Nov 07, 2022
Today, Kyoto University (Location: Sakyo-ku, Kyoto; President: Nagahiro Minato) and Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Otsu, Shiga Prefecture; President: Motoharu Matsumoto) agreed to establish an endowed chair in basic science of glass at Kyoto University from April 2023, and held a signing ceremony for an agreement on a financial framework “Nippon Electric Glass Basic Glass Research Trust” to enable the university to maintain continuous basic glass research.
This is the first time for Kyoto University to operate an endowed chair on an ongoing basis using the trust method.
The purpose of this chair is to further deepen Japan’s world-leading glass science and technology and to foster human resources who will become glass researchers and engineers by stably conducting various basic research aiming to discover new laws and principles in glass science.
This endowed chair will be established for a fixed term of five years. To conduct basic research and develop human resources, however, stable and continuous operation of the chair is required. For this reason, Nippon Electric Glass proposed using the trust method to maintain the research system as long as possible, and Kyoto University determined to establish an endowed chair by adopting the trust method for the first time. Nippon Electric Glass will set up a trust at a bank, first contributing 1 billion yen, and then replenishing the funds used for the endowed chair every year to establish a system for stably providing the necessary expenses for the chair’s operation.
1. Name of the endowed chair
“Basic Science of Glass Chair”
2. Location where the endowed chair is established
Department of Material Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University
(on the Katsura Campus of Kyoto University)
3. Contributor
Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd.
4. Chair’s establishment period and contribution amount
From April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2028
* Renewal is allowed.
Contribution amount: 500 million yen (5 years)
5. Outline of the contribution and the trust method
- Nippon Electric Glass will set up a “Nippon Electric Glass Basic Glass Research Trust” at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, and contribute 1 billion yen as initial funding.
- Kyoto University will annually withdraw the amount necessary for the operation of the chair.
– Nippon Electric Glass will annually replenish the trust with up to 100 million yen of the amount used.
6. Description of the endowed chair
Through research related to the basic science of glass described below, the chair aims to improve the properties of glass materials and create glass materials with new functions, and foster young researchers and engineers who will contribute to the advancement of the field of material chemistry and the glass industry.
– Improvement of the functionality of glass and creation of compositions that impart new functions
- Prediction of correlation between compositions and physical properties
- Understanding of glass structure, structural relaxation, glass transition, phase separation, crystallization, properties of high-temperature melts, etc.
– Atomic-level structural analysis and measurement technology for physical properties under high temperature and high pressure
– Development of new processes related to melting, forming, processing and strengthening
7. Structure
Education and research structure centered on several full-time faculty members