The 4th Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) for the “Continuous Operation System for Microalgae Production Optimized for Sustainable Tropical Aquaculture,” a project which Soka University Professor Tatsuki Toda of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Department of Science and Engineering for Sustainable Innovation is jointly carrying out with The University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology and the National Institute for Environmental Studies, was held in Malaysia on September 26 (local time), sponsored by Malaysia’s University of Selangor. From Soka University, President Yoshihisa Baba, Professor Toda, Professor Shinichi Victor Kuwahara, and Assistant Professor Minamo Hirahara attended.

Collaborating science technology and diplomacy, this project began in May 2015, as part of an effort to strengthen “Science and Technology Diplomacy” with the support of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and was selected by the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) where JST and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) collaborates. It is an international joint research project carried out in collaboration by 7 research institutes of the University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, National Institute for Environmental Studies, University Putra Malaysia, University of Selangor, and the University of Malaysia, Terengganu.

At the JCC meeting, they confirmed updates regarding delivery and set-ups of equipment and facilities needed for research by Professor Toda, who is the project leader, and also confirmed how research is progressing. Seven institutions from the two countries discussed plans for exchanges of capable people and technology with various universities as well as additional equipment.
After the meeting, the party made a courtesy visit to University Putra Malaysia and the University of Selangor and saw the mass cultivation system of microalgae, etc. which is currently being constructed within University Putra Malaysia.

Having finished the JCC meeting, Professor Toda shared, “As we approached the latter half of the project, both countries continued to carry out detailed discussions to solve various issues, and I could feel how we were cooperating with each other as we advanced. I am determined that through further cooperation between the two counties, we will establish technologies and foster capable individuals that can contribute to society, and ensure the success of the COSMOS Project.”