, which
will be co-developed by PIs from different international nodes that constitute our WPI Institute.
* Describe new measures to improve or abolish existing systems and practices in the host institution toward optimizing the center’s
research environment.

Streamlining the research- and education-related processes and boosting efficiency are among the key
objectives of the proposed center. HU has created 24 unique incubation research centers & independent
research centers, which represent the University's distinctive research efforts. When establishing our WPI,
these existing centers will be reviewed, reorganized, integrated & restructured, forming five newinterdisciplinary centers serving as permanent research institutions. This will help reduce the administrative
burden, saving operational costs and overall boosting the output of our research/education enterprise.
Our WPI will play the role of a key testbed for these centers. Therefore, as shown in the appropriation
plan in this proposal, resources will be intensively allocated to support the WPI center over the long term,
including budget, human resources, facilities and equipment. This means that the entire university will
work together to promote the establishment of this WPI center.
* Describe your measures other than those described above for ensuring that world’s top researchers from around the world can
comfortably devote themselves to their research within an international and competitive environment at the center.

Overseas members will stay at HU Phoenix Intl. Center MIRAI CREA (fully furnished) on campus for midto long-term stays/visits. MIRAI CREA has rooms & facilities for science meetings & needs of family
members, so that visiting scholars can productively generate new ideas & focus on research at ease.
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International Engagement Lead Sasaki will oversee &, with help of staff, coordinate the schedule of visits
of foreign PIs with families for longer periods of time to assure that, in addition to productive research,
their children can enroll in schools or daycare & the families receive all the needed support.
4) Values for the Future4) -1 Generating and disseminating the societal value of basic research* Describe concretely and quantitatively the center’s policy for widely disseminating the societal significance and value stemming fromthe results of its basic research to the general public.

The SKCM2 Center intends to be the most productive WPI center out of all that were funded up to now,with hundreds of high-quality publications in top international high-impact journals published every year,
hopefully attracting great interest of other researchers & the broader community to which these outcomes
will be disseminated. In addition to researchers themselves, these efforts will be supported & managed
by dedicated science communicators & illustrators; the overall outreach efforts of the SKCM2 will be led
by Dr. Kotorii, communicating the ability of our WPI’s basic research to solve global problems (Fig. 3.16).
Fig. 3.16. Outreach demos in a high school in Ohio, USA
conducted by Smalyukh (left) & in Hiroshima conductedby Kotorii & Smalyukh (2 middle images). Right: KCM2
outreach with elementary schoolboys.

Through high-impact publications &outreach, we will convey to scientific communities & the general public how our fundamental researchhelps address many knotty problems that Japan & the entire World face, like the growing energy demand& its impact on climate change. For example, buildings consume 40% of all generated energy for coolingand heating; 20% out of it is lost through windows, the least efficient part of the building envelopes. Could
one maintain the desired environment within a building interior without energy consumption, like in athermos? Sato & Smalyukh collaborate to develop such transparent super-insulating materials by costeffective fabrication of novel aerogels via knotting/linking molecules. Jointly with Vignolini, they will also
develop materials for the building envelope inspired by gold & silver beetles that use porous chiralstructures for thermal regulation (silver/gold reflections play a role like silver coatings in a thermos, thoughinstead noble metals beetles use the emergent power of chiral self-assembly of chitin fibers). Learningfrom nature, we will develop low-cost energy-efficient materials from nanocellulose. The architecturalappeal of golden- & silver-looking materials might help with future deployment of this technology. Fromyet another perspective, further developments of electronics require miniaturization, which is limited byquantum effects at small scales. These limits can be overcome by our chiral magnetic spin systems andtopological insulators. For example, the superior racetrack memories can utilize topologically protected
multi-dimensional solitons like hopfions as information carriers to design entirely new principles of future
electronic devices, where topological objects like knots in fields can serve as information carriers. Fromthe standpoint of biomedical applications, changes of knotting in proteins can cause protein
metamorphosis diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, so the ability to detect and control these processes
may aid in developing biomedical treatments. Knots are also found in the viral RNA genome of coronavirus
whereas the spike protein coat that changes with mutations of coronavirus may be responsible for vaccine
inefficiency, as studied by our PI Hsu, showing how our research may help to address pressing problems
that the World faces while achieving missions of Japan’s Society 5.0. We will pursue a vast variety ofoutreach activities designed to elevate public awareness of our sustainability enabling KCM2 researchparadigm & to attract talented young people to science careers, under the oversight of Prof. Kotorii,
Deputy director for outreach. WPI’s summer schools will have public lectures & outreach activities designed
to interest the public in Japan in science for sustainability. Mimicking the US NSF’s guidance fordissemination of research outcomes to public, each PI will develop their own unique outreach componentof the WPI-related activity to broadly share the excitement about the research. Public lectures by Peace
Nobel Laureates will complement science programs of WPI schools, calling for important roles to be playedby scientists to sustain global peace. Our WPI will seed reforms & boost reputation, making HU like theHarvard of Japan, educating a new generation of global researchers & contributing to energy demand
reduction, climate change mitigation, Japan’s society 5.0 goals & economic growth.
4) -2 Fostering next-generation human resources linked with higher education* The center should be a platform for establishing a research system in which new interdisciplinary domains can be created within a rich

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Form 3international environment. Describe concretely and quantitatively the initiatives to be taken to foster young researchers, including
doctoral students, through participation in such a research system within the center.

