Home > Press Releases
JST Press Release

May 17, 2013
Japan Science and Technology Agency(JST)
5-3, Yonbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8666
URL : http://www.jst.go.jp/EN

JST announces 3 new projects on " Application of Medical ICT Devices"
for the Japan-Finland Research Cooperative Program,
as part of the FY 2013 Strategic International Research Cooperative Program (SICP)

Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) conducted a Concurrent Call for Proposals in "Application of Medical ICT Devices" research in collaboration with the Academy of Finland (AF) *1 and the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes)*2 . Through a previously agreed evaluation process, JST, AF and Tekes reached a common decision regarding which projects to select for funding. The newly-selected projects for the Japan-Finland Research Cooperative Program*3, as part of the FY2013 Strategic International Research Cooperative Program (SICP)*4 are as follows:

1. "Dependable Wireless Healthcare Networks for Reliable Body Area Network-based Healthcare" to be conducted by Ryuji Kohno, Professor at the Graduate school of Engineering at Yokohama National University in Japan, and Jari Iinatti, Professor at the Centre for Wireless Communications at the University of Oulu in Finland.

Topic:

This new joint project aims at R&D and clinical application of dependable and low power consumption wireless medical networks in order to collect vital information from sensors attached to and within the human body.

2. "Novel system for quantitative assessment of multi-organ tissue perfusion" to be conducted by Hidehiro Iida, Professor of Investigative Radiology at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Research Institute in Japan, and Juhani Knuuti, Professor at the Turku PET Centre at the University of Turku in Finland.

Topic:

This new joint project aims at R&D and clinical application of a novel system for quantitative assessment of multi-organ tissue-perfusion using a short-lived nuclei of 15O and PET.

3. "Teleassistance for Seniors with Dementia – A Novel Concept for Safety" to be conducted by Hirokazu Kato, Professor at the Graduate School of Information Science at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan, and Petri Pulli, Professor in the Department of Information Processing Science at the University of Oulu in Finland.

Topic:

This new joint project aims to develop a navigation system for people with dementia using ubiquitous computing technology so they can walk outdoors independently.

In this Call, 3 projects have been selected out of 14 proposals, in an evaluation carried out by committees of experts independently selected by JST, AF and Tekes. The decision on funding was made jointly by JST, AF and Tekes, considering factors such as the validity of the research plan and effectiveness of exchange. The period of research will be three years.

*1 Academy of Finland (AF)
Refer to: http://www.aka.fi/eng

*2 The Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes)
Refer to: http://www.tekes.fi/eng/

*3 Japan-Finland Research Cooperative Program
Based on an agreement made at the Finnish-Japan Joint Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation meeting, which was held in Helsinki in May 2012, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) decided on "Medical Science" as the field of collaborative research between Japan and Finland. According to that decision, JST chose "Application of Medical ICT Devices" as a priority area in which to launch the first concurrent call.

*4 Strategic International Research Cooperative Program (SICP)
SICP is a "top-down type" of program that provides support to international research projects between countries and regions, in fields of cooperation designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) on the basis of intergovernmental agreements.

Refer to:http://www.jst.go.jp/inter/english/project/purpose.html

Attachments

Attachment 1: The selected project for the Japan-Finland Research Cooperative Program in FY2013

Attachment 2: Overview of the Japan-Finland Research Cooperative Program and Evaluation

For further information

Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) ,Department of International Affairs
K’s Gobancho, 7, Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0076Tokyo 102-0076 Japan
Yoshihide KOBAYASHI(Mr.), Daiji NAKA( PhD.)
Fax: +81-3-5214-7379 Tel: +81-3-5214-7375
E-mail:

Japanese


JST, an integrated organization of science and technology in Japan, establishes an infrastructure for the entire process from the creation of knowledge to the return to the society. For more information, visit http://www.jst.go.jp/EN/