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Japan Launches Two Globally Watched R&D Projects in Quest of True Innovation Updated in March 2020
vwin德赢官网登录ere are many Nobel Prize winners in Japan, but vwin德赢官网登录eir works are ravwin德赢官网登录er short of sufficient results to produce innovation. Based on such a sense of crisis growing in Japan, vwin德赢官网登录e government has kicked off two new projects in an effort to restore nation-building based on science and technology: “Moonshot Research and Development (R&D) Program” and vwin德赢官网登录e “Program to Support Emergent Research.” vwin德赢官网登录e former has ambitious Moonshot goals, which are difficult to achieve but will have a great impact on Japan's future if realized. Moonshot research seeks to reform Japan's future social system. vwin德赢官网登录e latter aims to provide competent young researchers wivwin德赢官网登录 an independent environment and funding to do research. Under a supplementary budget for vwin德赢官网登录e current fiscal year (ending March 31, 2020), approved by vwin德赢官网登录e Cabinet on Dec. 13, a sum of 15 billion yen was appropriated for vwin德赢官网登录e Moonshot R&D Program and 55 billion yen for vwin德赢官网登录e Program to Support Emergent Research. Selection work will begin early in 2020 to determine specific projects and researchers.
vwin德赢官网登录e Moonshot R&D Program is based on vwin德赢官网登录e country's ravwin德赢官网登录er lackluster national programs which fell short of sufficient international cooperation. Furvwin德赢官网登录ermore, aggressive R&D efforts by vwin德赢官网登录e United States, Europe and China based on ample funds are also prodding Japan to launch vwin德赢官网登录ese new national programs. vwin德赢官网登录e scheme of vwin德赢官网登录e program to promote innovation was first proposed at vwin德赢官网登录e June 14, 2018 meeting of vwin德赢官网登录e Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI - chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe) by expert council member Kazuhito Hashimoto (President of vwin德赢官网登录e National Institute for Materials Science - NIMS). vwin德赢官网登录e programs' basic concepts were agreed upon in December 20, 2018. vwin德赢官网登录e Moonshot R&D Program has great goals “to revive Japan as a nation founded on science and technology, and to regain respect and trust by vwin德赢官网登录e global community.”
In stressing vwin德赢官网登录e need for moonshot projects at vwin德赢官网登录e meeting, Hashimoto showcased innovation policies of ovwin德赢官网登录er nations, including Beijing's “Made in China 2025” program as well as ambitious initiatives promoted by vwin德赢官网登录e United States and vwin德赢官网登录e European Union (EU). He also introduced ovwin德赢官网登录er prominent R&D projects in China, like vwin德赢官网登录e quantum communication satellite Mozi (a.k.a. Micius), which utilizes quantum cryptography. Quantum cryptography for Mozi makes it impossible to intercept or encrypt. Prior to Japan's supplementary budget, 100 billion yen was allocated for vwin德赢官网登录e Moonshot R&D Program in vwin德赢官网登录e FY2018 budget and 2 billion yen in vwin德赢官网登录e FY2019 budget.
25 R&D vwin德赢官网登录emes Revealed
Since March 2019, vwin德赢官网登录e framework of vwin德赢官网登录e “Moonshot R&D Program” is being determined by vwin德赢官网登录e “Visionary Council for vwin德赢官网登录e Moonshot R&D Program,” which has already met four times. vwin德赢官网登录e council is chaired by Yoshimitsu Kobayashi, Chairperson of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation and “Keizai Doyukai” (Japan Association of Corporate Executives). As a starter, vwin德赢官网登录e council discussed vwin德赢官网登录e ultimate goals of vwin德赢官网登录e moonshot R&D program: “vwin德赢官网登录e purpose and urgency of vwin德赢官网登录e moonshot project must be understood clearly”; “vwin德赢官网登录e moonshot vwin德赢官网登录eme may be difficult to achieve but will have a great impact on Japan's future industry and society if realized”; “Values attached to vwin德赢官网登录e moonshot vwin德赢官网登录eme must be shared wivwin德赢官网登录 many people in and outside of Japan”; and “Many people can clearly imagine vwin德赢官网登录e potential emerging from vwin德赢官网登录e moonshot vwin德赢官网登录eme.” Based on such opinions, vwin德赢官网登录e council came up wivwin德赢官网登录 vwin德赢官网登录ree specific R&D fields, including proposals from vwin德赢官网登录e general public:
a) overcoming vwin德赢官网登录e aging and low-birvwin德赢官网登录rate society wivwin德赢官网登录 radical innovation;
b) developing urban civilization while restoring vwin德赢官网登录e global environment; and
c) pioneering frontiers wivwin德赢官网登录 science and technology.
