Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Launches Global Research Institute

KAITEKI Institute Will Focus on 21st Century Challenges

A new global research institute focused on meeting 21st Century challenges in energy, the environment and healthcare has been established by Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, it was announced here today.

Known as the KAITEKI Institute, it will be managed by Yoshimitsu Kobayashi, president of the Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (MCHC), and Professor Glenn H. Fredrickson of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Headquartered on Minato-ku, Tokyo, the Institute is scheduled to open April 1 of this year.

“Kaiteki”, which traditionally means “comfort” or “ease” in Japanese, was chosen for the institute’s name to represent the global quality of life that will be made possible through sustainable technologies and through breakthrough scientific advances in human healthcare.

MCHC Group identified “Sustainability” (resources and the environment), “Health” and “Comfort” as the decision criteria of corporate activities in its mid-term management plan APTSIS 10. The Group strives for global leadership while creating and executing strategies to build sustainable corporate value. One such strategy is to promote sustainability by addressing issues including not only climate change resulting from increased CO2 emissions, but also environmental protection, depletion of energy resources, water and food supplies, and healthcare.

The KAITEKI Institute was established to implement these strategies through the following:
Grasp future paradigm shifts, and monitor societal trends, needs and challenges by continually gathering and analyzing information on social changes, and regularly communicating the results to the MCHC Group.
Develop a concept for MCHC Group business based on these paradigm shifts, and direct leading-edge researchers from around the world to conduct multidisciplinary investigations, incorporating methods and concepts from both the social and natural sciences.
Based on the acquired study results, propose solutions with technology platforms to the above-mentioned issues to the MCHC Group for the incubation of new business enterprises.

The MCHC Group will set its research targets in consultation with the KAITEKI Institute Advisory Board (see the attachment), which comprises outside experts in various fields. The basic areas of research and study are as follows:
The environment, resources, energy (e.g. recycling carbon from CO2)
Water, food
Health (breakthrough technologies in medical care)

The KAITEKI Institute will help make society healthier and more prosperous by supporting long-term MCHC Group research activities and business activities, while taking advantage of a global scientific and information network.

KAITEKI company outline

Company name:
The KAITEKI Institute, Inc.

Representative Director, Member of the Board, President:
Yoshimitsu Kobayashi
President
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation

Member of the Board, Executive Director:
Glenn H. Fredrickson
Professor, Chemical Engineering,
University of California, Santa Barbara

Member of the Board, Deputy Director:
Eiji Tanaka*
Executive Officer
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation

Chair of the Advisory Board:
Tokio Niikuni*
Managing Executive Officer
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation

Advisors:
Hiroaki Kitano
Director
The Systems Biology Institute

Hiroshi Komiyama
President
The University of Tokyo

Makoto Shiho
Chief Scientist
Institute for Applied Optics

George Hara
Group Chairman and CEO
DEFTA Partners

Two more members will participate.

Established:
April 1, 2009

Capital:
10 million yen

Headquarters:
Minato-ku, Tokyo

Initial employees:
10

*They will leave the current positions of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation and be committed to operation of the KAITEKI Institute, Inc. effective April 1, 2009.

Contacts

John Adams Associates Inc.
Ann Crampton
202-737-8400
acrampton {at} johnadams(.)com

Contact in Tokyo:
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation
Public Relations and Investor Relations Office
+81-(0)3-6414-3730