The University of Tokyo RCAST and Narita International Airport Conclude a Comprehensive Collaboration Agreement Toward the Creation of an Innovation Hub at Narita International Airport

The Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo, has concluded a comprehensive collaboration agreement with Narita International Airport Corporation (NAA), aiming to promote industry–academia cooperation toward the creation of an innovation hub that will form the core of the future development an Airport City at Narita International Airport. Under this agreement, the two parties will advance concrete initiatives, including joint research projects, preparatory efforts toward the establishment of a social collaboration research division, and the promotion of co-creation and partnerships with supporting companies.
Through this collaboration, RCAST seeks to develop new frontiers in advanced science and technology based on societal needs and to accelerate their implementation in society. Meanwhile, Narita International Airport, while continuing to function as a vital transportation infrastructure supporting global supply chains, aims to evolve into an innovation hub. By positioning the airport as the nucleus of an Airport City, this initiative is expected to contribute to Japan’s economic growth.

Key Areas of Collaboration
　Cooperation toward the creation of an academia-driven innovation hub within the Airport City
　Promotion of research to realize aviation innovation, including demonstration and implementation

Potential Research Themes
・Field experiments in real airport environments toward sustainable aviation(Next-generation air traffic management and airport operations using airports as demonstration fields)
・Science-based airport design and operational optimization(Advanced automation and sophistication of ground handling and related airport operations)
・Creation of integrated air solutions(Integration of airport management, aircraft operations, and air traffic control)
・Realization of the Airport City concept (Formation of a regional co-creation innovation hub based on aviation networks, geopolitics, and supply chains, contributing to Japan and regional economies)

• 
• From left: NAA—Koichi Okawara (Senior Executive Officer), Yasuhiko Tamaki (Senior Executive Vice President), and Naoki Fujii (President & CEO); UTokyo RCAST—Masakazu Sugiyama (Director & Professor) and Eri Itoh (Professor), NAA—Shinichiro Motomiya (Executive Officer).