6 March 2025 – On 26–28 February EMBO hosted the second joint meeting co-organised with the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) for new collaborations and scientific exchanges. The event is part of EMBO Global Activities to strengthen research dialogue and promote collaborations at global level.
EMBO and JST signed a memorandum of cooperation in July 2023 to promote the life sciences in Europe and Japan and provide support for international research endeavours between scientists in the two regions.
Bringing together the scientific communities in Japan and Europe is part of our mission to promote exchange and excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond
Fiona Watt, EMBO Director
Scientific workshop series
In the spirit of international collaboration, a first JST | EMBO Workshop was organised in Tokyo, Japan, on 13–15 March 2024.
EMBO was pleased to host the second workshop, welcoming to the EMBL Campus in Heidelberg nearly 90 researchers based in Japan and in several European countries.
The meeting hosted 11 speakers from Japan and 30 from Europe, as well as PhD students and Postdocs from both countries and provided ample opportunity to listen to scientific talks, network, and hear about options for collaboration funded by JST and EMBO.
The scientific meeting spanned a variety of areas in the life sciences, covering topics from stem cell research to the impact of ageing.
I sincerely hope that by strengthening the research network between Japan and Europe, through activities such as this workshop, we will make major advancements in science as well as contributing to the realization of a sustainable and vibrant world in the future
Shigeo Morimoto, JST Vice president
Building on the success of the first two workshops, a third event will be co-organised in 2026. In between workshops, invited speakers have the opportunity to apply for dedicated funds to cover travels costs for visits to each other’s labs and start collaborative projects.
Photos by Andreas Henn for EMBO
Learn more:
EMBO opportunities for scientists based in Japan
As part of the implementation agreement of the EMBO-JST memorandum of cooperation, several EMBO activities are now open to scientists based in Japan.
For example, scientists funded by several JST programmes are eligible to apply to EMBO Scientific Exchange Grants and the EMBO Young Investigator Programme.
The full list of opportunities for scientists based in Japan is available online.
More opportunities for scientists based in Japan: ASPIRE Call for Japan based researchers now open
Overseen by JST, ASPIRE (Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem) is a research support programme to build a network among the world’s top research talent, promote Japan’s participation in the international top research community, and nurture and mobilize future research leaders. The third ASPIRE 2025 Call for Japan based researchers is now open.
Please find more information about the call on the ASPIRE official website.