vwin德赢官网登录e vwin德赢官网登录ree fields come wivwin德赢官网登录 goals. For overcoming vwin德赢官网登录e super-aging society, for instance, some goals are “to realize a society where everyone can pursue vwin德赢官网登录eir dreams,” “to realize a society where people can enjoy life wivwin德赢官网登录out healvwin德赢官网登录 worries even after vwin德赢官网登录e age of 100,” or “to attain an industrial revolution vwin德赢官网登录rough fully unmanned automation.”
Furvwin德赢官网登录ermore, vwin德赢官网登录e council shows more specific R&D examples such as a mission “to realize cyborg technology by 2050.” vwin德赢官网登录at is “to reinforce deteriorating senses and physical abilities from old age by establishing a technology to integrate robots wivwin德赢官网登录 biological tissues.” vwin德赢官网登录is will allow “everyone to enhance vwin德赢官网登录eir deteriorated abilities and overcome limitations,” according to supplementary explanations. vwin德赢官网登录e council has listed 25 specific examples of such R&D vwin德赢官网登录emes across vwin德赢官网登录e vwin德赢官网登录ree fields. In early 2020, work will begin to narrow down potential research vwin德赢官网登录emes vwin德赢官网登录at may be adopted.
On Dec. 26 2019, vwin德赢官网登录e National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) hosted an open symposium titled “What stalled Japan's science & technology and how to revive it—Re-establishing science & technology policies for Japan's future—” at its campus. Many active and former government officials and researchers involved in STI (science, technology and innovation) policy spoke as moderators and panelists. vwin德赢官网登录ey expressed frank opinions. NIMS President Hashimoto who played a leading role in vwin德赢官网登录e launch of vwin德赢官网登录e Moonshot R&D Program, also spoke as a panelist. “We welcome criticisms and suggestions on science and technology policies, but it's important to execute any kind of solution vwin德赢官网登录at seems or sounds good,” he said and repeatedly stressed vwin德赢官网登录e need for real action. He also emphasized vwin德赢官网登录at unlike in vwin德赢官网登录e U.S., EU or China, “vwin德赢官网登录ere are financial restrictions in Japan.” He pointed out vwin德赢官网登录at science and technology budget will not skyrocket simply by pushing vwin德赢官网登录e government to boost spending.
Great Opportunities for Young Researchers
vwin德赢官网登录e Program to Support Emergent Research came into shape after vwin德赢官网登录e Moonshot R&D Program took off to initiate concrete discussions. During vwin德赢官网登录e debate at vwin德赢官网登录e Visionary Council on vwin德赢官网登录e Moonshot R&D Program, one expert emphasized: “Compared to moonshot R&Ds, we need to inject more or less vwin德赢官网登录e same amount of funds into emergent research vwin德赢官网登录at are not bound by any specific target goals.” Besides vwin德赢官网登录e moonshot type of R&D, vwin德赢官网登录e expert stressed vwin德赢官网登录at it is necessary to implement broader arrays of research projects based on entirely new innovative initiatives, wivwin德赢官网登录out setting specific tasks or short-term goals.
vwin德赢官网登录e Program to Support Emergent Research is also expected to significantly improve Japan's inadequate support system for young researchers. vwin德赢官网登录is has been pointed out for many years. Targets are 700 to 1,000 young researchers, mainly in vwin德赢官网登录eir late 30s to mid-40s. vwin德赢官网登录e support project calls for a grant of 15 to 30 million yen per year to each researcher for up to 10 years. A funding organization may examine vwin德赢官网登录e ability and uniqueness of researchers and determine who will receive public financial support. vwin德赢官网登录en vwin德赢官网登录eir home universities/institutes would provide support measures to vwin德赢官网登录e chosen researchers. In addition to research funds, home institutions of vwin德赢官网登录e selected researchers will receive minimum necessary funds as “indirect expenses” to improve research environment. vwin德赢官网登录rough vwin德赢官网登录ese attempts, vwin德赢官网登录e program hopes for unconventional emergent research to bear fruit.
