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National Maritime Research Institute | ||
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A Message from the President | ||
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Kazuhiro Mori, President
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In fiscal year 2011, we are undertaking challenges in the following three broad areas: First, we have set high targets and new themes in connection with achieving zero emissions of CO2, NOx, etc., improvement of ship performance in actual seas and its evaluation, development and safety assessment of a hybrid propulsion system, rapid, high-level analysis of maritime accidents, power generation using floating offshore wind power systems, safety and environmental impact assessments of marine resource development, and support to safe, efficient ship operation, among other issues. It is necessary to take on these challenges and promote research on these topics in a full-scale manner. In combination with this, it is also important to follow up on various research results achieved during the 2nd Mid-Term target period, and to implement measures to ensure their dissemination. Beginning in 2011, we will introduce a new style of research, in which research is promoted in collaboration with industry and universities by the OpenLab system, centering on the world's premier Actual Sea Model Basin, which NMRI completed in 2010 with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). In this new research system, we intend to develop innovation technologies through collaboration with industry and academia. |
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Second, it is necessary to have a vision of NRMI as "Safety and environmental specialist" and "Maritime innovation center," and to create unrivaled technologies on this basis.
NMRI will merit the name of a research institute which responds to the expectations of the Japanese people only when it achieves research results through advanced technologies and independence which are unobtainable at other institutions. Therefore, while also pursuing results from research on priority themes, we will make the best use of these results to further advance core technologies designated by NMRI. To expand collaboration with universities and other research organizations, we will seek new ideas from these counterparts and promote new "seeds" type technical development utilizing the facilities possessed by NMRI and our research budget. We are promoting in-house training aimed to further upgrade our research potential, and in this area, we are working to improve the content of training. We also intend to enable easier use by other organizations of our training facilities and contribute to maritime industries which demand higher potential in maritime and marine technologies. |
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Third, efficient management which produces the maximum results with a limited budget is necessary.
In December of last year, a basic policy on reviews of Independent Administrative Institutions (IAI)
like NMRI was adopted by the Cabinet. In particular, this requires IAIs to further streamline management by
specializing in roles which cannot be fulfilled by the private sector or universities, eliminate redundancy in
research work and stamp out research with little necessity from the viewpoint of policy. As a research institute
which receives the larger part of its budget from the national government, we must seek methods of conducting
our business which will win the understanding of the Japanese people. This means promotion of prioritizing research
themes and thoroughly eradicating waste from research we undertake. We are committed to inspecting and improving all aspects of our business and are set to actively conduct the reviews deemed necessary to achieve this goal. In this, we will not be bound by established conventions, but will analyze the current situation from the perspective of the Japanese people, carry out reforms based on new thinking, and conduct our business activities on this basis. |
| Kazuhiro Mori, President (IAI) National Maritime Research Institute |
