R&D to strengthen existing businesses and create new businesses

「R&D expenses for the fiscal year decreased by ¥400 million from the previous fiscal year to ¥25,600 million, down 1.4% year on year.」

「R&D expenses for the fiscal year increased by ¥2,500 million from the previous fiscal year to ¥25,900 million, up 10.8% year on year.」

「Group-wide R&D expenses for the fiscal year were ¥23,393 million.」

「Group-wide R&D activity expenses for the fiscal year were ¥6,374 million. In April 2023, we established the Life Sciences SBU.」

「In October 2022, Kumamoto University's Institute of Industrial Nanomaterials and we established the One-Time Energy Joint Research Program. The program seeks to create new value not yet available in society by generating synergies between Kumamoto University's research achievements in impact energy, including pulsed power (Note), using the extreme process environments it has developed, and our One-Time Energy® technology (Note), and by advancing exploratory research (Note). It also aims to deepen technologies for devices related to materials science and safety and security, and to achieve social implementation in various fields requiring certainty and urgency, including medicine, healthcare, lifesaving, disaster prevention and infrastructure.」

「In June 2022, Kobe University, a national university corporation, and our company entered into an agreement on the promotion of comprehensive industry-academia collaboration for the development of research and technology and contribution to society. The agreement covers the planning and implementation of joint and commissioned research, human-resource development through organizational collaboration, and the promotion of industry-academia collaboration leveraging Kobe's location. Specific research themes include promoting health in the medical and healthcare field through the “Functional Evaluation and Mechanism Elucidation of Functional Food Materials,” and contributing to greenhouse-gas (GHG) reductions in the green chemistry field through the “Development of Gas-Separation Membranes for Hydrogen/Methane.” We are also considering further themes and will expand research areas that lead to the creation of innovation.」

「Group-wide R&D activity expenses for the three-month period ended 30 June were ¥5,844 million. The following were the noteworthy aspects of the Group's R&D activities during the three-month period ended 30 June.」

「Group-wide R&D expenses for the fiscal year were ¥20,741 million.」

「Kyoto University, a national university corporation, and we entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement aimed at converting biomass, including wood and agricultural, forestry and fishery waste, into high-performance materials and chemicals, and returning its value through forest regeneration and the high-value-added use of agricultural, forestry and fishery waste. The agreement seeks to contribute to the regeneration of forests, rivers, oceans, rural communities and cities, the realization of a low-carbon society that coexists with nature, and the creation of new industries.」

「In August 2021, the highly biodegradable cellulose acetate CAFBLO™ (キャフブロ) obtained the international OK biodegradable MARINE certification for marine biodegradability. Applying cellulose chemistry technologies developed over many years, the company identified a molecular structure that biodegrades more readily and developed the new CAFBLO™ product, which maintains the quality of conventional products while further increasing the rate of biodegradation, particularly in marine environments.」

「Group-wide R&D activity expenses for the three-month period ended 30 June were ¥5,394 million.」

「Group-wide R&D expenses for the fiscal year were ¥19,540 million.」

「In December 2020, vaccination began for enrolled subjects, healthy adults, in the “Phase I/II Clinical Trial of a COVID-19 DNA Vaccine” conducted by Osaka University Hospital, a physician-initiated clinical trial, using our new drug-delivery device.」

「The Strategic Business Unit (SBU), established through an organizational change effective 1 April 2020, has functions covering business planning, marketing and R&D. We will further strengthen market-in R&D focused on the target markets and customers. In the functional strategies of the newly formulated medium-term strategy, Accelerate 2025, based on the long-term vision DAICEL VISION 4.0, we have set out measures related to R&D as a source of business creation.」

「The Strategic Business Unit (SBU), established through an organizational change effective 1 April 2020, has functions covering business planning, marketing and R&D. We will further strengthen market-in R&D focused on the target markets and customers.」

「Effective 1 October 2019, we reorganized our corporate functions. By integrating certain functions of the Production Technology Headquarters, the R&D Headquarters and the New Business Development Office, we established the new Business Creation Headquarters to accelerate the expansion, launch and commercialization of new business themes.」

「Group-wide R&D activity expenses for the nine-month period ended 31 December were ¥16,007 million. On 1 October 2019, we reorganized the corporate functions. We integrated certain functions of the Production Technology Division, the R&D Division and the New Business Development Office to establish the Business Creation Division, accelerating the expansion, launch and commercialization of new business themes.」

「Group-wide R&D activity expenses for the six-month period ended 30 September were ¥10,585 million. In July 2019, we newly established a joint research program, the Advanced Science and Technology Joint Research Program, and its laboratory at Kanazawa University, with the aim of creating new products in the cellulose field, our core business.」

「Group-wide R&D activity expenses for the three-month period ended 30 June were ¥5,190 million.」

「The Group had 1,318 R&D personnel, representing 11% of total employees. Group-wide R&D expenses for the fiscal year were ¥20,749 million.」

「Group-wide R&D activity expenses for the nine-month period ended 31 December were ¥15,181 million.」

「On 30 July 2018, we entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement with Kanazawa University, a national university corporation. We aim to strengthen the relationship, particularly in the field of cellulose research, and to make a greater contribution to society. On 1 August 2018, we acquired Lomapharm, a German contract pharmaceutical development and manufacturing company comprising LOMA Holding GmbH, Lomapharm Rudolf Lohmann GmbH KG and Lomapharm Verwaltungs GmbH. Going forward, we will work closely with Lomapharm to accelerate growth in the medical field, which we have positioned as one of the pillars of our new business areas. On 13 September 2018, we established Daicel Micro Optics Co. Ltd. in Taiwan as a base for the design, development and sale of optical products using our proprietary wafer-level lenses. We will seek to expand and accelerate the optical products business by identifying advanced needs and conducting development closely aligned with customers.」

「Based on the medium-term plan “3D-III” announced in May 2017, the R&D division continues to work on creating new businesses and strengthening existing businesses. For new business creation, we are concentrating management resources on five “new business unit candidates” identified in our focus areas of medical and healthcare and electronics.」

「The Group had 1,183 R&D personnel, representing 10% of total employees. Group-wide R&D expenses for the fiscal year were ¥18,843 million.」

「The Group's total R&D activities amounted to ¥13.955 billion during the nine-month period ended in the third quarter.」

「The Group's total R&D activities amounted to ¥905 million during the six-month period ended in the second quarter.」

「To implement these initiatives concretely, we newly launched the New Business Development Office on 1 April 2017. We also opened Innovation Park in Himeji, Hyogo, on 1 April 2017 as a core center for driving transformation and innovation across the Daicel Group's wide range of technologies, including research into new products and innovative process technologies and studies of highly efficient production facilities.」

「Our Group is engaged in R&D to strengthen and expand existing businesses and create new businesses.」

「The Group's total R&D activities amounted to ¥12.2 billion during the nine-month period ended in the third quarter. The following were the noteworthy aspects of the Group's R&D activities during the nine-month period ended in the third quarter.」

「As part of the creation of new business units set out in our long-term vision, Grand Vision 2020, we are developing products and exploring markets in the medical and healthcare fields. In this context, we have worked with academia to investigate the potential for creating new healthcare-related businesses centered on pyrotechnic engineering technology.」

「Our Group, consisting of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, is pursuing R&D to strengthen and expand existing businesses and create new businesses.」