Message from the Director (Yukio H. OGATA)

Our Institute was reorganized as the Institute of Advanced Energy in 1996, and twelve years have passed since then. We started the Institute with unsatisfactory state of personnel and facility environment. We have advanced our research and educational activities with our full power aiming at realizing highly efficient energy systems, development of new energy sources and high-efficient utilization systems of energy resources in order to create and develop a novel research field in advanced energy science and technology. After the buildup period of the organization and research environment, many accomplishments have been yielded in recent years, while fundamental researches to be flourished in the future are also growing.

The Institute is now going through a phase to make a framework for the further development in the second phase of midterm following the first period started in 2004. The Institute has developed and improved unique and integrated research facilities and advanced analytical equipments, and offered the environment to researchers inside and outside of the Institute for the utilization and collaborations. The Laboratory for Complex Energy Processes is playing the key role in the effective operation for the collaborative activities as the center. The Institute has made a big contribution also in education utilizing the distinguished research environment, and provided many outstanding doctors to intra- and inter-national communities and societies as the cooperating partner to The Graduate School of Energy Science and Technology. The education is extended also to postdoctoral fellows and researchers who will play an active role in advanced energy R&D. The year of 2008 is a very important year for our further progress in research and education.

Energy issues are urgent priorities to be addressed under the present circumstances of increasing serious deterioration of environment and soaring oil prices due to the coming depletion of energy resources. We are going to work hard in research and education to cope with these critical energy issues. It would give us great pleasure if all of you would well understand and support our activities.

April 2008
Yukio H. OGATA

2008.1 - 2013.3