Message from the Director

Center for Scientific Instrument Renovation and Manufacturing Support may be the unfamiliar name, but it is one of the educational research centers at Osaka University. It doesn’t belong to any graduate schools or any undergraduate schools, same as Low Temperature Center and Research Center for Ultra-High Voltage Electron Microscopy, it operates with a wide open doors to support education and research for faculty members and graduate and undergraduate students. The main missions are as follows.

  • ①→Effective use of scientific instrument and Reuse for shared use
  • ②→Grasp of on campus scientific instrument and Promotion of shared use
  • ③→Manufacturing support for education and research

As a history, in 1966 Manufacturing Support Center established as an on-campus joint education and research facility was a starting point. After several reorganizations, in 2014 it became the current system consisting of two divisions such as the Research Facilities Renovation Support Division and the Manufacturing Support Division. Center for Manufacturing Support is located in Interdisciplinary Research Building on Toyonaka Campus, and Center for Scientific Instrument Renovation is located separately both in Incubations Building, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research on Suita Campus and Interdisciplinary Research Building on Toyonaka Campus.

According to the request from each department, Center for Manufacturing Support has supported the advanced research of our university for more than half a century, through the manufacture and improvement of experimental equipment, instruments, and test pieces that utilized the technology of machine and glass work. However, university support other than research support is also remarkable recently. For example, the center made a symbolic object that was the key to the success at Japan-Germany 6 University Network (HeKKSaGOn) that our university served as the host in 2018. In April 2020 of the corona wreck, at the request of our university hospital the center promptly manufactured in-house face shield 4,500 sets and eye guard 3,000 pieces which were difficult to obtain and it cooperated with the hospital management. Furthermore, it is cooperating in the implementation of “Osaka University Technical Staff Training” in August 2020.

On the other hand, Center for Scientific Instrument Renovation started in 2007 is a relatively new department, but for the purpose of effective utilization of valuable on-campus research assets it has been working to expand usage through the reuse and sharing of equipment and devices. It is constructing a device reservation billing system for the reuse and sharing of facilities and equipment that can be shared and the use and operation of shared equipment throughout our university. In 2017, in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology “Advanced Research Infrastructure Sharing Promotion Project”, “Chemical Spectroscopy Solution”, “Nanostructure Quantum Analysis Solution”, “Life Bio Solution”, 3cases were adopted, the center has established a research support method unique to Osaka University that forms a shared unit across departments for each type of equipment and research field called “Osaka University Solution Method”. In 2019 it was adopted for “Research Equipment Mutual Use Network Introduction Demonstration Program (SHARE)” of the same “Advanced Research Infrastructure Sharing Promotion Project”, and it established “Hanna Equipment Sharing Network” in collaboration with Osaka City University and National Institute of Technology, Nara College. At present it is working on regional cooperation for equipment sharing that transcends the boundaries of universities (institutions).

In this way, the center contributes to the research and education activities of our university through the efficient operation of scientific instruments, which are research assets, and the manufacture of equipment and devices for advanced research. It can be said that it is a small organization as a department of a university, but on the other hand, I consider it to be an organization with excellent mobility and flexibility. While continuing to listen to your requests and advice, we would like to aim for more advanced and efficient research and education support. If you would like to cooperate, please do not hesitate to contact us even if it is a trivial matter.

Director
Toshiaki MUNAKATA
History
1966: The Manufacturing Center inaugurated as an on-campus joint education and research facility.
2007: Progressive reorganization of the Manufacturing Center leads to the establishment of the Renovation Center of Instruments for Science Education and Technology.
2014: Reorganized into the Center for Scientific Instrument Renovation and Manufacturing Support.