On February 20, 2017, Gifu University held the 10^th Press Conference by the President.

First, President Hisataka Moriwaki gave a summary of a "Gifu University Smart Die Development Hub Project" in association with the "Gifu University Future Vision Toward 2025."

Next, Professor Wang Zhigang, Vice President for Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration, spoke about the details of the project.

In the days of constantly decreasing working-age population, a highly-efficient production system is in high demand in order to sustain regional economies. The Tokai region^* is building one of the leading automobile manufacturing business complexes in the world, and in Gifu Prefecture, various types of supporting industries including die engineering and technology have been thriving for years. Gifu University has created one of the best research environment for die engineering in Japan and it is a strong driving force in this field.

In the "Gifu University Smart Die Development Hub Project," Gifu University is pursuing application and commercialization of a smart production system by using "a smart die" first in the world, and aims to contribute to enhance competitiveness of manufacturing industry in the region to a significant degree.
^*Tokai region: in principle, the region is made up of Aichi, Mie and Gifu prefectures