A key goal of our center is to develop the next generation of talented researchers and educators who havedeep expertise in the interdisciplinary fields of knotted chiral meta matter. Our WPI will provide training
and career development support at each stage, from graduate student to post-doctoral fellow to tenuretrack or tenured faculty, where the support of young researchers will be our top priority. Over 50% of the
WPI grant funds will be dedicated to supporting young scientists, including PhD students. To promotehighly interdisciplinary research, we will introduce a system of co-mentoring young talented researchers,
doctoral students & postdocs, who will have 3 co-advisors with different backgrounds. For example, adoctoral student in Physics at HU might be co-advised by HU PIs in chemistry or math & by another PI
from an international node. Specialized graduate coursework will be co-designed & taught by our WPI PIs.
Our strategy will take advantage of the top international research centers in this area, allowing students
and postdocs from HU, TokyoTech and RIKEN-UTokyo to spend extended periods of time at the other WPI
nodes, such as MIT, Cambridge & CU-Boulder. Conversely, Japanese institutions will host young
researchers & PIs from the international nodes. Special arrangements will allow doctoral students to takespecialized courses at the partner institutions. Furthermore, to help reform graduate education & crossdisciplinary training, we will introduce new coursework, along with the international research exchange,
schools, conferences & forums to bring the broader interdisciplinary community together. Our WPI will
pay PhD students’ salary, like in the USA graduate programs, as well as will sponsor student/postdoc
exchanges between Japanese & international nodes. Using matching funds, 5-10 new young PIs will be
hired within the implementation period, striving to attract the most talented young researchers & achieve
gender balance & diversity. Our WPI will seed reforms of education & research at HU & throughout Japan,
will promote internationalization & gender balance in academia, will mobilize & reinforce global research
efforts for a sustainable, peaceful future. The WPI will strive to hire women PIs, students, postdocs &administrators. We will collaborate with institutions corresponding to its nodes outside Japan & with EPSRC
Centre on Topological Design at Univ. Birmingham to manage our newly formed Ph.D. program while
adopting the best practices from around the World. Out of 5-10 faculty hires, we will recruit 50:50 malefemale, Japanese/International, thus boosting gender balance & a stimulating multi-cultural environment.
Young researchers will connect top global centers like MIT & Cambridge with HU & will erase disciplinary
boundaries between the fields ranging from math to physics, chemistry, biology & planetary science.
4) -3 Self-sufficient and sustainable center development* The center needs to become self-sufficient and sustainable after the funding period of 10 years ends. Describe the host institution’s
mid- to long-term plan and schedule for supporting the center’s development, including the reform of the host institution’sorganization, the provision of personnel with priority allocation of tenured posts to the center, fundamental financial support, andmaterial support including land and buildings.

Our center management will motivate (including through salary bonuses) the PIs to seek additional funding
from both government & private/philanthropic organizations. Young researchers, postdocs & students, will
be encouraged & aided to apply for various fellowships & scholarships. In addition to the MEXT WPI grant,
PIs will pursue multiple individual applications in Japan & elsewhere (Fig. 3.17). Our ability to attract suchfunding will be enhanced further by the network of collaborations & visibility of research outcomes of the
SKCM2. Besides these conventional funding sources, we will pay attention to private foundations (like theSimons, Templeton & Moore foundations in the USA) & will establish Endowed Chair positions & studentpostdoc fellowships jointly with philanthropists & industry in Hiroshima/Japan/globally, as well as local
governments of Hiroshima prefecture/city. While several young PIs will join HU-WPI with the start of WPI
grant & will be initially supported by it, these WPI positions will be converted to tenured & tenure-track
positions within the performance period & before the end of this project. While HU’s support will besustained after 10 years, the supplemental funding will grow witheach success, making SKCM2 a fully independent permanentcenter of excellence at HU, self-sustained after the
implementation period. The newly constructed building will be
WPI’s headquarters both within & beyond the 10-year
implementation period.
Fig. 3.17. Our research budget & personnel projections for achieving a successful,sustainable Center within & beyond the implementation period.

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Vision of the prospective director, Prof. Ivan Smalyukh
Everything, ourselves included, is made of molecules and atoms, which are made of electrons, protons& neutrons, which are made of quarks and leptons… Researchers revealed smaller and smaller building blocksof matter, classified them, & detected their “fingerprint” signals coming from far riches of the Universe and its
history. With each breakthrough, we felt “touching the depths of nature with bare hands”, though we have beenplaying by nature’s rules all along, uncovering just tiny fragments of its vast unknown. Feynman’s words "What
I cannot create, I do not understand" resonate with my vision to develop new building blocks of matter, analogs
of nature’s quarks, protons, atoms & molecules, which would boost our understanding of nature’s innerworkings and allow for making new forms of matter by design. I have been introducing such building blocks[Nature 2013, Science 2019, Nature 2019] & phases of matter [Science 2018, Science 2019, Nature 2021] thatso far have no direct analogs in natural systems. I now seek to establish an entire research paradigm of knottedchiral meta matter (KCM2), with knots in fields as building blocks, through cross-pollinating topology withchirality knowledge across disciplines & scales & through fostering technological innovation to solve the mostchallenging global problems. The WPI program of MEXT is the only one in the World uniquely adequate forthese ambitious goals, with the excitement & support at Hiroshima University (HU) creating a fertile ground.
Each time I returned from my visits to Japan, I brought Mizuhiki presents for my family and friends.
Within this artform, many beautiful things can be made from a humble building block, the rice paper cord.
When giving public lectures, I explain my research motto by drawing parallels with this art. What nature did
not give us, I want to make by knotting and knitting physical fields, molecules and colloids. I want to understandnature’s inner workings at the subatomic-to-cosmological scales by exploring the fabric of spacetime andrecreating it in observable physical fields, by understanding & controlling tangles of biological molecules like
proteins & RNA. A Mizuhiki artist’s hand can create almost anything. In our designs of building blocks ofmatter, “knot chirality” can play the role of the artist’s hand by enabling the stability of knots in physical fields
and polymer strands. This may help understand how nature uses different types of broadly defined chirality
within the entire hierarchy of length and time scales, like charge-parity (CP) violation to prevail existence ofmatter over anti-matter and molecular chirality to control conformations of biopolymer strands essential for life.
Learning and mastering such nature-inspired skills can endow us with the abilities to create new materials, curediseases, & understand nature’s inner workings.
The tradition of Mizuhiki is said to have brought people together throughout the millennia of history.
The dream of establishing a new interdisciplinary field of science brings together my team of PIs. We willinterknit together mathematical knot theory and subatomic and cosmological physics with creations of knottedfields in magnets, liquid crystals and colloids, and with observations of knotted strands of proteins, RNA ofcoronavirus genome, and so on. Our center will tie together basic science with reforming graduate-level
education in Japan and globally, dedicated both to expanding the bulk of scientific knowledge & to enabling asustainable future. We dream about a large international scientific network with a central mission to identify
the organizing principles for emergent KCM2 phenomena.
Our interest in chirality relates to its emergent co-creation power,stabilizing particle-like solitons and knots in phenomena across the entire
hierarchy of length and time scales, from subatomic to biological and cosmic
systems. Promising significant discovery & differing from simpler
disciplinary definitions of chirality, like in chemistry, this knot chirality
requires dealing with a hierarchy of length and time scales & creation ofentirely new concepts, laws & generalizations, which is only possible within aresearch effort uninhibited by disciplinary boundaries. Our “knot chirality” is a“poster child” for emergence, motivating us to cross-pollinate and fuse diverse
research fields, defining the identity of our WPI. Our KCM2 is not a branch of math,physics, chemistry, biology, material science, or engineering, but rather is an intrinsically interdisciplinary
mixture of these, a pursuit in which progress is made simultaneously in the context of all these fields. Our WPI
will holistically explore the role of knot chirality at subatomic-to-cosmic scales, with a focus on tabletop
fundamental research, leading to a new field of the emergent KCM2 science.

