Working with Industry and Academia

Promoting Joint Research Projects

We send Mitsui Chemicals Group researchers out to other research institutions, both in Japan and overseas, and promote joint research with industrial, governmental and academic bodies in an effort to develop innovative, commercially viable technologies as quickly as possible. In addition to environmental, resource and energy-related projects, aimed at preventing global warming or conserving fossil resources, we are also actively involved in the development of new materials.

Mitsui Chemicals Bio-Consortium

The Mitsui Chemicals Bio-Consortium is currently working on a number of collaborative R&D projects between industry and academia, with the aim of developing technologies to harness non-fossil resources.

Instead of oil, such technologies use biological processes to produce lactic acids, olefins, plastics and a wide range of other chemical products from non-fossil inedible raw materials such as wood.

One of our strengths here at Mitsui Chemicals is our genetic modification technology, which involves adding genes that are useful for the production of specific chemicals to microorganisms and, conversely, destroying unnecessary genes. We have also developed biocatalysis technology to enable us to manufacture chemicals for specific purposes. Since fiscal 2010, we have been running biocatalyst-based medium-scale tests with the aim of developing technologies to manufacture lactic acids and other chemicals from raw materials such as glucose and cellulose.

We are committed to combining our own strengths with those of industrial and academic bodies both in Japan and overseas, to accelerate the development and industrialization of environmentally friendly processes that could help resolve the resource issues as well as accomplish the conversion of raw materials.

Collaborative biotech projects between industry and academia

Participating in the Development of Fundamental Technologies for Green and Sustainable Chemical Processes

Mitsui Chemicals is one of the companies participating in the Development of Fundamental Technologies for Green and Sustainable Chemical Processes, a collaborative project between industrial, governmental and academic bodies administrated by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

As a part of this project, Mitsui has been engaged in a program titled the “Innovative Process of Naphtha Catalytic Cracking” since fiscal 2010. As such, we are currently working with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Hokkaido University, Yokohama National University and three other private companies to develop groundbreaking catalysts leading to both the greater production of valuable products and the reduction of CO2 emissions in the chemical industry.

Participating in the Cabinet Office's Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology

We are currently participating in the Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), a Cabinet Office project based on collaboration between industry, government and academia. Under the guidance of Professor Yasuhiro Koike from Keio University, the program's core researcher, we are working on the research and development of core photonic polymer technologies for the next generation of plastic optical fibers and displays.

The two main objectives of the program are the development of ultra high speed plastic optical fibers and the development of photonic polymers for high-resolution large-size displays. Through these objectives, we aim at providing the world with materials featuring cutting-edge technologies, connecting remote locations with high-definition video phones and other technologies for face-to-face communication, and creating a communications industry worth around ¥10 trillion.