About
About the MILLENNIA* Program
*Multifaceted investigation challenge for new normal initiatives program
The COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts have forced us to create new Moonshot Goals aimed at tackling the challenges of our post-crisis society and economy. As it is today’s youth that will be responsible for tomorrow’s society, we must incorporate the flexible and unconventional thinking of young people when setting goals for the ‘new normal’. Therefore, JST held a call for proposals for new Moonshot Goal candidates and selected 21 youth-focused teams to assess them.
In the process of their investigation research activities in approximately 6 months, teams are expected to investigate the social issues that may become apparent globally in the post COVID-19 era, validate their proposed ideas as the Moonshot Goal candidates, determine the specific goals to be achieved in 2030 by backcasting from their visions of the society in 2050, summarize the scenarios for achieving their ideas, clarify the scientific feasibility and verifiable success criteria of their proposing goals and make ‘Investigation Research Reports’ through their activities. After the investigation research period, JST will select ideas that are considered to be suitable as the MS Goal candidates. Based on JST’s selection as well as the ‘Elements of MS Goals, CSTI will then select the new MS Goal(s).
Visionary Leaders
The visionary leaders below are in charge of overall management of the program, including selection of the teams.
- Supervisor：
- Mr. WATANABE Katsuaki（Former President, Toyota Motor Corporation）
- Sub-supervisor：
- Dr. ADACHI Masayuki（President & COO, HORIBA, Ltd.）
Dr. AMANO Hiroshi (Professor, Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability Center for Integrated Research of Future Electronics, Nagoya University）
Dr. KUNO Sachiko (President & CEO, S&R foundation / Founder & Chair, Halcyon Incubator / Executive Vice-President, Kyoto University）
New Moonshot Goals established through the MIILLENNIA program
In the MILLENNIA program 21 brainstorming teams conducted investigative research with the advice of Visionary Leaders from January to July 2021, and in July published their summary reports called “Initiative Reports”. The reports describe: the teams’ respective images of society in 2050; backcasted goals for 2030; plans to advance from 2030 goals to 2050 goals; scientific feasibility and verifiable achievement criteria for the teams’ proposed Moonshot Goal candidates. The reports were evaluated by the Visionary Leaders with support of experts in related specialties holding the “inspiring” “imaginative” “credible” perspectives expected for Moonshot Goals. JST submitted these new Moonshot Goal candidates to the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI) and on September 28th CSTI officially established the below Moonshot Goals.
JST will soon be holding a call for proposals for Project Managers to promote R&D projects toward achieving these Moonshot Goals. Before that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) will create ambitious R&D concepts, and JST will assign Program Directors (PD) with overall responsibility for the Moonshot Goals.
| New Moonshot Goal | Contributing MILLENNIA Teams |
|---|---|
| Realization of a society safe from the threat of extreme winds and rains by controlling and modifying the weather by 2050. | The Typhoon Shot Weather controllability research team |
| Realization of a mentally healthy and dynamic society by increasing peace of mind and vitality by 2050. | A team for achieving well-being and vitality in our society through a "Psyche Navigation System" Survey for achieving an ultra-diversity society Nishimoto MS Music Co-creation Project *Cooperated by AKIYAMA Hajime, Team leader of “Team Post-Anthropocene”, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba |
