Overview of Advanced Research Laboratories
The Advanced Research Laboratories (ARL) were established in April 2004 to embody the philosophy of Tokyo City University (TCU), which is “human resource development and academic research for sustainable social development.” The ARL supports TCUʼs internal research activities with the primary objectives of contributing to people’s lives by returning research findings to society and providing students with advanced education. As a university-wide organization, it plays a key role in promoting technical innovations for addressing challenges that blend a wide variety of considerations aimed at maintaining and improving the infrastructure environment that underpins the nonhuman and human logistics that serve as the foundation of daily urban living. These efforts include converting coastal industrial zones into residential land to expand housing areas and improve the environment, taking measures against liquefaction within those zones, and enhancing renewable energy. Other challenges include addressing the cradle-to-grave considerations faced by city dwellers, such as parenting, childcare, lifestyle maintenance, healthcare, and nursing care.
Message from the Director
Established in April 2004, Advanced Research Laboratories (ARL) take advantage of their cutting-edge equipment to promote research themes consistent with social needs and advanced education for graduate and undergraduate students so that they can serve as pioneers embodying the philosophy of Tokyo City University (TCU), which is “human resource development and academic research for sustainable social development.”
Currently, the ARL has two institute and eight centers as its core organizations, including the Institute of Innovation Researches and the Institute for Future City Studies, which addresses a wide variety of issues related to aging urban hardware and software; the Research Center for Nano-Electronics, which pursues research on optoelectronic devices enabling energy savings in information and communication technology (ICT); and the Advanced Retrofit Technology International Center, which facilitates the development of reconstruction techniques for social infrastructure, such as expressways and railroads. Other ARL laboratories are challenging advanced academic research topics like microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), novel solar photovoltaic generation, smart grid systems, and robotics, among others.
Research projects have been promoted under the framework of the Program for the Strategic Research Foundation at Private Universities supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Program for Creation of Future Society sponsored by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), project research backed by science research grants and other funds, research based on programs that invite the public to make proposals – including the Strategic Information and Communications Research and Development Promotion Program sponsored by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) – and joint research with business entities. All of these projects have been pursued to advance leading-edge research and development activities, as well as to disseminate their findings back to society.
In addition to internal projects, ARL proactively promotes collaborative research projects with business entities, other academic institutions, and overseas research organizations as part of efforts to disseminate information to diverse recipients, and to promote the common good by sharing its findings with the world. For example, the Research Center for Nano-Electronics, among others, is highly regarded for its development of a Si-based light-emitting device, which is regarded as the most advanced in the world, and the center is also aggressively promoting the research and development of laser applications. Individual research centers work on their own research activities to promote further developments through the distribution of findings and exchanges, and by holding periodic seminars to present discoveries and report progress.
Looking to the future, ARL will make even more efforts for its development as the research base of TCU. Your continued support would be greatly appreciated.
- Advanced Research Laboratories, TCU
Kenichiro Nonaka, Director