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Research LeaderDistinguished ProfessorInstitute of Carbon Science and TechnologyShinshu UniversityWater will be a key issue in ensuring the sustainability of the human race in the 21st century. The purpose of this project is to make abundant water available for residential, industrial, agricultural, and livestock uses through innovations in water-production science and technology, and to apply these innovations in the recovery of usable water from previously untapped or underutilized sources, including sea, produced and waste water.To achieve the necessary innovations in water production, this facility will push forward with concurrent and parallel R&D efforts in areas ranging from the development of innovative and robust water-separation membranes based on nanocarbons (and equipment incorporating these membranes) to the development of water-production plant systems and technologies to simulate water circulation. The facility will promote joint research through partnerships involving industry, academia, and the public sector, assembling experts from across Japan. Shinshu University will play a central role in these efforts.In addition, by developing business models that can be deployed worldwide, this project will create new industries in communities across Japan and the world. In so doing, and through innovations in water-production science and technology, this project will help to ensure a century of global water abundance.Shinjiro UedaMorinobu EndoProject LeaderExecutive Technology AdviserInfrastructure Systems Company,Hitachi, Ltd.,Water is among humankind’s most important resources. Recently, however, trends toward accelerating population growth, increasing population density in urban areas, and rising standards of living have generated serious water issues worldwide, including water shortages and pollution. Other factors driving increased water use include agricultural and industrial development and efforts to extract oil, natural gas, and mineral resources. At a time when all aspects of human lives are globally interrelated, we must look beyond local perspectives in order to view water and water-related issues in the proper global framework. In this light, efforts to develop and refine the technology needed to desalinate sea water and implement water circulation systems capable of purifying contaminated water for human use will be of the utmost importance. In response to these challenges, Shinshu University is playing a central role in bringing together research institutions and companies to develop robust, high-quality water-separation membranes based on advanced nanocarbon technologies, and to use such membranes in the development of innovative, world-leading water production and circulation systems.This Center of Innovation will tackle the challenges of water-related innovation, ranging from basic research to practical implementation.Izumi IchinoseSatellite LeaderUnit DirectorPolymer Materials UnitAdvanced Key Technologies DivisionNational Institute for Materials ScienceThe National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) pursues research related to advanced water-treatment technologies intended to contribute to the areas of energy and the environment.Until now, we have developed high-performance filters and oil adsorbents based on state-of-the-art research on measurement, simulation, and nanomaterials, including polymers and carbon. At this COI facility, in addition to developing new materials and assessing their performance, we will work to establish manufacturingprocesses for the mass production of carbon-based nanoporous water-treatment membranes. We will also seek to improve the durability of water-treatment membranes as well as related manufacturing processes based on concurrent feedback and assessment results from real-world environments.In many cases, the separation functional materials needed for applications like resource development and environmental protection will be used in harsh, constantly changing environments. Their deployment will also be bound by strict cost constraints. By overcoming these challenges, this project seeks to secure safe and reliable water supplies worldwide.I wish to express my heartfelt congratulations to the Global Aqua Innovation Headquarter for Increasing Water-sustainability and Improving Living Standards in the World based at Shinshu University, for its selection as a core Center of Innovation. I would also like to offer my best wishes upon the commencement of advanced R&D efforts involving numerous participants from across Japan who have gathered here in Shinshu (Nagano Prefecture).This project will contribute to the creation of a next-generation industry as set forth in the prefecture’s comprehensive five-year plan, the Shiawase Shinshu Sozo Plan (“Plan to Create a Happy Shinshu”). We have the highest expectations for this project and believe it will help transform the prefecture’s economy to one based on“contributions”and “self-sufficiency” The prefectural government will also actively participate in the project by coordinatinge the facility’s activities with those of local businesses, thereby promoting R&D activities as well as rapid business development based on new technologies.It is my hope that all parties to this venture will achieve notable success and that the R&D undertaken at the facility will generate innovations that one day lead to a more advanced and prosperous society.Governor, Nagano PrefectureShuichi Abe

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