Special Interviews

INTI (National Institute of Industrial Technology) of Argentina conducts research in areas ranging from food to atmospheric air, meat, biotechnology, energy, and industrial design. It provides services such as technology transfer to various industries, strengthening measurement techniques, and promoting innovation in different production sectors. We interviewed Ms. Liliana Beatriz MOLINA TIRADO, Deputy Director of Energy & Mobility in INTI’s Innovation & Technology Development Management Division, about the institute’s role and impressions of RD20.

The International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE) is a partnership that connects governments and coordinates directly with national ministries to create a future hydrogen society. Established in November 2003, it is an international partnership to promote and accelerate a society that facilitates the transition to clean and efficient energy and mobility systems using hydrogen and fuel cells. How will this organization realize the future hydrogen society? We asked Dr. Laurent Antoni, Executive Director of IPHE.

Italy, a peninsula extending into the Mediterranean, is home to ENEA (the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), a national research institute responsible for applied research. Headquartered in the capital city of Rome, ENEA operates under the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, focusing on energy technologies and clean nuclear fusion technologies. We spoke with Director General Dr. Giorgio Graditi, who leads the institute’s research and development efforts, to learn more about ENEA’s role and his impressions of participating in RD20.

National research institutes from various countries are participating in RD20, but in Japan, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has been in charge of the management of the project. On the other hand, there were strong expectations for participation not only from AIST but also from private research institutes. Based on his past participation, Mr. Takashi Shimazu, Director and Chief Research Officer of Toyota Central R&D Labs, has high expectations for RD20, as it is a valuable opportunity for representatives from research institutes representing G20 countries to discuss issues at the same table. We asked Mr. Shimazu about his company's carbon neutral research efforts and his expectations for RD20.

RD20 is an international research and development framework by major research institutes in the G20 countries and regions that develop cutting-edge technologies to achieve carbon neutrality. RD20 secretariat promotion team will deliver monthly articles introducing RD20 member institutions. The second issue will introduce the Japanese research institute NIMS.

RD20 is an international research and development framework by major research institutes in the G20 countries and regions that develop cutting-edge technologies to achieve carbon neutrality. RD20 secretariat promotion team will deliver monthly articles introducing RD20 member institutions. The first issue will introduce the French research institute CNRS.

The 6th RD20 (Research and Development 20 for Clean Energy Technologies) Conference will be held for the first time outside of Japan in New Delhi, India from December 2-6, 2024. New Delhi is home to The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India's central research institution. Last year's RD20 Conference was held in Fukushima. We talk to Dr. Hirohide FURUTANI, Director-General of the Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute (FREA) at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), about efforts for this year’s RD20 Conference.