Japanese-Swiss Joint Workshop on Aging, Health and Technology

Strategic International Research Cooperative Program (SICP) /
Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (SICORP)
http://www.jst.go.jp/inter/english/index.html

In cooperation with the University of Zurich and the Embassy of Switzerland in Japan, JST’s Department of International Affairs organised the Japanese-Swiss Joint Workshop on Aging, Health and Technology at JST’s Tokyo Headquarters K’s Gobancho.

In the framework of its Strategic International Research Cooperative Program (SICP)*, JST has been implementing joint calls and supporting collaborative research with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) in the field of life science on the basis of an inter-agency agreement signed in 2008. This workshop was held on the theme of technology related to aging and health, with the aim to explore potential research areas for future collaborative activities that would further promote exchange and synergy between Switzerland and Japan.

On the first day of the workshop, keynote presentations were made by the Workshop Co-Chairs: Associate Professor Mihoko Otake of Chiba University and Professor Mike Martin of the University of Zurich. On the second and third days, lecture and discussion sessions were organised on the topics of “Gerontechnology & Health”, “Technology Implications - Big Health Data & Management”, “Aging of Movement & Nutrition”, “Detection of Aging & Robotics”, “Aging & Plasticity of Brain and Cognition”, “Dignified Aging in Super Aged Society”, “Interaction, Usability and Ethics” and “Funding Opportunities”. Also on the second day there was a poster presentation and demonstration session, and on the third day a site visit to Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, enabling all workshop participants, including many early-stage researchers, to interact and expand their international networks. Over the three days of the workshop a total of 60 participants from Japan and Switzerland actively engaged in lively information exchange about the latest research, state of the art and challenges to do with aging, health and related technologies.

It is expected that this workshop will lead to further development of collaborative research and exchange between Japan and Switzerland in this research field.

(* JST has been implementing the Strategic International Research Cooperative Program (SICP) since 2003. As part of that framework, JST has supported collaborative research projects with Switzerland in the fields of medicine (2008 and 2009), molecular medicine (2011) and medicine for an aging society (2012) (http://www.jst.go.jp/inter/english/sicp/country/switzerland.html).)