On August 21, we visited the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, with which the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) has long collaborated on volcanic research. We held a meeting to explore expanding our research collaboration beyond volcanic hazards. Researchers from various NIED research areas and departments participated, including Dr. Kawamata from Department of the Urban Resilience Engineering. As EOS is primarily a science-based research institute, unfortunately, we were unable to exchange views with pure engineering researchers. However, it provided a valuable opportunity to gain a broader perspective on the positioning of engineering research from a different viewpoint.
On August 22, we visited the Kajima Technical Research Institute Singapore (KaTRIS). We toured their cutting-edge research and development facilities, which directly address field needs. This included digital technologies applicable to disaster risk reduction, construction robots, technologies for optimizing living environments, and technologies for reducing environmental impact. Keeping in mind the various social and environmental issues anticipated in the future, we were able to reaffirm the necessity of refining our research and development of disaster risk reduction technologies.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the EOS and KaTRIS personnel who kindly took time out of their busy schedules for us during this visit to Singapore.