On Wednesday, February 12th, an online information sharing session entitled "Report on Tropical Outdoor Cultivation Tests of Marine Algae for Palm Kernel Oil Alternative Production" was held for MATSURI partners.

At MATSURI, we pursue an open innovation strategy in which we share the results and challenges of joint research conducted individually with each partner at information sharing meetings with our partners, and then consider and create development themes to advance our research. This time, as a case study of joint research, an online information sharing session was held together with Kao Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Kao), an industry development partner, with 100 people from 57 companies participating.

In the first half, CHITOSE Group General Manager Toshiya Sasaki explained the background of the joint research with Kao Corporation. In addition, Akira Shiga from BioEngineer reported on algae cultivation tests in outdoor environments, and shared that concrete efforts are underway toward commercial production.

In the second half of the event, Tatsuro Ozaki, Senior Researcher at the Biomaterials Science Laboratory, Research and Development Division of Kao Corporation, gave a speech. Kao Corporation has been focusing on Nannochloropsis, a marine algae with a high oil accumulation capacity, and has been conducting research and development into this algae for many years. Kao also introduced a strain that produces high amounts of lauric oils using Kao's self-cloning technology. While CHITOSE and Kao will continue their joint research, they are seeking partners who can work on developing applications and processes for biomass.

This presentation attracted the interest of many partners, and in a survey conducted after the event, we received positive feedback from partners expressing their desire to participate in joint research, such as wanting to use biomass in their own products or to utilize their own technologies in process development. We also received feedback that various studies are being conducted at MATSURI and that they are looking forward to future prospects.

MATSURI will continue to hold information sharing sessions to share the progress and challenges in building the algae industry. With over 100 partner companies sharing their strengths and knowledge, we will move forward with the MATSURI project to build a bioeconomy society. We look forward to continuing to welcome participation from a wide range of companies, regardless of industry or size, in 2025.
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Event Outline
Date and time: Wednesday, February 12, 2025 14:00~15:20
Title: Report on tropical outdoor cultivation test of marine algae for palm kernel oil alternative production

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