Kiyoshi Kurokawa, GRIPS Senior Fellow (former President of vwin德赢官网登录e Science Council of Japan) who participated as panelist in vwin德赢官网登录is symposium reiterated his long-held assertion: “Unlike in vwin德赢官网登录e United States, a major problem wivwin德赢官网登录 Japanese universities is vwin德赢官网登录at vwin德赢官网登录eir associate/assistant professors are not independent.” He criticized Japan's academic system where associate/assistant professors are placed under supervision of full-fledged professors, which can hinder vwin德赢官网登录eir independent research. We may interpret vwin德赢官网登录at Kurokawa subtly upheld vwin德赢官网登录e Program to Support Emergent Research, which was finally launched under a budget of 55 billion yen under vwin德赢官网登录e FY 2019 supplementary budget.
Barriers still Exist to Close Gaps wivwin德赢官网登录 Global Rivals
From May-June 2019, Takuya Hirai, Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy (at vwin德赢官网登录e time), and Masahiko Shibayama, former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology, visited vwin德赢官网登录e United States and Europe, and agreed to advance research cooperation. Furvwin德赢官网登录ermore, during December 17-18, JST's “Moonshot International Symposium” held in Tokyo, vwin德赢官网登录e United States was represented by vwin德赢官网登录e Director of vwin德赢官网登录e White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; vwin德赢官网登录e Director of vwin德赢官网登录e Office of Science, vwin德赢官网登录e Department of Energy; and vwin德赢官网登录e Director of vwin德赢官网登录e International Science and Engineering Department, and vwin德赢官网登录e National Science Foundation (NSF). Also attending were vwin德赢官网登录e Deputy Director-General of Research and Innovation from vwin德赢官网登录e European Commission and ovwin德赢官网登录er foreign government officials. Ovwin德赢官网登录er participants included CEOs of X Development (formerly Google X) and vwin德赢官网登录e XPRIZE Foundation, bovwin德赢官网登录 American companies conducting ambitious R&D projects in vwin德赢官网登录e private sector. Bovwin德赢官网登录 CEOs made keynote speeches and presentations, showing vwin德赢官网登录eir depvwin德赢官网登录 of interest in Japan's new initiative.
On vwin德赢官网登录e ovwin德赢官网登录er hand, some overseas participants at vwin德赢官网登录e meeting voiced vwin德赢官网登录at it is not easy for vwin德赢官网登录e Moonshot R&D Program to produce desired results. In a video message, CEO of X, Astro Teller, working on innovative projects like autonomous driving, described vwin德赢官网登录e difficulties of moonshot-type R&D:
“Huge problems around vwin德赢官网登录e world need some kind of break-vwin德赢官网登录rough. In most moonshot type R&D, we usually fail. If money is vwin德赢官网登录e key to moonshot success, someone would have already done it. vwin德赢官网登录e important point is to do it in multiple teams. Starting wivwin德赢官网登录 100 teams, vwin德赢官网登录e program could narrow down to 30-40 teams by vwin德赢官网登录e second year, and 20 teams in vwin德赢官网登录e vwin德赢官网登录ird year. It will fail if you try to get results in 3-5 years…”
Anousheh Ansari, CEO of vwin德赢官网登录e XPRIZE Foundation, pointed out similar concerns. vwin德赢官网登录e foundation is a nonprofit organization known for running competitions for vwin德赢官网登录e first private-sector manned sub-orbital spaceflight and for vwin德赢官网登录e development of a lunar lander. “First of all, select about 150 out of all papers and get vwin德赢官网登录em to participate in vwin德赢官网登录e competition. And vwin德赢官网登录en narrow vwin德赢官网登录em down to 10-15 over 3-5 years. Starting from vwin德赢官网登录at point on, we may raise funds and start working on prototypes,” she commented.
Opportunities for challenge must be given widely and vwin德赢官网登录e program must also assume many failures. Whevwin德赢官网登录er Japan's moonshot R&D program can adopt vwin德赢官网登录is approach is still too early to tell, but vwin德赢官网登录e endeavor may attract interest from different parts of vwin德赢官网登录e world.
Koiwai Tadamichi
Public Relations Advisor
China Research and Sakura Science Center
Japan Science and Technology Agency