Our company, along with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and Shionogi Pharma Co., Ltd., submitted a proposal to NEDO’s public call for proposals for the research and development item ③ “Development of synthesis process design technology” under the project “Development of Continuous Precision Production Process Technology for Functional Chemicals,” and were selected as prospective contractors.

　This research and development project aims to replace the energy-intensive and waste-generating batch process in the growing field of functional chemicals with an energy-saving and efficient linked flow process using catalytic technology, as well as to develop synthesis process design technology using process information, reaction data, etc..
　In the scope of this project, research and development will be conducted on the following items for the five core reactions (CC bond formation reaction, oxidation reaction, hydrogenation reaction, esterification/amidation reaction, and cross-coupling reaction) that can produce approximately 80% of functional chemicals.

• (1) Development of synthesis path search technology
  To significantly reduce the time required for considering synthesis paths, we will develop synthesis path candidate generation technology and optimal path search technology.
• (2) Development of catalyst optimization design technology
  Aiming continuous precision production, we will develop solid catalyst and immobilized catalyst search technologies and catalyst reaction condition optimization technologies that contribute to improving the productivity of candidate synthesis routes.
• (3) Development of high-speed verification technology for candidate synthesis routes and application technology to production equipment design
  Aiming the design of continuous precision production equipment, we will develop technology for high-speed verification of candidate synthesis routes, technology for optimizing reaction conditions, and technology for integrating experimental and simulation data to contribute to the advanced design of reaction and separation equipment for continuous precision production.
• (4) Development of production equipment design technology through the integration of process simulation and experimental data
  Utilizing the technology described in (3) above, we will develop process simulation technology with an optimization function based on feedback of verification data. We will also develop technology for refining equipment design data using machine learning, and equipment design optimization guidelines based on process simulation results, for the design of continuous precision production equipment.