JFCC : World Material Center

The World Material Center is intended to organically associate capabilities, facilities and data regarding material technologies of related industrial, public and academic organizations, respond to all needs regarding materials, and vitalize related industries, including creation of new ones.
It mainly studies ceramics, and based on its results, it will also study other materials. It is intended to develop the Chubu region where a lot of related companies and research institutions into the world Mecca (COE) of material research and industries of ceramics.

Conceptual diagram of WMC Asian regional organization network

Specifically, advisors (advisory board), who have considerable experience with materials and many personal connections, are placed to fully utilize their human network. The ultimate purpose of the activities is to shorten research and development time and reduce costs through efficient sharing of jobs by the organic linking of industrial, public and academic organizations and the effective use of excellent technologies and engineers of each organization.

The international information network will be expanded into a global organization that matches needs and seeds, including Europe and the United States of America, by accumulating results based on cooperation between Japan, China and Korea in Asian regions that are closely related to Japan.

JFCC performs trials regarding the following WMC special technical consulting and international cooperation as WMC practical activities.

JFCC has expanded the conventional technical consultation and has started a new conciliation business activity with a needs-seeds matching function. Specifically, an advisory board is newly established, the needs of research and development concerning materials are associated with seeds, and material industries are vitalized by performing innovative technical development leading to commercialization and commercialization of seeds in each company. Advisors sign nondisclosure agreements to prevent disclosure of obtained information to outside parties.

For example,

-	Needs for industrialization/commercialization -> Research theme, contracted research, corporative research partner selection/introduction
-	Technical guidance/engineer dispatching request -> Appropriate advisor/key person selection/dispatching.
-	Technologies that are not commercialized by large companies -> Technology transfer to middle-sized firms.
-	Good technologies of middle-sized firms -> Commercialization in cooperation with large companies with market cultivation power.

The main purpose is to mediate organizations or key persons corresponding to the needs shown above and assist conciliation of seeds technology transfer. We hope you make full use of these opportunities.

Advisory board :
Persons who have experience with industrialization, many personal connections and high recognition.

For example, advisors in Japan

Toshio Hirai	:	JFCC adviser (Professor emeritus of Tohoku University)
Kanji Oya	:	Advisor of NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd. (Ex-executive Director)
Tsuyoshi Kawanishi	:	President of TEK Consultant (Ex-vice President of Toshiba Corporation, Former Chairman of JFCC Executive Committee)
Masaaki Ohashi	:	JFCC adviser (Senior adviser of Aichi Steel Corporation, Ex-executive Director of Toyota Motor Corporation)
Mikinari Ono	:	Advisor of Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (Ex-vice President)
Tsuneharu Nitta	:	Ex-director of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Sakae Tanemura	:	JFCC Laboratory Director (Ex-president of Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute)

and so on.

WMC special technical consultation application form (PDF/29k bytes)

(Secrecy : Contents of consulting are strictly kept in secret.)

JFCC plans to build an inter-organization network with China and Korea, which are closely related with Japanese companies, in Asian regions. An advisory board and a human network will be installed in these countries with the domestic WMC functions like Japan so that the WMCs may coordinate with each other.

JFCC selected Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, the China's largest national ceramics research institution and Korea Institute of Ceramics Eng & Tech , the Korea's ceramics research institution, as main research institutions, which have agreed the basic concepts.

The works that can be carried out together include provision of market information, such as market size, product development, standardization activity, related industry organizations, government organizations, provision of technnlogical information, such as product development trends, seeds technology searches, research and development technologies, patent information, cooperation of research activities, including contracted and cooperative researches, and commercialization.

JFCC plans to extend the WMC concept to Europe and the United States of America based on the results in Japan and Asian regions, and establish strategic points in Europe, the United States of America and Asia to realize the world material center functions.

Contact

2-4-1 Mutsuno, Atsuta, Nagoya, 456-8587, Japan
User Administration Department
Japan Fine Ceramics Center
Phone: +81-52-871-3500 FAX: +81-52-871-3599
E-mail:techsup@
( Please attach "jfcc.or.jp" after "@", when you like to email. )

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