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July 28, 2026

LINTEC to Open New R&D Hub on Port Island in Kobe, Japan

with a Focus on Creating New Businesses

LINTEC announces the company will invest approximately 8 billion yen to establish a new research and development hub on Port Island in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. The hub is scheduled for completion in fiscal 2028.

Promoting Co-Creation of Knowledge and Securing Talent to Build New Foundational Technologies

Since LINTEC was founded in 1934, applications for the company's adhesive products, including adhesive papers and films for seals and labels, have expanded to include the construction and automotive industries, the semiconductor industry, and the optical industry. Throughout this time, LINTEC has strengthened its product development with its Research Center of the Research & Development Division in Saitama Prefecture serving as its central R&D hub.

The creation of new businesses for sustainable growth is at the core of the LINTEC Group's management strategy, as outlined in the key themes set forth in the company's long-term vision, LINTEC Sustainability Vision 2030 (LSV 2030), to be completed in the fiscal year ending March 2030. LINTEC is actively pursuing research and development, including collaborations with universities, research institutions, and other corporate entities, moving beyond its current foundational technologies, such as adhesive application and surface improvement technologies, to establish a broader range of technologies for the development of materials and to create new business opportunities in unexplored areas. In order to further strengthen these efforts, LINTEC will establish a new research and development hub on Port Island in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, where various research institutions are clustered.

The Kansai region in western Japan is home to many universities and research institutions that are currently conducting innovative research. With this region as a base, LINTEC intends to advance its co-creation of knowledge and secure talent, while focusing on the development of high-value-added products that contribute to solving societal challenges, particularly in such fields as advanced electronic materials, materials for energy conversion devices, and biomass materials. LINTEC has already acquired a 6,070-square-meter site on Port Island and plans to open its hub there in the second half of fiscal year 2028. The hub will initially be staffed by 60 employees, with plans to expand to 100 employees by 2035.

Through collaboration with its existing Research Center and the Nanoscience & Technology Center, the Group's development hub in the U.S., together with the full adoption of a data-driven approach to materials development leveraging machine learning, materials informatics, and other technologies, LINTEC aims to improve the efficiency of its R&D while developing new products and technologies and creating new business opportunities.

Overview


Supplementary Materials

  • LINTEC Research & Development Structure

    • The core facilities of the LINTEC Research Center of the Research & Development Division are located in the cities of Warabi and Saitama in Saitama Prefecture. In addition to its Product Research Department, which develops products directly linked to current LINTEC business operations, and New Materials Research Department, which conducts research and development with an eye toward the future, LINTEC has also established an Unexplored Technology Research Department, which investigates, researches, and develops new materials and technologies in unexplored fields, and an Innovation Promotion Department, which is responsible for creating frameworks for generating new business opportunities. A total of some 230 researchers work on a variety of different research projects.

    The new research and development hub in Kobe aims to advance, expand, and ultimately commercialize research and development, focusing primarily on development themes currently being researched in the New Materials Research Department and the Unexplored Technology Research Department mentioned above.

LINTEC R&D Structure

  • Co-Creation with Industry, Government, and Academia and Initiatives for Digital Transformation

    • In this era of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), LINTEC is actively engaged in sharing information and undertaking joint development with universities, research institutions, and other corporate entities across a wide range of fields. LINTEC also actively promotes co-creation initiatives in Western Japan with universities such as the University of Osaka and Kobe University, as well as such research institutions as the RIKEN. With the opening of this new research hub, LINTEC aims to strengthen communication and further accelerate the pace of its development.

    LINTEC is currently implementing its Group-wide DX promotion project, LDX 2030. Digital transformation of R&D activities is an urgent LDX 2030 priority, and the Innovation Promotion Department is taking the lead in advancing these efforts. The application of digital technology in R&D has already yielded results, including the identification of optimal adhesive formulations through digital technologies. Moving forward, LINTEC will further advance the digital transformation of its development processes to boost R&D efficiency across the entire Group and foster the creation of new businesses.

Advanced Technology Building, Research Center, Research & Development Division (Saitama-shi, Saitama Prefecture)

The contents of the News Release are as of the announcement date. Please note that they may differ from the latest information.