International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (SKCM2), Hiroshima University

Mathematical concepts, like the ones of knot and homotopy theories, will aid us with generalization offindings. While we will focus on systems like liquid crystals (LCs), colloids, magnets and (bio)polymers, ourfindings will provide insights into related phenomena in experimentally less accessible systems, like black holes,
elementary particles & origins of life in the pre-biotic world. Conversely, theories of subatomic physics andcosmology will inspire us to deepen our understanding of related phenomena in these highly accessible
condensed matter systems. For example, mathematical solitons can materialize in open crystal lattices of theheliknotons found in chiral LCs & in ones formed by bioderived cellulose nanocrystals & in configurations
within cuticles of Chrysina resplendens, the gold scarab beetle. Porous thermally super-insulating materials
with interknitted molecules & designable reflectivity can be used in building envelopes (cumulatively
responsible for 40% of all generated energy) to reduce the energy demand. From the biomedical standpoint,
mis-knotting in proteins can cause diseases, such as Alzheimer's, so the control of these processes may aid intreating diseases. Our fundamental science can aid in solving the most challenging problems by enabling
technologies that reduce the energy demand to slow down climate change, a threat bigger than that of a nuclear
war. Knowledge traditionally took decades to “diffuse” across disciplines. We will reduce this time 100-foldby removing disciplinary boundaries & building on Japan/HU’s strengths while developing our new paradigm.
Our WPI will sponsor exchanges of students and postdocs between HU, Japanese institutions, and thoseof foreign PIs, circulating young talent between our global network’s nodes. Combined with recruiting efforts,
we will hold annual meetings with subsidized participation for young researchers, building on my experienceof organizing annual inter-continental advanced materials for photonics schools (iCAMPs). PhD training willdefine a context for the formation of a community of graduate researchers, built around activities designed tobroaden the education base, foster scientific growth and expand global perspectives. By team-teaching courses
and drawing students from different preparation backgrounds, our WPI will become a focal point forinterdisciplinary training, enabling students to learn by performing projects in a collaborative environment. We
will partner with HU’s existing programs to support young researchers ranging from students to professors.
The new WPI will become a magnet attracting & a knot inter-connecting young talent globally. It will create a
testbed for research-based education reforms within & beyond Japan. Young researchers face big challenges inthe early stages of their careers, some of which are specific to Japan. There is a strong intention to introducechanges, but the process is slow. Our WPI will reform this system profoundly and expeditiously, not thorough“writing and reading the air”, adopting the best practices of US & UK PhD programs while “customizing” themto Japan and making them even better.
WPIs funded so far seem to strengthen elite Japanese institutions that are already well-funded research
centers. For HU, the WPI would be a game-changer, a chance of attracting many outstanding international
researchers while working hand-in-hand with top research centers in Japan and globally by fostering researchexchanges. Strongly committed to gender diversity, our WPI would help HU with recruiting talented leading
researchers with very high global recognition & visibility, as well as talented postdocs & students from othercountries & premier research centers globally, whom HU cannot attract otherwise. For MEXT, this is an
opportunity to truly co-create a center of research excellence. Our WPI would help foster research excellenceby bringing together top international leaders in the emerging KCM2 field/paradigm under one roof of the WPIbuilding at HU for interdisciplinary collaborations, potentially enabling future Nobel Prizes & Fields Medals.
Meetings with other current US-based WPI directors convinced me that it will be possible for me tofocus on science and the “big picture” while directing the WPI. I will approach this endeavor creatively, likeresearch and everything I do, but I will need help in running the WPI. The support of President Ochi is amazing:
he offered a new building & his administrative “right hand”, Administrative Director Abe, to help implement
reforms. Also important will be the support of my scientific soulmates, with whom we share the vision to create
our WPI dedicated not only to expanding the bulk of scientific knowledge but also to enabling a sustainable
future. We will interknit natural & social sciences through science-based fostering of young researchers andengagement of female students to interest them in academic careers, as well as through university-publicindustry-Government relations & outreach, strengthening the public support for science that promotes
sustainability & peace. A beautiful chiral object, the Oleander flower is a symbol of the rebirth of Hiroshima,& a symbol of our passion to create the new WPI and the paradigm of KCM2 – IT WILL BLOSSOM!

