Collaborating with Japanese and overseas researchers in private industry
The International Fiber Engineering Research Institute, which houses four departments (Frontier Fiber, Bio and Medical Fiber, Smart Textiles, and Kansei and Fashion Engineering) as well as the International Fiber Engineering and Education Center, carries out educational and research programs through close interactions between students and full-time faculty members, guest researchers from overseas, Japanese and overseas researchers, and researchers from private industry. The program pursues exchanges through such means as double-degree programs, overseas internships, and guest faculty members in partnership with the more than 50 overseas textile universities, research institutions, and corporations with which we have entered into exchange agreements; North Carolina State University, the University of Manchester, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, with which we have entered into comprehensive agreements; and organizations such as the Association of Universities for Textiles (AUTEX), of which the Faculty of Textile Science and Technology is an associate member. We also collaborate closely with more than 10 research facilities and more than 100 partner corporations in Japan, and we will continue to develop facilities in the future.
Institute for Fiber Engineering, Shinshu University
01. Domestic research facilities
Students can come into contact with world-class research into textiles and fiber that is being carried out in a variety of fields without ever leaving Japan. The program maintains a research and educational organization that is characterized by organic linkages with other universities and research organizations.
University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, University of Fukui, Kyoto University, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Nara Women's University, Kobe University, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
02. Overseas research facilities
In the area of international collaboration, Shinshu University has entered into academic exchange agreements with 62 of the world's leading textile-related universities and institutions, allowing it to pursue educational and research partnerships that include double-degree programs, short-term study abroad opportunities, and researcher exchanges. (Number of agreements is current as of September 1, 2015.) The University has also established structures for facilitating educational and research collaboration with the University of North Carolina, the University of Manchester, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and this group of institutions is pursuing a range of exchange activities, including by establishing branch offices on one another's campuses. The University also joined the Association of Universities for Textiles (AUTEX), whose membership currently includes 35 universities in 28 countries, as an Associate Member in 2012. (Information current as of September 1, 2015.)
- Europe
- Asia・Oceania
- North America
03. Industry
Partner institutions and agencies in industry, academia, and government (stakeholders) In order to serve as global leaders in industry, students need more than just research and education in the university setting. To enable them to make an immediate contribution as a professionals in the field, students must have the ability to gather information about minute changes in society by remaining finely attuned to economic, industrial, and other trends. The same is true of the program's organization. As a result, we have enlisted several textile industry organizations to serve as stakeholders by watching over the program's activities and evaluating its efforts.
Textile and Clothing Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Japan Chemical Fibers Association; Japan Textile Finishers' Association; All Nippon Nonwovens Association; The Japan Carbon Fiber Manufacturers Association (Japan Carbon Fiber Manufacturers Association Committee of the Japan Chemical Fibers Association); Japan Textile Consultants Center; The Society of Fiber Science and Technology, Japan
Inviting researchers from private industry to participate in the program The program's curriculum incorporates guest lecturers from companies throughout Japan. In addition, we work to improve the program's vision for graduates and its educational content while communicating regularly with private-sector companies.
Communication with companies via Fii In addition to being the only faculty dedicated to the study of textiles in Japan, the Faculty of Textile Science and Technology is a globally oriented base for fiber engineering in Japan. The Fiber Innovation Incubator (Fii) was established in 2011 with the objective of facilitating renewed innovation in state-of-the-art industry. By providing core equipment for research and development conducted through collaboration among industry, academia, and government as well as evaluation and testing equipment and supplying coordinators with marketing expertise, the facility promises to spur multifaceted technological innovation. It also enables students to experience corporate internships without leaving the university's campus, deepening their connections with private-sector companies.