Center Director’s Inaugural Greetings

With the retirement of the former director Kazuki Saito on April 1, 2025, I was appointed director of RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS).

Since its establishment in 2013, CSRS has pursued research under the concept of "Sustainable Resource Science," integrating research fields such as plant science, chemical biology, catalytic chemistry, and biomass engineering under the leadership of the first director Dr. Kazuo Shinozaki and former director Dr. Saito. Using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as important benchmarks, CSRS has played a leading role in realizing a sustainable society.

In the fifth mid- to long-term plan period starting this April, our research center’s key mission is to contribute to solving global challenges toward the preservation of the global commons and the realization of a sustainable circular society. To this end, we established four strategic programs based on the Sustainable Resource Science research we have developed over the years. By pursuing cutting-edge science and using our scientific strengths to promote these programs, we aim to contribute to the protection of the global commons.

I look forward to your continuous support and guidance.