Strengths and Features

The Center’s Strengths and Features

In April of 2007, with the aim at enhancing membrane research and education, the Center for Membrane and Film Technology (MaFTech) was established under the administration of Graduate School of Engineering in Kobe University. This is the first large scale faculty-driven membrane center in Japan. In April of 2019 MaFTech completed its upgrade. The MaFTech’s upgrade is with a target of accelerating SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) realization and achieving Carbon Neutrality in 2050. Since the upgrade MaFTech is under Kobe University’s direct administration. For the center academic members, apart from the center’s major faculty, research groups from Kobe University’s other schools are also linked to MaFTech. They include Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Graduate school of Agriculture, Graduate School of Science, as well as Graduate School of Maritime Science. The upgraded MaFTech also has new research divisions specialized at innovative membrane fabrication and material development.

The page of MaFTech’s research divisions

Additionally, MaFTech also sets focus on enhancing international collaboration. Up to date the center has built up official linkages (MOU) with 16 membrane research units/associations in 9 different countries/districts in Asia, US, Europe areas. We also organize an annual event iWMK for accelerating our co-research with officially linked overseas partners. Here is the featured page on the details of our international collaboration activities.

MaFTech’s upgrade is not only on research but also on industrial partnership and technology commercialization. The Commercialization Promotion Division is our newly established part specialized in bringing our research outputs to industrial application. In this division we have professionals with over 30 years of experiences in membrane related industry. Throughout sorts of interactional activities with company partners such as co-research, workshop and technical training, technology commercialization will be strongly accelerated and help bring our latest academic outputs to benefiting the society.

Cooperative Activities with the Research Organization for Membrane and Film Technology

For enhancing the partnership with industrial members, MaFTech closely cooperates with the Research Organization for Membrane and Film Technology which was also established in 2007. Since 2013 the organization is registered as a general incorporated association. This organization plays a key role at bridging MaFTech and corporate members. Currently there are more that 80 companies joined as corporate members of the organization. MaFTech cooperates with the organization for sorts of industrial outreach activities such as academic symposium, workshop, technical training for the joined corporate members. These activities highly accelerate technology commercialization and social contribution.

International Collaboration

MaFTech has a strong vision on international collaboration. Since its establishment in 2007, we are making our best effort on building close academic partnership with renowned membrane research centers around the global. Currently we have signed MOU with 16 overseas partners in 9 different countries/districts. Under this large academic network, we actively promote collaborative research and personnel exchanges. Additionally, with the aim at accelerating the collaborative activities, we started an international membrane workshop in 2014 named the International Workshop on Membrane in Kobe (iWMK). In this annual event, we invite our academic partners to give presentations on their recent research achievements and have discussions on today’s membrane research trends (please refer to the iWMK featured page for more information). iWMK is now becoming the trigger of our international collaboration. Since the first iWMK in 2014, our co-authored publications have reached over 90. Feel free to explore our webpages on co-authored publications and joint research projects.

The page of MaFTech’s international collaboration

Selected as a Key “J-Innovation HUB” by Japan’s METI

In December of 2020, MaFTech was selected by the Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) for its project of “J-Innovation HUB”. Under this 3 year project MaFTech have been supported to grow as one of the key regional innovation hubs in Japan bridging academia and industry. It strongly helps MaFTech to enhance its industrial collaboration and the development to be one of the top research units in Japan.

As the original plan the selection of “J-Innovation HUB” lasts 3 years (expected to close in 2023). METI highly evaluated MaFTech’s excellent performance on international joint research and extended the selection for an extra 3 years (up to 2025). Additionally, MaFTech was also selected for METI’s project of “J-Innovation Platform”. With the project support MaFTech’s new building is now under construction and expected to open by February of 2024. This new facility is mainly for medical areas.

Reference on METI’s J-Innovation HUB official page (Japanese)