Expectations for the Graduate School of Frontier Exploration in Earth and Space

We feel that the type of talent the Graduate School of Frontier Exploration in Earth and Space aims to develop — equipped with "comprehensive knowledge" integrating science, engineering, and management — is of extremely high value in a rapidly changing industry. In particular, the practical capability directly connected to real missions through project-based education is precisely the "job-ready" quality that companies seek. Talent with a cross-disciplinary perspective who takes on the challenge of solving problems both in space and on Earth is also highly appealing to us as a chemical manufacturer with broad application domains.

We also look forward to a space-focused graduate school being established in the same Kansai region. As the transition from Phase 2 (development of exploration bases) to Phase 3 (the stage aimed at future urban development in space) progresses, we hope to collaborate with the Graduate School of Frontier Exploration in Earth and Space to take on new space-related business initiatives.

We believe graduates could contribute across a wide range of areas at our company, from research and development, materials design, and analysis and evaluation, through to the exploration and planning of new businesses. High-performance materials and environment-resistant technologies suited to space and extreme environments have strong affinity with our areas of expertise in interfacial control technology and functional chemical product development. We also look forward to graduates proposing business plans that contribute to the construction and enrichment of human habitats — covering food, clothing, and shelter — on the Moon and Mars, as will be required in future Phase 3. We expect graduates to contribute on both the research and development and business development fronts as "architect-type professionals" who identify technologies applicable across both space and Earth and drive the creation of new applications.

Knowledge of space materials analysis for extreme environments such as space, the Moon, and Mars, as well as knowledge of core robotics technologies, is directly connected to the design of highly durable, high-performance materials and serves as the starting point for creating new research themes. The ability to comprehensively interpret satellite and exploration data through data science will also be crucial knowledge for chemical manufacturers in the future.

Furthermore, we aim to develop new businesses across a wide range of fields, not confined to the framework of a chemical manufacturer. There will surely be many situations in which talent can demonstrate their abilities — not only those with knowledge in space materials analysis and robotics, but also those with the diverse backgrounds and know-how gained through study at the Graduate School of Frontier Exploration in Earth and Space.

Furthermore, when looking ahead to the kind of life in space envisioned for Phase 3, a major theme will be what kinds of products are needed in order to live at the same level as on Earth. We look forward to working together with graduates on adapting for use in space the various everyday materials we have developed, as well as the development of materials suited to life in space.

A foundation in project management and systems engineering is indispensable for driving research and development and launching new businesses. The ability to draw up business plans from a broad perspective while maintaining specialized expertise, and to take initiative while managing the whole — in other words, the "integrative capability" cultivated through learning that crosses science, engineering, and management — is what I believe will be the true strength.