Japan Launches Program to Share Advanced Microscopes

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan's National Institute for Materials Science said Monday that it has launched a program to share state-of-the-art electron microscopes with businesses in the first such initiative in the country. Under the "open lab program," NIMS, based in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, borrows the advanced microscopes with fees from user companies, and manages and operates the devices. The institute can thus introduce the cutting-edge microscopes without purchasing them, while businesses are allowed to use the devices, which are each priced at more than 200 million yen, for only 3.51 million yen a year for the development of sophisticated technologies. The program is expected to help promote joint research among the government, businesses and academic institutions, experts said. The program was created in cooperation with Orix Rentec Corp., a unit of major leasing company Orix Corp. <8591>, and major electron microscope maker Jeol Ltd. <6591>. Orix Rentec leases microscopes to NIMS. Among them is a transmission electron microscope, which is 10 times faster at capturing images after delivering an electron beam to the object. It is useful for the development of organic materials, which are sensitive to electron beam. Conventional electron microscopes are also available under the program. NIMS has already struck contracts with six domestic companies as users of the program. It hopes to add two or three more firms to the user list. END