Exchanges

The main activities of this program are (1) workshops, (2) young researchers’ schools, (3) short- and long-term stays of young researchers, and (4) lecture seminar tours by senior and mid-career researchers. Through these activities, one of our goals is to break down the vertical barriers between senior and mid-career researchers and young researchers, including students, and to promote exchanges on a level playing field in order to establish stronger and more sustainable international cooperation.

Detailed Plan

①Workshop

Annual seminars will be held in Oxford, Kyoto Antwerp, Bordeaux, and Tokyo over the next five years.
The seminar will consist of oral presentations and poster sessions to share the latest results from all participating institutions. Brainstorming sessions where young researchers can actively participate will be held in order to share non-public data, plan new research and start up collaborations.

②Young Researcher School

Summer schools will be held at different locations in the second and fifth years of the project, where senior researchers will give lectures to young researchers and students on synthesis (high pressure, thin film, low temperature synthesis, etc.), structural analysis (X-ray, neutron, electron diffraction), chemical and physical functions, and theoretical calculations specific to mixed anion compounds. Particular emphasis will be placed on the structure in the first lecture. This will be a unique opportunity for young Japanese students to hear lectures by experts in structural science from Europe, which is still at the forefront of the field. The second session will be more theoretical and will also include the LOBSTER School by Prof. Richard Dronskowski and Prof. Volker Deringer (which will be held in August 2019 under the auspices of the new “Mixed Anion” science). In addition to this, we will hold a “research planning by students from different affiliations”, which has been very successful in the new academic year, to help students develop their skills as independent researchers.

(3) Short-term and medium-term stays for young researchers

This program encourages young researchers and students to stay in foreign research institutions for short or long periods of time, not only to learn new technologies, but also to promote communication and international cooperation. Our motto is “Growing together”. During their stay in Japan, the young researchers will conduct mini-study abroad programs to visit related laboratories and conduct experiments. In this way, young researchers will be able to form their own networks and learn various research planning methods, experimental techniques, and research philosophies. Through these exchanges, a broader international community for the next generation of mixed anionic materials will be established, leading to the development of further unique synthesis, analysis, and property evaluation methods and the creation of innovative functions. 

(4) Lecture and seminar tours by senior and mid-career researchers

These lecture tours are intended to increase the number of young researchers interested in mixed anions compounds and to form a broader network for the future. These tours will include not only partner countries and related institutions in Japan, but also other research institutions. The speakers will not only report their research results, but also visit other participating institutions to teach the experimental techniques they use and give lectures. Lecture will be held on different topics, notably, high-pressure synthesis, thin-film synthesis, hydride or fluoride synthesis, physical property evaluation, and electron diffraction techniques.  The purpose will be to provide researchers better knowledge on different technologies to conduct similar research at their institutions. This will contribute to promote the development of mixed anion compounds to both students and researchers.

(ii), (iii), and (iv) incorporate attempts have worked well in the “Kageyama new academic field of study program on mixed-anions” and can be managed functionally. We will also take advantage of the MOU agreement between the University of Bordeaux and Kyoto University, and consider graduate school lectures and credit transfer. We are also planning to conclude new inter-departmental agreements.