Research teams from RWTH Aachen University (RWTH) and Osaka University held the 1st Unified Catalysis Joint Symposium on 22 March 2024 at the Cen-Terrace Salon of the Graduate School of Engineering located on Osaka University’s Suita Campus. This collaborative project is supported by JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) under the “Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (International Leading Research)” which began in 2022. The objective of this project is to design, develop, and utilize various biohybrid catalysts for sustainable and bioeconomical material productions and degradations, and unify the catalysis concept together.

The symposium was organized by two Principal Investigators: Professor Takashi HAYASHI, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, and Professor Ulrich Schwaneberg, RWTH. It was attended by 75 participants including faculty, researchers, and students from universities and companies, and 13 research presentations were made. Professor Beverley Anne YAMAMOTO, Executive Vice President for International Affairs (Education) of Osaka University, and Professor Susumu KUWABATA, Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering, gave opening addresses followed by the first keynote lecture by Professor Jochen Büchs from RWTH, who received an honorary degree from Osaka University in 2018.

Members of both universities presented their research over two days and engaged in lively and extensive discussions. The outcome of the symposium paved the way for further development of the project under the strategic partnership between the two universities in the field. This will lead to various joint research projects and the exchange of researchers and students in the next five years.


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Reference: The kick-off symposium at RWTH Aachen University in March 2023:
https://gi.osaka-u.ac.jp/news/detail/57