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Form 5World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
FY2022 the Second Screening Proposal
Host Institution’s Commitment
June 1, 2022
To MEXT
Mitsuo Ochi
President, Hiroshima University
I confirm that the measures listed below will be carried out faithfully and concretely as follows regarding “theI2SKCM2 Center.” if it is adopted under the World Premier International Research Center Initiative.
Concrete Measures
・Describe the concrete measures that the host institution will take to satisfy the following requirements.
1) For the center to become a truly “world premier international research center” andindependent by the time WPI support ends, the host institution must clearly define thecenter’s role within its own mid-to-long-term strategy and provide its comprehensive support
from the time that the funded project starts, while showing that the center contributes toachieving the host institution’s missions, etc.
※Describe how the center will contribute to achieving the host institution’s missions, enhance the founding
spirit/philosophy of the host institution, and contribute to realizing the objectives of its operation, etc.
※Describe the center’s role within host institution’s own mid-to-long-term strategy.
Hiroshima University’s mission is to contribute to the well-being of humankind by realizing a free and peacefulsociety based on the following five guiding principles: The Pursuit of Peace; The Creation of New Forms of
Knowledge; The Nurturing of Well-Rounded Human Beings; Collaboration with the Local, Regional andInternational Community; and Continuous Self-Development. As specified in HU’s fourth MEXT mid-term (20222028) goal, the university aims to become a world-class research institution with a concentration of intellectual
assets, including cutting-edge education and research facilities, that serve as a hub for international academic
achievement. The establishment of the SKCM2 Center strongly aligns with the University's guiding principles
and top-priority issues. Therefore, the University will match or exceed the financial support from the
WPI program in order to develop the center as an independent organization involving world-classresearchers and students.

2)

Provide a mid-to-long-term policy on the direction of the host institution’s operatingorganization, one that includes the reform of the institution’s existing organization in waysthat will achieve the center’s independence and create a permanent place for it within theorganization. A concrete plan must be established and a schedule set for carrying out the
restructuring of the host institution’s organization.
※Describe your mid-to-long-term policy on the direction of the host institution’s operating organizationand provide a concrete plan and schedule.

Basic policy
During the third MEXT mid-term period (2016-2022), the University created 24 incubation/independent research
centers that have developed into distinctive research clusters. The University will restructure these research
centers into five permanent interdisciplinary research organizations, with the SKCM2 Center as a symbol of them.
In this restructure, resources will be allocated to support the Center over the long term, including funds, humanresources, and facilities and equipment. The entire University will work together to promote the establishment
Hiroshima University-1
International Institute for Sustainability
with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter(SKCM2)

Form 5World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
FY2022 the Second Screening Proposalof this world-class research center.
Plan and schedule
MEXT (FY2022) funded a new HU administrative division, established under the HU president, to be responsible
for the strategy and promotion of the University’s research capabilities. This division, the Headquarters for
Research in Collaborative Sciences Enabling the Future, has the mission to create a center for interdisciplinary
research by consolidating and reorganizing the research centers that the University has created on its own
during the third MEXT mid-term period. This center is truly a symbol of the university's centers forinterdisciplinary research. The consolidation and reallocation of existing centers will be discussed
by the headquarters, and resources, including budget, human resources, and facilities andequipment, will be allocated to this center over a long period of time. The SKCM2 Center will be thecore institution, and HU will revise its university regulations to make the Center a permanent educational andresearch organization by the end of FY2022, thereby demonstrating university-wide support. In FY2022, HU
will start the necessary procedures for the reform of the University’s graduate school education and research
program, as well as prepare laboratories and a research support system to accept PIs from outside for the fullscale operation of the Center, starting in 2023. Also, we will start preparing for the construction of the newfacility with HU funds and will also submit a budget request to MEXT. The facility will be completed by FY2025.

3)

Describe the host institution’s concept for allocating it’s basic and other budgets and provide
sufficient support for carrying out the center’s operation and research activities, including
necessary human, financial, and system support. In addition, when utilizing external funds
other than the WPI grant for the center’s operation and research activities toward realizing
the missions of the host organization, show the relationship between the center and the otherexternal funds.
* If a prospect exits for utilizing external funds other than the WPI grant for the center’s operation andresearch activities, indicate the application/acquisition status of the relevant external funds and therelationship between them and the center. (If the following programs are included, be sure to describe
them. Their relationship to the center can be illustrated if appropriate.)
・ WISE Program(Doctoral Program for World-leading Innovative & Smart Education, ・ Supereminent
Program for Activating Regional Collaboration (SPARC), ・ Open Innovation Platform for IndustryAcademia Co-creation (COI-NEXT), ・ Center of Innovation (COI) Program, ・ Program for Promoting
Regional Revitalization by universities as Center of Community (COC+ Program)

Resource allocation and other support
In order to maintain the center, priority personnel allocation to this center has been determined by the
University-wide Personnel Committee using the long-term personnel allocation plan formulated in the 4th MEXT
mid-term goals. From the start of this project, about five English-speaking administrative staff will be assigned
to support the operation of the Center. In the sixth and later years of the Center's activities, the personnel
expenses contributed by HU will be increased to secure employment expenses for about five new PIs. Funds
for researchers and support staff after the sixth year will come from HU’s 75th anniversary
campaign (2024), "Fund to Revitalize Hiroshima through the Dynamism of the University,"seeking donations of 10 billion yen from within and outside of the University. A specially appointed
fund manager will be hired to conduct a variety of fundraising activities to ensure the sustainable
operation of this center.
In addition to the amount of support provided by the Program, the University will allocate thesame or greater amount of resources to the following measures. These measures will continue after
the end of WPI program.
Hiroshima University-2
International Institute for Sustainability
with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter(SKCM2)

