The Graduate School of Engineering hosted Kyoto University TechConnect 2015–II at the Innovation Plaza on the Katsura Campus on 11 September. This was the fourth edition of the technology-showcase event and it attracted a close-to-capacity attendance of some 60 persons from various backgrounds, including solar energy businesses and investment funds, coordinators of industry-academia collaborative activities, and newspaper correspondents.
The event opened with a new technology presentation session under the theme of "solar cell technology". Four researchers who are engaged in studying "methods" and "materials" in the field delivered presentations on their achievements. This was followed by a business card exchange session which provided opportunities for conversation between the presenters and those representing businesses and other organizations.
Attendees' comments included: "We were able to see a variety of really cutting-edge technologies, here", and "This event provided me with some ideas that could be quite beneficial to my business". A number of commenters asked for future events to cover "energy-related topics" and "materials-related topics".
The Graduate School of Engineering is committed to continue holding TechConnect biannually, with each event devoted to a particular theme, in order to help the business community and Kyoto University explore possibilities for match-ups, and lay the groundwork for future collaboration.
One of the new technology presentations in progress
Business card exchange session
