The Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) (HASHIMOTO Kazuhito, President) has approved funding for six new international collaborative research projects through the Solutions for Carbon-Neutral Cities call for proposals in cooperation with eight funding agencies from seven European countries as a part of the EIG CONCERT-Japan framework under the Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (SICORP).

EIG CONCERT-Japan is an international joint initiative to support and enhance science, technology and innovation cooperation between Japan and European countries.

In 2023, the tenth EIG CONCERT-Japan call for proposals was conducted from May 23 to August 1 with the theme Solutions for Carbon-Neutral Cities, to which a total of 15 proposals were submitted on topics including sustainable smart urban mobility, water, soil and air quality, and efficient waste management. Following an in-depth evaluation by a scientific committee and subsequent deliberations between participating funding agencies, it has been decided that six projects will be funded.

Projects will be supported for a period of three years during which the Japan-side researchers in each project will receive up to 18.2 million JPY.