Establishment of Company for Manufacture and Sale of Combinatorial Devices, Supply of Materials Library Service, and Intellectual Property Strategy
National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) Approved Venture Company
2008.02.14
National Institute for Materials Science
On December 26, 2007, the National Institute for Materials Science authorized Comet, Inc. as a "NIMS Venture Company" which will be supported by NIMS.
Abstract
On December 26, 2007, the National Institute for Materials Science (President: Teruo Kishi) authorized Comet, Inc. (Representative Director and President: Noriyoshi Osumi, Representative Director: Masayoshi Shimizu, Head Office: Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Pref., established December 26, 2007) as a "NIMS Venture Company" which will be supported by NIMS.
The mission of Comet, Inc. is to expand the practical applications of NIMS technologies worldwide, focusing mainly on bulk growing devices, thin film growing devices, and characterization devices related to the high throughput combinatorial materials technologies accumulated and developed by NIMS in research extending over many years. In particular, a part of the research results obtained in the university-IAI (Independent Administrative Institute) collaborative leading project "Combinatorial Materials Exploration and Technology (COMET)" under project leader Prof. Emeritus Hideomi Koinuma of Tokyo Institute of Technology and other related research is being utilized in this technology transfer.
The Head Office of Comet, Inc. is located at the Namiki Site of NIMS, where the new company will also conduct its business activities. The company began activities under the following management organization, which was approved at the General Shareholders’ Meeting on February 13, 2008.Directors (following 4 persons)
The mission of Comet, Inc. is to expand the practical applications of NIMS technologies worldwide, focusing mainly on bulk growing devices, thin film growing devices, and characterization devices related to the high throughput combinatorial materials technologies accumulated and developed by NIMS in research extending over many years. In particular, a part of the research results obtained in the university-IAI (Independent Administrative Institute) collaborative leading project "Combinatorial Materials Exploration and Technology (COMET)" under project leader Prof. Emeritus Hideomi Koinuma of Tokyo Institute of Technology and other related research is being utilized in this technology transfer.
The Head Office of Comet, Inc. is located at the Namiki Site of NIMS, where the new company will also conduct its business activities. The company began activities under the following management organization, which was approved at the General Shareholders’ Meeting on February 13, 2008.Directors (following 4 persons)
Directors (following 4 persons)
Representative Director and President:
Noriyoshi OSUMI
Representative Director:
Masayoshi SHIMIZU
Director:
Hideaki HIGASHITSUTSUMI
Director (newly appointed):
Satoru INOUE
Noriyoshi OSUMI
Representative Director:
Masayoshi SHIMIZU
Director:
Hideaki HIGASHITSUTSUMI
Director (newly appointed):
Satoru INOUE
Technical management (newly appointed)7
Business of Comet, Inc.
Because new functional materials have enormous hidden potential as a solution to the environmental, energy, and resource problems confronting humankind, active research and development are underway in a variety of fields. The objectives of Comet, Inc. are to disseminate NIMS technologies worldwide in connection with the discovery and development of these new functional materials, focusing mainly on bulk growing devices, thin film growing devices, and characterization devices related to the high throughput combinatorial materials technologies accumulated and developed by NIMS in research extending over many years. The company's activities include (1) supply of consulting services and materials libraries, enabling fluid circulation of knowledge related to new materials development as its main business, (2) research and development, manufacture, and sale of new materials, and (3) design, manufacture, and sale of combinatorial devices. The ultimate aim of these activities is to create a sustainable business and win recognition as a world leader in materials development by widely distributing intellectual property realized as explicit knowledge in the forms of created and accumulated technologies and know-how.
Purpose and Significance of Establishment of Comet, Inc.
The new company’s core combinatorial technologies are among the most advanced in the world and enjoy strong competitive superiority. These technologies enable extremely high speed material searches, dramatically improving productivity in material searches. This has the potential to further improve the competitiveness and contribute to their growth of advanced industries. In this, the company is pursuing a novel, future-oriented business model based on the supply of materials libraries and fluidization of intellectual property. As a result, the new company will be able to develop a business that possesses novelty not only in technology, but also in its business model.
Comet, Inc. was newly established by bringing together an outstanding management team and team of research and technical people who have long experience and knowledge in the field of functional materials, and is also a company with international competitiveness.
Now humankind directly confronts a number of challenges of global scale, including energy, the environment, rare metals, and others. Comet also intends to contribute to business society by providing solutions to these problems from the viewpoint of novel functional materials.
Comet, Inc. was newly established by bringing together an outstanding management team and team of research and technical people who have long experience and knowledge in the field of functional materials, and is also a company with international competitiveness.
Now humankind directly confronts a number of challenges of global scale, including energy, the environment, rare metals, and others. Comet also intends to contribute to business society by providing solutions to these problems from the viewpoint of novel functional materials.
