Opening Ceremony of Kyoto-Bordeaux-Nantes On-site Laboratory for Inorganic Energy Materials (26th January 2026)
On 26 January 2026, an opening ceremony was held at the University of Nantes in France to mark the launch of the Kyoto University On-site Laboratory for ‘Inorganic Energy Materials’.
Kyoto University’s On-site Laboratory (OSL) scheme is a locally managed laboratory system that establishes joint research bases within the facilities of leading overseas universities and research institutions. Institutionalised in 2018, the scheme aims to promote cutting-edge research, attract international students, and stimulate international collaborative research.
In September 2025, the application for the establishment of an OSL by the Graduate School of Engineering and the Graduate School of Energy Science was approved, and it will be operated through a collaboration between Kyoto University, the University of Bordeaux’s Institute of Chemistry of Condensed Matter (ICMCB), and the University of Nantes’s Jean Rouxel Institute of Materials (IMN).This marks the second OSL to be approved for the Graduate School of Engineering.
The ceremony began with an address by Professor Hiroshi Kageyama (Department of Chemical Science and Engineering), the OSL Programme Director at the Graduate School of Engineering, who spoke about future international collaboration in the field of inorganic materials and energy, the significance of establishing the OSL, and his aspirations for the future. This was followed by congratulatory remarks from Vice-President for International Strategy, Yasuyuki Kono, who also introduced the University’s international strategy, including the On-Site Laboratory initiative. Professor Takehiko Yokomine, Deputy Dean for International Affairs at the Graduate School of Engineering, introduced the Graduate School and expressed his high hopes for the future development of this OSL. Furthermore, Professor Yasuto Tachikawa, Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering, sent a congratulatory message via video link to celebrate the launch of the new OSL.
In addition, the Director of the JSPS Strasbourg Office, the Director of the JST Paris Office, and the Deputy Director of the Kyoto University European Center were present; from the French side, Cyril Aymonier, Director of the ICMCB at the University of Bordeaux, Florent Bouchet, Director of the IMN at the University of Nantes, Thierry Roissot, Scientific Representative of the CNRS Chemistry Division; Sylvie Renaud, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bordeaux; and Olivier Grasse, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nantes, among many other prominent figures from the academic community on both the Japanese and French sides. The event served to reaffirm the strong ties that have been forged through academic and educational cooperation to date.
Following the ceremony, courtesy of the City of Nantes, the venue moved to the historic and traditional Nantes City Hall for a reception. At the venue, a celebratory performance was given by a graduate of our university who is currently majoring in violin at the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique. Amidst a festive atmosphere throughout the event, the attendees engaged in a lively exchange of views regarding future prospects in a cordial atmosphere.
The following day, researchers from Nantes University, including Dr. Laurent Cario, and from the University of Bordeaux, including Dr. Alain Demourgues, joined Kyoto University researchers for discussions on future directions of collaborative research among the three universities. Active exchanges took place on a wide range of inorganic energy materials, including mixed-anion compounds, fluoride materials, and battery materials, with a focus on how each institution’s strengths could complement one another. In addition to collaborative research, discussions also covered student exchanges and the development of young researchers through international mobility and training opportunities. The success of the two-day exchange was made possible in large part by the tremendous efforts of Prof. Olivier Hernandez and Dr. Shunsuke Sasaki of Nantes University, together with Associate Professor Suguru Yoshida of Kyoto University, all of whom played central roles in organizing and fostering these collaborations.
Building on many years of research collaboration and international programmes of excellence, this was an important occasion that heralds a further leap forward in Franco-Japanese scientific cooperation in the field of energy materials.
Key Atendees
From France,
Cyril AYMONIER, Director of the ICMCB, CNRS-University of Bordeaux-Bordeaux INP
Florent BOUCHER, Director of the IMN, CNRS-Nantes University
Thierry LOISEAU, Scientific Delegate at CNRS Chemistry
Sylvie RENAUD, Vice-President for Research and Technology Transfer at Bordeaux INP
Olivier GRASSET, Vice-President for Research and Open Science at the University of Nantes
Antoine GOULLET, Deputy Director of Research at the Science and Technology Division of the University of Nantes
Stéphane GACHET, elected member of the Pays-de-la-Loire Regional Council
Aziliz GOUEZ, Vice-President for Higher Education and Research at Nantes Métropole
Cedric Tassel, Professor at Bordeaux INP/ICMCB, University of Bordeaux (formerly Associate Professor at Kyoto University)
From Japan,
Yasuyuki KONO, Vice-President for International Strategy, Kyoto University
Yasuto TACHIKAWA, Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering
Takehiko YOKOMINE, Vice-Dean for International Affairs, Graduate School of Engineering
*Hiroshi KAGEYAMA, Professor, Graduate School of Engineering
*Kazuhiko MATSUMOTO, Professor, Graduate School of Energy Science
*Management Representatives of the OSL
Chiyoko KANNO, Deputy Director, Kyoto University European Center / International Strategy Headquarters (Senior Research Administrator)
Toshiyuki TAKAGI, Director, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Strasbourg Office
Hirotaka YAMADA, Director, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Paris Office