Form 5World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
FY2022 the Second Screening Proposal(1) In addition to the space used by PIs affiliated with HU (approximately 1,800 m2), the VBL building (1,510m2) will be renovated, and a new research building of approximately 5,000 m2 will be constructed to provide
research space, offices, and space for collaboration and communication. A conference room with a web
conferencing system will be installed to accelerate the fusion of new fields and brain circulation.
(2) To attract excellent researchers from all over the world, the Center will allocate 100 million yen per year
in discretionary funds to the director to ensure independence in the management of the Center and toacknowledge researchers’ achievements.
(3) 200 million yen in personnel expenses and 100 million yen in facility maintenance expenses (building
maintenance, utilities, etc.) will be allocated annually.
(4) Research administrators dedicated to the Center will be assigned to provide full support for the acquisitionof large-scale research grants. In addition, support staff with excellent English language skills will beassigned to ensure smooth and productive interactions and collaboration among the very diverse personnel
at the Center.
(5) HU will establish flexible personnel systems such as cross-appointment to recruit excellent researchers
from Japan and overseas.
(6) Faculty members employed by the Center will be recognized as professors or young faculty members whoare conducting particularly outstanding research and will be exempted from teaching, academic affairs,
and administrative duties during the WPI project period if they so desire, providing an environment inwhich they can devote themselves to research. During this period, the educational and research programs
concerned will be supplemented with additional personnel.
(7) A web-based authentication system that allows for decision-making and payment even from overseas will
be introduced.
External Funding Plan
The university's president has taken the lead in promoting collaboration with companies and local governments,and has constructed a hall for international conferences and an international exchange center with donationsof over 2 billion yen from Satake Corporation and 500 million yen from Higashi-Hiroshima City. In the current
fiscal year, Hiroshima City has donated 1 billion yen and Satake Corporation has donated 500 million yen, andthe center will further strengthen its education and research capabilities. After the establishment of this center,the entire university will continue to actively work on obtaining external funding. The university has alreadyintroduced a naming rights system for on-campus facilities and a system that increases the indirect cost of joint
research with companies to 30%. The increased amount of external funds obtained through these efforts will
be replenished to this center in order to build a foundation for permanent activities. Each PI will contribute to
the new academic research area of KCM2 and actively apply for large domestic research funds. In terms ofoverseas funds, we will strive to jointly apply for funds from Horizon Europe, NIH, NSF, NASA, etc. in the U.S.
with international PIs. In addition to conventional funds from government agencies, we will establish endowed
courses and fellowship programs in collaboration with private foundations (e.g., Simons Foundation, Templeton
Foundation, Moore Foundation, etc. in the U.S.). We will work diligently to obtain these additional funds andmake the center self-supporting in 10 years.
For local funding, Research Administrators Ikegami and Shimabara will help maintain close relationships with
Hiroshima Prefecture, Higashi-Hiroshima City, and key industrial partners, with the cooperation of the President
and Administrative Director Abe. The University's Open Innovation Platform will provide support for intellectual
property management and joint research with companies.

4)

Provide for the independent operation of the center including after the WPI grant period ends.
Provide necessary support to include the long-term provision of human and financial
resources, facilities, equipment and other elements needed to retain the center as a “World
Hiroshima University-3
International Institute for Sustainability
with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter(SKCM2)

Form 5World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
FY2022 the Second Screening Proposal
Premier International Research Center.” Also, secure and provide from an early stage of thecenter’s establishment the infrastructure needed for it to carry out its activities (e.g. land,
research facilities and equipment, research space), and do so with a commitment tocontinually maintaining this infrastructure after the WPI grant period ends.
Facilities and equipment
From FY2022, The Center will be located in an HU research space (1,800 m2, owned by 9 PIs affiliated with the
University) and the Venture Business Laboratory (VBL, 1,510 m2). Addition to VBL, by FY2025, a new researchbuilding (5,000 m2) will be completed to provide a physical environment where approximately 150 people canconduct research under one roof. The new research building, which will serve as the core of theCenter, will have a conference space and lounge to provide an environment for meetings and open
discussion to promote interdisciplinary work and collaboration. These facilities and equipment
environment will be available after the end of WPI program.
In addition, the University has established a rich network of shared-use facilities with five universities in the
Chugoku region, as well as with Hiroshima Synchrotron Radiation Center, which is a national joint-use facility,
RIKEN, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and National ResearchInstitute of Brewing.
Overseas members, including Prof. Smalyukh, will stay at the Phoenix International Center MIRAI CREA at HU.
MIRAI CREA was recently built and is fully furnished and equipped with appliances using a donation of 500
million yen from the city of Higashi-Hiroshima. The facility is also equipped with space for researchers withfamilies and conference rooms for discussions. To facilitate the long-term stays of foreign PIs & their families,
HU will work with the WPI director to make arrangements for local transportation means available for the
researchers during their extended stays at HU.

5)Provide a system that will in practice allow the center director to make decisions in
implementing the center project, including personnel and budgets, and that will secure theautonomy of the center’s operation.

