Shinshu University

Overview of the Center's Plan

Building upon our success in the 21st Century COE Program, "Advanced Fiber Science and Textile Technology", Shinshu University is establishing a Global COE Program to continuously expand and deepen this subject matter. Our Center integrates traditional fiber engineering with the most advanced science and technologies to create novel nano fibers, which utilize molecular level structural control, and higher-order complex functions, which utilize control of multi-dimensional hierarchical structures. Moreover, we are developing a fiber engineering field, which encompasses a wide range of technologies such as fiber manufacturing, sensibility evaluation, and resource recycling. As we conduct our endeavors through international collaborations, we are creating a new lifestyle and culture, which embrace all aspects of life.

Our Center is already one and only international center in the fiber engineering in Japan. A center of our caliber is expected to make broad contributions to interdisciplinary academic fields by surpassing the traditional framework of science, engineering, medical science, and agriculture. Our Center will train students to be world-class researchers and engineers through the most advanced research activities. In addition, we aim to establish ourselves as the hub of functions and information as well as an internationally renowned education and research center by leveraging our networks of people and technologies.

Training Plan at the Center:

We strive to establish an education and research center to produce researchers and engineers who can take a leadership role in fiber engineering on the international arena. To this end, we have implemented and improved our fiber engineering curriculum, which encompasses the pursuit of ultimate molecular structures, creation of higher-order complex functionality, creation of human sensibility system, technologies to evaluate final products, and fiber technology management. In order to fulfill these objectives, we now offer an international fiber engineering program where all lectures are in English. In addition, we employ and invite outstanding faculty members from around Japan and the world to build a strong team for education and research. Our initiatives also include improving our students' English through practical English education using the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication). Moreover, instructions throughout the department will be in English in the future.

We use advanced research activities to train our Ph.D. students with the intent of nurturing their ability to train themselves, build human networks, and design a path to obtain solutions to issues. Moreover, we have implementing flexible financial assistance programs, including tuition waiver, RA (Research Assistantships), and TA (Teaching Assistantships), so that Ph.D. students and young researchers can carry out their research projects independently. Furthermore, we send Ph.D. students and young researchers abroad in order for them to conduct research projects through international collaborations.

In addition to the above, we are implementing a fiber researchers training program mainly for industry engineers in order to internationalize the system of Textile Consultants. We initially intend to develop the program through collaborations with universities and industries in Japan, and then expand the program to the rest of the world through our tri-university network.