OIST Energy: A challenge for a sustainable future

“On the November 1, 2011, political and scientific leaders from around the world came together in Okinawa to launch OIST – a new international, interdisciplinary university – a university they sought to make ‘the best in the world’, where researchers could pursue bold, ambitious ideas, unhindered by the boundaries of traditional science or international geography.” - On February 27, 2025, at the inauguration of the  Open Center “OIST Energy”, co-directors Prof. Keshav Dani and Prof. Paola Laurino reflected on OIST’s founding spirit  and called on researchers as follows: “Today, as we launch the OIST Energy at OIST, we invoke this philosophy of our founding parents and apply it to one of the most pressing challenges of our generation – the sustainable  capturing, storage,  smart distribution and use of energy. We encourage you to join us on this journey, as we work together across disciplines and nationalities, to seek bold solutions for a better future for our children, and those to come, in Okinawa, Japan and the world.”

The OIST Open Centers are a conceptual framework that embodies OIST’s approach to fostering collaborative and interdisciplinary research, adding a dimension to what can be achieved in the research units.  They serve as “intersections of knowledge” where researchers from across the campus can explore common research themes while leveraging their individual expertise. OIST Energy, is a show window with visibility and incentives where OIST research units can collaborate across disciplines to tackle and local energy issues with innovative solutions.

Dr. Karin Markides, OIST President and CEO, explains her vision of breaking down traditional academic silos and creating innovative, collaborative research approaches to solve global challenges: "The world has complex questions that we cannot give resilient solutions without exploring combinations of forefront knowledge  areas. We need to go into areas between disciplines and even across disciplines to connect with the disruptive forces and the transformative knowledge."

At the celebration for the launch of OIST Energy, Prof. Karin Markides, OIST President and CEO shares her vision with the OIST community.

OIST Energy’s Mission and Strategy  

When addressing sustainable energy, it is crucial to consider the history, culture, and climate of each region to develop local suitable solutions. At the same time, given the interconnectedness of the ecosystems on our planet, we must develop sustainable energy solutions everywhere – be the major continents of the developed world to the remote island communities of the Pacific – making sustainable energy also a global problem. Rooted in Okinawa, OIST will play a key role in creating regional solutions in collaboration with local partners. Additionally, OIST’s unique position as a bridge between Japan and the global community allows it to propose and attract innovative strategies for worldwide energy challenges.

By leveraging its curiosity-driven research environment, interdisciplinary culture, and both local and global perspectives, OIST Energy aims to pioneer bold and creative solutions for energy generation, storage, transportation, and use, benefiting Okinawa, Japan, and the world.

OIST Energy Research portfolio  

At the moment, research in Energy Science and Technology at OIST is coalesced into these four research areas:  

•  Resilient Responses to a Changing Environment, where multi-disciplinary teams of OIST researchers seek to develop ways to respond resiliently to the changes in climate and ecosystem that have already resulted due to greenhouse gas emissions and pollution over the past decades.   
• Transforming Transport in the Island, where OIST researchers are seeking ways to improve the efficiency of sustainably transporting people, goods and energy itself across distances, enabling connectedness between communities – a problem of particular importance to island communities like Okinawa.   
•  Formulating Future Efficiencies, where OIST researchers are envisioning smart science & technologies of the future, and preemptively seeking ways to enable sustainable societies.
• Exotic Energy, where the recognition that ‘traditional’ sources of renewable energy, like wind and solar, may face unique challenges in the sub-tropical islands, and the vast resources of the ocean may be underutilized in this context, has led OIST researchers to seek novel ways to generate renewable energy.

OIST Energy Launch Events  

On the 27th of February, OIST Energy hosted a roundtable discussion to mark its launch.

Speakers included Associate Director Wenjun Zhang from the Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy (HKICE), Prof. Fengtao Fan from the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis in China, and Director Tatsumi Ishihara from the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER) at Kyushu University. Moderated by Prof. Dani and Prof. Laurino, the discussion focused on the role of innovative technologies and research in shaping a sustainable energy future.

The speakers emphasized the necessity of international collaboration and fundamental research in addressing the global energy crisis.

Associate Director Wenjun Zhang of HKICE, introduced ongoing projects on hydrogen production, electricity storage, and smart city technologies.

Director Tatsumi Ishihara of the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER) at Kyushu University outlined the institute’s focus on hydrogen energy and CO₂ conversion initiatives. When asked about OIST Energy and the role of OIST, Director Ishihara expressed his hopes that it would “motivate students who want to continue basic research.”

Prof. Fengtao Fan of the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis in China, who joined online, discussed the lab’s research on solar cells, hydrogen, energy storage, and biomass, highlighting its collaborations with government and public outreach efforts.

The roundtable speakers received a commemorative Ryukyu glass monument. Handmade in Okinawa since World War II, Ryukyu glass is notable for its use of recycled materials, such as empty bottles. The monument, crafted by Sakae Matsumoto, a Ryukyu glass artisan from Yomitan Village, symbolizes OIST Energy’s sustainability mission.

A gathering was held to celebrate the launch of OIST Energy.

To see more photos of the OIST Energy Launch, you can visit OIST Flickr. 

This initiative is partially supported by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s (MEXT) program for “Forming Japan’s Peak Research Universities” (J-PEAKS).