Decision-making structure
Since the Center will be established as an independent education and research organization inaccordance with the university regulations, a system in which the center director makes the final
judgment and decision on education and research activities and budget execution is ensured.
Regarding personnel affairs, the 4th MEXT mid-term plan allows for flexible personnel planning such that
personnel assignments can be made based on plans determined by the director.
The director will be informed on the research progress, funding, and personnel status in order to decide on the
allocation of expenses for equipment and personnel and to give timely advice to each team member. The
director will receive such information through periodic interviews with PIs and through a project management
web tool, thus introducing a system to continuously enhance the research capabilities of the entire center.
Effective measures found in the Center’s improved research capabilities will be relayed back to the graduate
schools, leading to organizational reforms to improve the research capability of the university as a whole.
Prof. Abe currently holds the positions of Executive Vice President for Academic and Social Cooperation andProfessor at the Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering. After the adoption of this WPI, to help
implement ambitious WPI-enabled reforms within the entire HU, Abe will initially combine his current HU’s
Executive Vice President role with the role of WPI’s Administrative Director. HU plans to replace Abe with a new
Hiroshima University-4
International Institute for Sustainability
with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter(SKCM2)

Form 5World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
FY2022 the Second Screening Proposal
Executive Vice President as soon as possible so that he can start devoting himself to the role of WPI’s
Administrative Director throughout the rest of the implementation period.
In addition, a "Knot-Chiral Steering Committee" will be established to help with the Center's management,
facilitated by the administrative director (Figure 5.1 and 5.2) and deputy directors. In particular, the committee
will assist the Director in assuring the effective administrative and technical support of not just research andeducation but also other operations, including aspects related to extended stays of the foreign PIs & co-PIs at
HU, exchange research visits of HU & foreign young researchers, enrolment of foreign PI’s children into Englishspeaking schools in Hiroshima, as well as related housing & local transportation matters. With the help of Admin.
And 3 Deputy Directors (Fig. 5.1), the Director will use the steering committee to initiate and implement key
initiatives related to Science, Education, Outreach & Dissemination of WPI accomplishments, Administration ofCenter’s resources and support of grant applications, recruitment of PIs & young researchers, and so on. For
example, the HR/Diversity Lead Aida will help director with recruiting new PIs and young researchers while
paying attention to gender balance and internationalization needs. Deputy Director Yabuta will help the Director
with overseeing and encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations whereas Deputy Director Inoue will work with
the Director to Develop new team taught courses and establish a system of co-mentoring of students by HU &foreign PIs. Deputy Director Kotorii will, on the other hand, work with the Director and staff to plan andimplement various outreach forums and public lectures, as well making the general public in Japan and beyond
aware of our WPI’s research and other activities that aim contributing to the sustainable future via highly
fundamental research. Led by the Admin Director Abe, the Administrators will assist the Director with managing
resources, preparing various reports and overseeing staff supporting the WPI researchers. For example, thecommittee and staff members will assist the foreign PIs in purchasing equipment for the shared experimental
research facilities, planning renovations of these facilities, planning/designing collaborative research space forthe new building that is planned to be built. Along with the science writer/illustrator and other staff members,
the steering committee and designated staff will assist Kotorii, the Deputy Director for outreach anddissemination, in organizing outreach activities and public lectures, as well as in acquisition of the needed VR
equipment. As described in the project description document, the work of steering committee will interknit theefforts of Director, Deputy/Administrative Directors and the administrative leads, so that cost-effective andefficient operation of the WPI can be assured, including its research, education & other missions. The four
research thrust leads, on the other hand, will help implementing research collaborations among PIs, including
the implementation of co-mentoring and research exchange functions, also with the help of the WPI Center’s
staff (Fig. 5.1). External scientific experts and advisors with administrative experiences of running large centers,
departments and other institutions will consult the Director and the entire steering committee on the bestpractices of managing large research operations. Gender balance will be assured when forming and updating
the structure of the committee (Fig. 5.2).
The Center will be managed with independent personnel and funding, parallel to the overall university operation,and research administrators will be assigned within the Center’s support group to assist in obtaining grants anddomestic and international donations to supplement WPI operating expenses.

Hiroshima University-5
International Institute for Sustainability
with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter(SKCM2)

Form 5World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
FY2022 the Second Screening Proposal

6)

Provide support to the center director by coordinating with other departments regarding
assigning researchers to the center and creating an effective environment for the center
within the host institution. Needed adjustments to do so should be made proactively while
giving consideration to their effect on the educational and research activities of thosedepartments.

Graduate school reforms
HU will reorganize the graduate school structure to promote the fusion of research fields and theinternationalization of graduate education. The Center will establish HU’s first interdisciplinary "International
Program for Collaborative Sciences Enabling the Future" and accept doctoral students from any of the current
four graduate schools (Figure 5.3). Specifically, graduate school programs are currently established by field,
such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, etc., and education and research are conducted in each field,
but we will break down the barriers between these fields and implement reforms in graduate school educationthat squarely face the development of human resources to lead a sustainable society.

Hiroshima University-6
International Institute for Sustainability
with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter(SKCM2)

Form 5World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
FY2022 the Second Screening Proposal
In addition to the reorganizationof the graduate school structurethat has been implemented by
the university, new partnerships
with global centers such as MIT
and Cambridge University will beutilized
topromotetheinternationalization of graduate
education and the fusion of
disciplines.
Under the strong leadership of
the Center's Director, the Centerwill
promoteeducational
reforms for doctoral students,
fusion research in mathematics,
physics, chemistry, and biology,
and international joint research.
HU promotes education to foster
scientists who will lead asustainable society through science and technology emerging from the fusion of disciplines. This will provide
strong support for the creation of new scientific fields pioneered by the Center Director.
In order to effectively support young researchers and international exchanges and collaborations, more than
50% of the Center’s budget will be used to support young researchers. The director will determine the required
financial support, such as accommodation expenses at collaborative research sites. These efforts will be planned
and implemented with the strong support of the center director, the Center executives (Drs. Abe, Inoue, Kotorii,
Yabuta, and Senyuk), and President Ochi. The center director will regularly exchange opinions with theuniversity president, once a month or more frequently, in order to discuss the current status and resources
necessary for the operation of the center.
The Director, Deputy & Administrative Directors will also periodically meet with leaders and Administrators ofdifferent Departments at HU, assuring effective and productive cooperation. Under the leadership of the Center
Director, the meetings of Steering Committee of WPI & HU leaders and administrators will be held regularly,
with the Center Director, Deputy Directors, Administrative Director, and PI representatives joining to discuss
important matters related to personnel, budget and policies. Furthermore, Director will seek periodic advise andsuggestions from ~5 External Advisors, prominent researchers & other Center directors to help guide &independently evaluate the WPI's operations from a broad perspective.