Products and Services
1)Products
Combinatorial technology make it possible to synthesize materials with ultra-high throughput (high speed, parallel synthesis) related to the discovery and development of novel functional materials. Concretely, this technology enables continuous growth of materials with different compositional distributions, in various forms including bulk materials like glass, as well as oxides and thin film semiconductors, and is applicable to various types of materials. Combinatorial technology has an impressive record of successes to date, including the development of new glass materials, development of a zinc oxide (ZnO) light-emitting device, development of high ferroelectric thin film material, and others, and has the merit of enabling discovery of the effective range of materials in a very short time.
Products which actually realize this combinatorial concept include COMBIT (glass and amorphous materials), Combi-PLD, Combi-Sputter, and others.
2)Services
Comet, Inc. provides consulting services and materials libraries in connection with materials development. These are services which are possible precisely because Comet is a NIMS Venture Company and can take advantage of the knowledge and data accumulated by NIMS in the field of materials development as a whole. The new company’s business is not limited simply to manufacture and sales capabilities, but also includes worldwide dissemination of NIMS technologies by sublicensing of designated intellectual property owned by NIMS.
Combinatorial technology make it possible to synthesize materials with ultra-high throughput (high speed, parallel synthesis) related to the discovery and development of novel functional materials. Concretely, this technology enables continuous growth of materials with different compositional distributions, in various forms including bulk materials like glass, as well as oxides and thin film semiconductors, and is applicable to various types of materials. Combinatorial technology has an impressive record of successes to date, including the development of new glass materials, development of a zinc oxide (ZnO) light-emitting device, development of high ferroelectric thin film material, and others, and has the merit of enabling discovery of the effective range of materials in a very short time.
Products which actually realize this combinatorial concept include COMBIT (glass and amorphous materials), Combi-PLD, Combi-Sputter, and others.
2)Services
Comet, Inc. provides consulting services and materials libraries in connection with materials development. These are services which are possible precisely because Comet is a NIMS Venture Company and can take advantage of the knowledge and data accumulated by NIMS in the field of materials development as a whole. The new company’s business is not limited simply to manufacture and sales capabilities, but also includes worldwide dissemination of NIMS technologies by sublicensing of designated intellectual property owned by NIMS.
Market Needs
The scale of the world market for combinatorial chemistry is estimated at 11 trillion yen (US$100 billion) to the year 2011 (study by Freedoria). In Japan, this market is expected to grow to a scale of several 100 billion to several trillion yen. An advance study identified the need for development of new materials as substitutes for existing products in the automobile industry and other basic industries. Although high speed solutions to these problems are needed, there are few research organizations in Japan which can provide large volumes of data or consulting services in connection with materials development based on new concepts. Speed is also demanded in development, and the combinatorial technique is considered to be the only means of providing solutions in this case. In combinatorial materials development, there is an ongoing shift from the combinatorial chemistry concept to thin film combinatorial materials development (as exemplified by Intermolecular, Inc., among others). The combinatorial synthesis devices available from Comet, Inc., which use the thin film combinatorial technique and are technically superior and advanced, have the performance and proven record to meet these market needs, and thus have high value in the market.
Comet, Inc.
1. Office Location
Head Office:
1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
(located on the grounds of the National Institute for Materials Science)
Contact:
Telephone:+81-29-855-8055
FAX :+81-29-855-8056
Kawasaki Research Center:
308-10 Kokura, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
2. Directors: Following 4 persons
Representative Director and President: Noriyoshi OSUMI
Representative Director: Masayoshi SHIMIZU
Director: Hideaki HIGASHIZUTSUMI
Director (newly appointed): Satoru INOUE
3. Technical Management
CTO(bulk) Satoru INOUE
CTO (thin film) Toyohiro CHIKYO
CIO Masashi KAWASAKI
Technical Adviser Hideomi KOINUMA, several others
4. No. of employees: Small number
5. Date established: December 26, 2007
6. Business: Research and development, manufacture, and sale of new materials and devices
7. Capitalization: 21 million yen (February 2008)
Head Office:
1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
(located on the grounds of the National Institute for Materials Science)
Contact:
Telephone:+81-29-855-8055
FAX :+81-29-855-8056
Kawasaki Research Center:
308-10 Kokura, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
2. Directors: Following 4 persons
Representative Director and President: Noriyoshi OSUMI
Representative Director: Masayoshi SHIMIZU
Director: Hideaki HIGASHIZUTSUMI
Director (newly appointed): Satoru INOUE
3. Technical Management
CTO(bulk) Satoru INOUE
CTO (thin film) Toyohiro CHIKYO
CIO Masashi KAWASAKI
Technical Adviser Hideomi KOINUMA, several others
4. No. of employees: Small number
5. Date established: December 26, 2007
6. Business: Research and development, manufacture, and sale of new materials and devices
7. Capitalization: 21 million yen (February 2008)
Comet's Website