JST is to fund 3 research projects coordinated by Japan and Israel within the framework of the Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (SICORP)

On May 17, 2018, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)^*1)of Israel announced that they would commence support for three coordinated projects on the topic of ICT for a Resilient Society. This support, within the framework of JST-MOST Coordinated Research, will be provided as an activity of JST's FY2018 Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (SICORP)^*2. The selected projects are as follows:

(1) “Advanced ICT for Monitoring Freshwater Ecosystem Resilience”

• Michio KUMAGAI, Senior Scientist, Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University
• Ilia OSTROVSKY, Full Professor, Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research

This project targets freshwater resources, such as lakes, the essential element for life, and develops a new rapid management system superior to existing methods by employing ICT for monitoring freshwater ecosystem resilience and reducing possible risks and resolving freshwater environmental issues.

(2) “Tourists’ Flow Patterns Identification and Information Provision for Safe Evacuation”

• Jan Dirk SCHMÖCKER, Associate Professor, Department of Urban Management, Kyoto University
• Yuval HADAS, Senior Lecturer, Department of Management, Bar-Ilan University

This project will use a range of ICT data sources to understand and predict spatial and temporal flow patterns of tourists in crowded areas where evacuation might be needed. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth sensors will be tested to provide site-specific evacuation information, aiming at safer evacuation of tourists.

(3) “Realization of Sustainable Autonomous Self-Organizing Systems by Low-Functional Robots in Environmental Disaster Recovery”

• Fukuhito OOSHITA, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology
• Shlomi DOLEV, Professor, Department of Computer Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

This project aims to develop a framework that enables a huge number of low-cost and low-functional robots to stably accomplish their tasks in an environment with disturbance, like a disaster area. Specifically, we will contribute to the development of a swarm of low-cost and low-functional robots that is comparable to a high-cost and high-performance robot.

A total of 11 proposals were submitted in response to the joint call for proposals implemented by JST and MOST, which closed in October 2017.

Based on the results of evaluation conducted by experts, JST and MOST including the program officers and advisors (JST side) and the panel committee (MOST side) jointly decided on the three successful projects to select for funding. Support to both the Japanese and Israeli teams will continue for about three years.