Message from TRC Directors

Titanium and its alloys are extremely important metallic materials that support advanced society, combining light weight, high specific strength, excellent corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, and heat resistance. Their importance is expected to grow further in fields that require high reliability under severe environments, including aerospace, medicine, energy, marine, and chemical plants. In particular, expectations for titanium materials are increasing as they respond to diverse societal needs, such as energy savings and CO₂ emission reduction through lightweight transportation systems, the realization of long-life and highly reliable social infrastructure, and the development of safe, secure, and highly functional medical materials.

At the same time, further expansion and advanced utilization of titanium and its alloys require the resolution of many challenges, including manufacturing cost, processability, microstructural control, heat resistance, fatigue properties, and recyclability. These challenges cannot be overcome from a single perspective alone. Rather, it is essential to establish a comprehensive research foundation that organically integrates alloy design, phase transformation, microstructural control, mechanical property evaluation, advanced characterization, and process development.

This Center was established to bring together the research foundations and academic strengths cultivated by Kumamoto University and the University of Toyama, and to promote integrated research and development spanning the fundamental science, application, and social implementation of titanium and its alloys. Through close collaboration between the two universities, we aim to form a new research hub that bridges materials science, process engineering, structural and functional evaluation, and medical and industrial applications, thereby further expanding the possibilities of titanium materials.

The mission of this Center is to elucidate new principles in materials science, return the resulting knowledge to society, and contribute to the creation and practical implementation of titanium materials with new value. To achieve this mission, organic collaboration not only between universities but also with industry, governmental bodies, and public research institutions is indispensable. As a core hub for titanium and its alloy research, the Center will strive to further strengthen its research and development capabilities and foster the next generation of talent, while contributing to academic advancement and to the practical resolution of societal challenges in areas such as energy, medicine, industrial infrastructure, and environmental sustainability.

We sincerely ask for your continued understanding, support, guidance, and cooperation in the activities of this Center.

Left to right:

Takanori Kiguchi, Director of the Titanium Research Center, Kumamoto University;

Mitsuo Niinomi, Director of the Titanium Research Center, University of Toyama

Overview of the Titanium Research Center

The University of Toyama and Kumamoto University have jointly decided to establish the Titanium Research Center (TRC) in April 2026 under the Institute of Light Metals (ILM), which was established in April 2021 by the two Universities.
Through the establishment of the TRC, the universities aim to accelerate research and development on titanium, promote its social implementation, and further advance education and human resource development.

In fiscal year 2022, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) designated the ILM as a Joint Research and Utilization Center. As a core hub for the three major light metals —magnesium, aluminum, and titanium —the ILM has established the Magnesium Research Center (MRC) and the Aluminum Research Center (ARC). Through collaborative research with domestic and international research institutions and researchers, the ILM has advanced research and development in light metal materials.

In the field of titanium research, the ILM has strengthened research activities and human resource development, primarily through the Collaborative Titanium Research Hub. In recent years, the importance of titanium—a material that is difficult to substitute— has increased significantly from the perspectives of Japan’s industrial development, the realization of a carbon-neutral society, and economic security. In response to these needs, the University of Toyama and Kumamoto University have decided to establish the TRC as a nationwide research institution dedicated exclusively to titanium research.

With the establishment of the TRC, the ILM will complete its system of research centers covering all three major light metal materials—aluminum, magnesium, and titanium—thereby forming a comprehensive research and education hub for light metal materials.

At the TRC, the universities plan to further integrate and advance research and development in biomedical titanium—a research strength of the University of Toyama, and structural titanium, a research strength of Kumamoto University.

In addition, the TRC will promote titanium research through the shared use of foundational technologies for material design, analysis, and evaluation, as well as large-scale research facilities. The center will also expand multi-material research involving magnesium and aluminum.

Organization Chart

Members

Kumamoto University	Name/Title/Field of Research/URL
	Takanori Kiguchi Professor Alloy Design researchmap 研究室
	Takahisa Shiraishi Associate Professor Process Design researchmap 研究室
	Hiromoto Kitahara Associate Professor Melting & Casting researchmap 研究室
	Alexey Vinogradov Distinguished Professor Alloy design researchmap scholar.google
	Sadahiro Tsurekawa Professor Microstructure analysis researchmap 研究室
	Yoji Mine Professor Fracture mechanics researchmap 研究室
University of Toyama	Name/Title/Field of Research/URL
	Mitsuo Niinomi Director Nanomaterials, Structural materials, Functional Materials, Biomaterials researchmap
	Takuya Ishimoto Professor Microstructural and Functional Control of Metals, Biomaterials researchmap elsevierpure
	Tomoyo Manaka Assistant Professor Electrochemistry, Corrosion, Biomaterials researchmap elsevierpure
	Sirorat Toocharoen Specially Appointed Assistant Professor Computational Materials Science, Nanomaterials, Mechanics of Materials researchmap

Contact Information

• Kumamoto University: Administrative Office for Natural Sciences (TEL: 096-342-3520)
• University of Toyama: Research Promotion Division, Research Promotion Section (TEL: 0766-25-9270)