Ujigawa Open Laboratory is one of the largest comprehensive facilities in the world comprising several clusters of observational and experimental equipment. The equipment is used to conduct a wide variety of research projects and education at undergraduate and graduate levels.

　The Laboratory has the status of a joint-use facility open to research institutes, researchers, companies, schools, and other internal and external users. It actively pursues a range of activities open to wider society through research involving joint users from around Japan, as well as research in academic-industry-government coalitions, international academic cooperation through training and practical exercises, and virtual disaster experience education for the general public.

　However, maintaining the diverse array of equipment and sustaining the activities of the Laboratory requires substantial funds. The Laboratory is currently struggling to meet the costs of experimental facility maintenance and repair, and even utilities charges. It was to address this need that we established the Ujigawa Open Laboratory Fund in September 2016.

The Fund will be used to outfit, maintain, and operate experimental equipment, and in activities such as training for disaster prevention-related organizations and the general public, with the aim of reducing disaster risk by continuously furnishing opportunities to connect cutting-edge research on disaster prevention/mitigation with disaster prevention activities in the local community.