September 6 th to 8 th 2006, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway

Introduction
Kyoto International Forum for Environment and Energy (KIFEE) was originally created by the universities in the Kyoto region to develop an international arena for strategic cooperation between universities working to develop a sustainable society, inspired by the Kyoto Protocol.

When the Bilateral Agreement on Technological Cooperation between Japan and Norway was signed in May 2004, there was a desire to build up a long-term research cooperation that could serve as a basis for industrial cooperation.

Because of the long-lasting and good relations between the universities in the Kyoto region, and NTNU, Norwegian universities were invited to participate in KIFEE. Since the bilateral agreement involves interactive research between energy and material to provide new solutions to build a sustainable future, it was decided to utilize KIFEE as platform and arena for the strategic research cooperation. The Research Council of Norway allocated funds for the development of this arena, and Innovation Norway made their invaluable network available for the project.

The Minister of Industry and Commerce Mr. Ansgar Gabrielsen headed the Norwegian delegation at the opening seminar of KIFEE in May 2004, and since then we have enjoyed a successful development, both on the scientific and personal level (“friendship innovation”).

The first KIFEE Symposium on “Materials and Processes for Environment and Energy” was arranged in Kyoto in October 2004. The symposium attracted 114 participants from KIFEE universities and industry, 90 from Japan and 24 from Norway . NTNU recruited a joint delegation from the strategic areas “Materials” and “Energy Petroleum”. The program comprised strategic sessions as well as workshops to develop co-operational networks on specific topics. Four areas were selected for such workshops:

• Process Engineering
• Advanced Inorganic Materials
• Advanced Biological Materials
• Electrolysis Systems

These four areas have been maintained since then.

In October 2005 the second event in the development of KIFEE was organized. It was decided to carry out this as a “KIFEE Workshop on Environment, Energy and Materials” where the development of the networks and cooperative research within the four selected areas could be continued.

The present Symposium is the first KIFEE arrangement in Norway , and the goal is to further develop the research cooperation between the involved institutions within the area “Materials and Processes for Environment and Energy”.