World News

2021年12月16日

+STI Policy News from Japan - November 2021

This page is for STI policy news from Japan for November 2021 picked up by the SciREX Center. News from other countries is being collected by the Center for R&D Strategies (CRDS) to be posted later.

Leaders' Forum on Promoting the Evolution of Academia for Knowledge Society (PEAKS) Plenary Session
https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/daigaku/peaks/zentai_3/zentai3_gaiyo.html
https://sci-news.co.jp/topics/5466/

Can Japanese universities change? The 3^rd PEAKS Plenary session held online on November 4, 2021 focused on this topic, including Start-up Ecosystem and 10 trillion-yen fund. Representatives of politicians, industries, universities, national research institutes, and related ministries and agencies participated in the lively discussions. All shared the issues with different levels of understanding between them. S&T Minister Kobayashi talked about the 10 trillion-yen fund; establishment of research environment where researchers from the world wish to come; governance reformation to enable investment in young researchers and new fields; and support of universities strong in specific fields or that can be the core of the local areas.

The International innovation hub in Tsukuba (TIA) held an opening symposium for advanced semiconductor manufacturing
https://www.tia-nano.jp/page/page000558.html

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) commenced a new research project on advanced semiconductor manufacturing, which was strategically planned by METI and NEDO. To achieve innovative outcomes, AIST needs to further collaborate with partners whose images about semiconductor manufacturing are pretty broad, e.g., devices, apparatus materials, and characterization researchers in companies, universities, and research organizations of foreign countries and Japan. The TIA (an open innovation hub operated by six public organizations: AIST, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), University of Tsukuba, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), the University of Tokyo and Tohoku University) will contribute as a hub for the international innovation ecosystem.

New program to promote International Research
https://sci-news.co.jp/topics/5320/

It is possible that an "International Frontier Research (tentative name)" program be established in the Kaken-hi framework at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). It aims to strengthen international networks for Japan's top-level researchers and encourage them to career up. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) proposed a budget for this program in JFY2022. If the budget is approved at the end of JFY2021, this program will provide Yen 500 million per team for up to 10 years and enable Ph.D. students and postdocs to study abroad and conduct independent research.

Science and Technology Indicators-2021
https://www.nistep.go.jp/sti_indicator/2021/RM311_01.html

Japanese Science and Technology Indicators - 2021 published by the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP) housed in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The chapters are: R&D Expenditure; R&D Personnel; Higher Education and S&T Personnel; Output of R&D; and Science, Technology and Innovation. The findings include: R&D expenditure and the number of researchers in Japan are the 3^rd in major countries; the number of scientific publications in Japan is the 4^th in the world; and Japan keeps its world first place in the patent family (patent applications to more than two countries).

Science Agora-2021
https://www.jst.go.jp/sis/scienceagora/

Science Agora-2021 was held online from November 3-7, 2021, from November 3-7, 2021. It is an annual event that began in 2006. The theme of the 2021 version was "Dialogue for Life." The WEBSITE says that it is a forum in which various people promote activities in each region independently by connecting parties involved in different fields, sectors, generations, and nationalities; People gathering in this forum will aim to realize "science harmonized with society" and a "society harmonized with science" through dialogue and collaboration while respecting a diversity of values.

Handbook of Higher Education in Japan
https://www.aup.nl/en/book/9789463724678/handbook-of-higher-education-in-japan?fbclid=IwAR3j8hgY2K7r6sH-4mVhzieIhc47pqLltXEnFRgGWkhw8QQT63_Xk3z9lmM#toc

This first volume in the new Japan Documents Handbook series tells the story in 25 chapters of how Japan's HE system has become what it is now, ending with a very tentative glimpse into the rest of the 21st century. A variety of themes are covered by scholars: chapters that concentrate on governance look at the distinction between "national," "public," and "private" institutions; others consider important topics such as internationalization, student recruitment, and faculty mobility. More innovative topics include "Women of Color Leading in Japanese Higher Education." All provide copious references to other authorities, but rather than just toe the conventional line they include opinions and proposals that may be contentious or even revolutionary. The editor provides an overview of the subject and its treatment in an Introduction.