7)

Offer cooperation in flexibly applying, revising, or supplementing the host institution’s
internal systems as needed for the center to effectively implement new management methods
unfettered by conventional modes of operation (e.g. English-language environment, meritbased pay, top-down decision making, linkage to graduate school education).

Improvement of existing systems and elimination of customs
In 2016, HU established its own key performance indicators (KPIs) and launched the "University-wide Personnel
Committee," which allows the president to make all decisions from personnel assignment to selection. A rigorous
personnel evaluation system based on research achievements is in place to centralize the evaluation criteria for
Hiroshima University-7
International Institute for Sustainability
with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter(SKCM2)

Form 5World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
FY2022 the Second Screening Proposal
researchers under the originally developed KPIs and reflect performance in annual salary. Once the Center isestablished, research and educational activities will be evaluated within the Center, and the concept of"meritocracy" will be introduced under the leadership of the director. In order to promote
groundbreaking research that will be published in top international journals, the annual cumulative number ofcitations of each PIs' papers will be calculated and used to help decide the allocation of resources and salary(taking into account differences between disciplines, such as materials science and pure mathematics). In asimilar way, to facilitate international research grant applications of HU PIs along with the international PIs,
including to private foundations, the successes in bringing additional grants will be also rewarded through themeritocracy-based evaluations by the director. International awards, outstanding service to the WPI missions& various other outstanding accomplishments of HU and international PIs will be also rewarded via themeritocracy-based evaluations led by the director, with the corresponding salary bonuses.
At the early stages of the WPI project’s implementation period, we will introduce a new system of meritocracy
for the evaluation of PIs, administrators and staff members, which will be reflected as a bonus from the director's
discretionary budget (100 million yen). The support of international PIs during their stays at HU will becomparable to that of outstanding researchers in Europe and the U.S. The newly recruited PIs and postdoctoral
fellows will be offered competitive salaries, equipment and facility allocations and startups. This system will bea demonstration of potential new initiatives for faculty recruitment and improvement of the academic
environment. Both the institutional and operational aspects of the system will be developed to eventually be
expanded to the entire university. In addition, we will improve the administrative system at HU by collecting
best administration practices from the institutions of our foreign collaborators.

8)

Provide other types of assistance to give the center maximum support in achieving its
project and in becoming a world premier international research center in both name and deed.

Many HU administrative departments will contribute to the Center so that it can implement its vision and become
an independent world-class research center: the Organization for the Promotion of Academic and Social
Collaboration, which is directly under the president, will provide the university-wide organizational structure;
the Industry-University Collaboration Division will obtain research funds from companies; the Intellectual
Property Division will provide support related to intellectual property; the Research Strategy and Promotion
Division will provide researcher support and competitive funding acquisition; the Technology Center will provide
research equipment support; and the Fund Office, International Affairs Division, Human Resources Division,
Public Relations Division, and each department of the Corporate Headquarters, such as the Endowment Office,International Affairs Department, Human Resources Department, and Public Relations Department, will provide
any additional required support.
Since the startups for new faculty hires are often not competitive with the international counterparts, say in theUSA, the International Researchers newly joining the WPI at the beginning or during the project implementation
period will be prioritized in terms of allocation of equipment and facility support, in order to allow the start new
research groups expeditiously and effectively. Skilled staff will assist the foreign PIs with expeditious purchasingof equipment items and organizing both their research efforts and their daily life in Japan. HU and the WPI willassure the availability of English-language schooling, daycare, local transportation and other needs of familiesof the foreign PIs and young researchers who come to work at HU permanently (like the new PIs being
recruited) or for extended visits like 2 months to one-year periods expected for the foreign PIs and co-PIs.
Funds and other resources will be set aside to organize English-language schools and daycare and/or to pay
the fees for accommodating needs of children of PIs in existing private schools/daycares in the Hiroshima cityand vicinity. Efforts will be made to assist spouses of the visiting PIs and foreign PIs being recruited to HU byproviding jobs or helping them find jobs in the Hiroshima area. Streamlined procedures will be used toHiroshima University-8
International Institute for Sustainability
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Form 5World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
FY2022 the Second Screening Proposal
expeditiously meet the needs of international scholars in terms of applying for visas, establishing bank accounts
in Japan, reimbursing for the travel and other expenses. Various picnics, receptions and even hiking activities
will be organized to bring together the WPI leadership and the leadership of HU and Hiroshima city/prefecture,
as well as local industry leaders. These meetings could be used to discuss the possibilities of donations for thesustainability-focused research within the WPI, forming endowed chair positions for the outstanding WPI PIs,
creating scholarships and awards for young researchers.
To help with outreach and dissemination of results, HU lecture rooms and other facilities will be provided forthe needs of organizing public lectures, outreach forums WPI’s open-door days for the visits of public and soon. HU will also assist the WPI center with the Information Technology (IT) and other needs. To assist the WPIwith its research and education missions, and, conversely, help with the adoption of the WPI’s best practices
and reforms within the entire HU’s system, Director and Admin Director will meet with the University President
and his leadership team on a monthly basis.

9)

The host institution is to self-evaluate the results of the system reforms achieved by thecenter and distribute the results that it evaluates highly to all of the departments throughout
its organization.

