Inaugural Greetings

With the retirement of the former director Kazuo Shinozaki on April 1, 2020, I was appointed to be the director of RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS).

Since its establishment in 2013, this research center has played a leading role in realizing a sustainable society through the fusion of different fields of plant science, chemical biology and catalytic chemistry under the leadership of former director Dr. Shinozaki. An important mission of this research center is to promote "problem-solving" research and development that contributes to sustainable development and addresses global issues, such as resolving climate change and breaking away from fossil resource use.

To this end, during the Fourth Mid- to Long-term Plan (2018 to 2025), we established five flagship projects, using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations as important benchmarks. Going forward, it is important not only to steadily promote these projects by carrying out their research plans, but also to establish a unified field “Sustainable Resource Science” that truly connects the flagships and without barriers between different fields.

I would highly appreciate your continuous support and guidance.

Kazuki Saito
Director, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science