International Project 　【French】
French National Institute for Health (INSERM)
Kazuhiro Matsui　[D3]
(Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Precision Engineering)

　
My International Project (IP) took places in Lyon, France. My host institution was the French National Institute for Health (INSERM) U1032, Laboratory of Therapeutic Applications of Ultrasound (LabTAU), where I worked on a joint research project.
　
I chose this institution because it has an excellent research profile, and developes innovative medical devices, in the context of a successful history of technology transfer from academia to industry. Indeed a spin-off from this institution, called EDAP TMS (NASDAQ: EDAPY), was founded in 1979, the first company in the world to develop therapeutic ultrasound devices. Hence, the host institution was really attracting to me, so much that I explored the possibilities of joint research, and Assoc. Prof. W. A. N’DJIN warmly welcomed me.
　
Preparing the IP was rather tough, especially contracting the right offices at University of Tokyo (UT) and INSERM to avoid intellectual property infringement. Since I was doing industry-academia collaboration in UT, and also had the chance to do industry-academia collaboration in INSERM, a problem of overlap arose. To manage those affairs properly, the intellectual property experts at the UT supported me in make special arrangements. I obtained nice results during my research, which are going to form a patent application in France. The intellectual property management before starting IP was a necessary step and it turn out to be very effective. If future GSDM students intend to perform academia-industry joint research in their IP, they should take care about intellectual property management, otherwise they may lose their credits.
　
The most impressive lesson I learned was that of living in a new environment. Meeting new people was a very effective way to accomplish new research projects. Before starting the IP, I had some ideas about the research in INSERM, but after arriving in Lyon, I finally conceived a more exciting project than the original one. This is due to INSERM’s stimulating research environment, and the great supports from my supervisors, Dr. W. A. N’DJIN and Dr. Souchon. Without their help, I could not have conceived a better project. They were open-minded and kindly advised me about many aspects of research. Thanks to them, I could go ahead with my project, and finally achieve successful results.
　
Finally, I would like to thank my host institutions, and my supervisors Dr. W. A. N’DJIN, and Dr. R. Souchon for our meaningful and pleasant discussions, as well as for supporting me in numerous technical operations. I also wish to thank the GSDM advisory team and the staff who helped me to successfully complete my IP.