The current HU PIs represent many different departments within HU, which they will continue being affiliatedwith during and after the WPI implementation period. Furthermore, the PIs hired by the WPI will choose or be
assigned additional departmental/academy affiliations depending on their background. Additionally, during or
immediately after the project implementation period, the newly hired PIs of the WPI for whom HU is the primaryaffiliations will be given tenured or tenure track positions associated with these department.
The Center will establish an education and research support system in English to provide an environment
in which researchers and students from overseas can concentrate on their research. This initiative
will be expanded to HU more widely. Additionally, I2SKCM2 establishes other new initiatives related tomeritocracy, improvement of gender balance and diversity, and enhancement of outreach, which will be used
to guide similar initiatives for the University. Together, these will improve the research environment, promoteinternationalization at HU, and generally contribute to Japan’s international competitiveness.

10) (For host institutions that already have an existing WPI center and/or Academy center) Fully
support and sustain the existing WPI and/or Academy center and advance its development
as a world premier international research center, while being capable of fully supporting the
new center at the same time.
N/A11) (For host institutions that already have an existing WPI center and/or Academy center) Take
the initiative to spread the existing centers’ good system reform results to other departments
throughout the host institution and apply them to implementing the host institution’s own
reforms.
N/A

Hiroshima University-9
International Institute for Sustainability
with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter(SKCM2)

World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
List of Principal Investigators
・If the number of principal investigators exceeds 10, add columns as appropriate.
・Place an asterisk(*) by the name of the investigators who are considered to be ranked among the world’s top researchers.
・Give age as of 1 April 2022.
・For investigators who cannot participate in the center project from its beginning, indicate the time that their participation will start in the “Notes” column.
・If there are changes from the PI list in the first screening application documents, describe the points changed and reasons in the “Notes” column.
・Include principal investigators affiliated with satellite institutions. Give the name of their satellite institutions in the“Notes” column.
・Fill in the achievements of each PI in the“Biographical Sketch of Principal Investigators."

Current affiliation

Name

Age

1

Ivan I. Smalyukh*

49

2

Yuka Kotorii

37(1) Associate Professor/Academy of Hiroshima University,
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering,
Mathematics/Hiroshima University(2) Visiting Scientist/Interdisciplinary Theoretical andMathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS)/RIKEN

3

Katsuya Inoue*

57

4

Hikaru Yabuta*

5Specialization(Department/ School/Institution) ・Title

Basic Chemistry Program, Academy of Hiroshima University(Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering), Specially Topological solitons, knotted
Appointed Professor / Dept. of Physics & Renewable Sustainable matter, pre-designed
Energy Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, Professor
building blocks of matter

Effort *

Notes

(%)

80%

Center director

Mathematics (topology, knot
theory)70%

Deputy center director (Outreach &Dissemination)

Professor/Academy of Hiroshima University, Graduate School of
Advanced Science and Engineering, Chemistry/Hiroshima
University

Experimental materialsciences, chemistry70%

Deputy center director (Education)

47

Professor/Academy of Hiroshima University, Graduate School of
Advanced Science and Engineering, Earth and Planetary System
Science/Hiroshima University

Cosmochemistry,geochemisry70%

Deputy center director (science)

Claire Donnelly*

30

Lise Meitner Group Leader/Max Planck Institute for Physical
Chemistry of Solids

3D topology in magnets,
nanoscale imaging

30%

6

Kenta Kuroda*

35

Associate Professor/Academy of Hiroshima University, Graduate
School of Advanced Science and Engineering, PhysicalScience/Hiroshima University

Solid state physics,
momentum-space topology
in quantum matter

70%

7

Elisabetta
Matsumoto

36

Assistant Professor/School of Physics/Georgia Institute ofTechnology

Geometry and topology ofsoft matter

25%

8

Hiroshi Sato*

41

Unit Leader/Emergent Molecular Assembly Research Unit, CrossDivisional Materials Research Program/RIKEN Center for
Emergent Matter Science

Chemistry, material science50%

9Silvia Vignolini*

41

Professor/Department of Chemistry/University of Cambridge

Chiral bio-materials, selfassembly

30%

10

Andrey Leonov

42

Associate Professor/Academy of Hiroshima University, Graduate
School of Advanced Science and Engineering,
Chemistry/Hiroshima University

Condensed matter theory,
focusing on chiral magnets

70%

11

Chihiro Sasaki*

44

Professor/Institute of Theoretical Physics/University of Wroclaw

High-energy particle andnuclear physics (theory)

70%

12

Jörn Dunkel*

45

Associate Professor/Department of Mathematics/
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Applied math, topology

25%

13

Shang-Te Danny
Hsu*

46

Biophysical chemistry,
Research Fellow/Institute of Biological Chemistry/Academia Sinica structural biology, knotted
proteins, COVID-19

30%

14

Tamás Kálmán

47

Associate Professor/Department of Mathematics/Tokyo Instituteof Technology

Low-dimensional topology,
combinatorics

40%

15

Bohdan Senyuk*

50

Senior Research Associate/Department of Physics/University ofColorado Boulder

Chemical physics, soft
matter, liquid crystals
physics

70%

16

Kenta Shigaki*

54

Professor/Academy of Hiroshima University, Graduate School of
Advanced Science and Engineering, Physics/Hiroshima University

High energy nuclear physics(Experiment)

70%

17 Marjolein Dijkstra*

54

Professor/Faculty of Science, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials
Science/Utrecht University

Condensed matter theory,
topology

30%

18

Takeharu Haino*

57

Professor/Academy of Hiroshima University, Graduate School of
Advanced Science and Engineering, Chemistry/Hiroshima
University

Chiral supramolecularchemistry70%

19

Shin-ichi Tate*

60

Professor/Academy of Hiroshima University, Graduate School ofIntegrated Sciences for Life, Mathematical and Life
Sciences/Hiroshima University

Biophysics math, applied
math

70%

* Percentage of time that the principal investigator will devote to working for the center vis-à-vis his/her total working hours. (Activities carried out using competitive funding can be included as effort as long as theycorrespond to the purpose of the WPI center and are conducted for the center.)(Hiroshima University) - 1(SKCM²)