Greeting from the President

As the only public research institution in Japan that specializes in the field of information and communications technology, the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) promotes ICT R&D, from the foundational to the implementation, while collaborating with universities, industry, local governments, and domestic and overseas research institutions and aiming to generate innovation by giving back to society with our R&D’s results.

 

In order to flexibly respond to global social issues such as COVID-19, natural disasters, and global warming, and to transform Japan into a sustainable and resilient society, the creation of Society 5.0 through the fusion of the physical and cyberspace leading to the realization of a human-centered society will be essential.

 

Under the fifth mid-to-long-term plan launched in April 2021, NICT are advancing R&D focusing on the “three accelerators", acceleration of R&D, acceleration of open innovation and co-creative initiatives, and acceleration of the implementation of R&D results, toward the early realization of Society 5.0, based on a new ICT technology strategy.

 

As our five priority areas for R&D, NICT will be advancing R&D in the fields of advanced electromagnetic wave technology, innovative networks, cybersecurity, universal communication, and frontier science. Furthermore, in accordance with government strategy, NICT will also actively be promoting R&D in four strategic research fields (Beyond 5G, AI, quantum ICT, and cybersecurity), which are essential cutting-edge technologies for next-generation ICT infrastructure for the early realization of Society 5.0.

 

In order to improve the quality of R&D and to more effectively implement its results in society, it is essential to build a cooperative system with domestic and overseas research institutions, companies, universities, and governments. As a hub for open innovation in ICT, NICT works closely with stakeholders to comprehensively promote a wide range of initiatives ranging from fundamental R&D to support for new business activities.

 

In order to realize Society 5.0, NICT will strategically address many challenges to enrich the nation and society with an open mind.