Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) announced the new projects provisionally selected*1 for the Fiscal Year 2017 Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) program (Appendix 1).
SATREPS is a science and technology diplomacy initiative that promotes international joint research using advanced science and technology from Japan in combination with Official Development Assistance (ODA). The program is a collaboration between JST and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
Based on the needs of developing countries, JST and JICA cooperate to promote international joint research targeting global issues with an objective of utilization of research outcomes. Implemented through collaboration with ODA, the aim of the program is to acquire new knowledge and technology that lead to the resolution of global issues and the advance of science and technology, and through this process, to create innovations. International joint research under this program also aims to enhance the research and development capabilities of developing countries, and helps create sustainable research systems able to address and resolve issues. Also, SATREPS will actively correspond to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)*2 and contribute to the international community.
For FY2017, JST called for project proposals from researchers in Japan in three research areas—Environment/Energy, Bioresources, and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation—and began to accept proposals on September 13th, 2016. A total of 105 proposals was received by the close of applications on October 31th, 2016 at 12:00 noon (Japan Time). The screening committee, composed of external experts, then reviewed the proposal documents and conducted interviews, including review from an ODA perspective, and provisionally selected 8 new projects, comprising 4 projects collaborating with Asian researchers, 2 with African researchers, and 2 with Central and South American researchers. A project involving Republic of El Salvador was selected for the first time, bringing the total number of countries selected for SATREPS projects to 47.
Support for these projects will commence as soon as the contracts are in place and preparations are complete.
SATREPS projects in the field of Infectious Diseases Control was transferred to the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) on April 1st, 2015, and are now conducted in collaboration between AMED and JICA. *3
- *1 Provisional selection:
- Before starting a project, an international agreement needs to be signed between MOFA and the government of the developing country regarding implementation of the project, followed by an agreement on the details of technical cooperation between JICA and the research counterpart(s) in the developing country. However, the situation in the developing country or the result of discussion of details with the research counterpart(s) may result in the research plan for the provisionally selected project being modified or the project itself being terminated. For this reason, the selection of these projects at this stage is “provisional selection”
- *2 the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
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At “United Nations Sustainable Development Summit” held in September 2015, the outcome document “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” with “the Sustainable Development Goals” as a core component was adopted as a new and more comprehensive world action agenda for people, planet and prosperity.
- *2 AMED Press Release:
Appendices
Appendix 1: Provisionally Selected Projects for FY2017
Appendix 2: Results of the FY2017 Selection Process
Reference : Overview of SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development)
Contact
Department of International Affairs (SATREPS Group), JST
K's Gobancho, 7 Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0076
Tel:+81-3-5214-8085
E-mail: 
SATREPS URL: http://www.jst.go.jp/global/english/