14 Annual Report 2009 R&D frameworks will remain in place at business departments and at the companywide level; collaboration will be promoted Management reforms were undertaken at Toagosei in 2001: we have separated R&D for specific business departments from companywide research. In the former case, we have focused on R&D directly related to specific market and customer needs. In the latter, we have worked primarily with medium-to-long-term research themes. Our R&D was again reformed in 2007: the Base Technology Center and Technology Information Survey and Analysis Group were newly set up, to strengthen companywide research, and also to promote collaboration between specific business departments and the whole corporation. The Research Planning Group of the Corporate Research and Development Department has been continuously exploring and proposing new research themes and businesses since 2007. In addition, our Tsukuba Research Laboratory was reorganized and renamed the Institute for Advanced Sciences. Research on long-term themes has been conducted in collaboration with external third-parties. For example, the “GSP (Genome Super Power) Center” (a branch of Keio University’s “Keio Advanced Research Centers”) was established within the Institute, and joint research has been undertaken. Establishment of the General Center of R&D to further strengthen R&D Although the benefits of the 2007 R&D reforms have begun to appear in various areas, our business environment is becoming increasingly harsh. Therefore, we have decided to concentrate in one place all the technologies and capabilities necessary for our R&D to achieve valuable results as quickly as possible. To this end, we are planning further reforms. In 2009, we took the first step toward the construction of the new General Center of R&D. The new research facility will include Productive Technology Laboratory, Quality Assurance Group and a newly introduced “open laboratory,” in addition to existing R&D facilities. The goal is “integrated R&D.” Key to the new General Center of R&D is restructuring R&D management. We will, of course, introduce new physical facilities, such as a clean room, which is indispensable to R&D for adhesives, light-curable resins, and other Research & Development R&D is the origin of innovation of the Toagosei Group R&D is the starting point of our considerable and continued progress. To respond to a dramatically changing business environment, we began construction of our new General Center of R&D in November 2009, to further accelerate and strengthen our R&D. All R&D activities ranging from chemical research to production technology will be carried out in the Center. Taking this opportunity, we are planning to restructure our R&D management, as well as renew facilities and equipment, from a long-term perspective.