On July 2, 2025, JST held a plenary meeting at the JST Tokyo Headquarters Annex for the purpose of kicking off the four projects selected in FY 2024 and sharing the progress of the nine projects selected in FY 2023 in the quantum field under the Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE), gathering a total of 48 participants.

Project Information:

https://www.jst.go.jp/aspire/en/program_e/assignment_e/index.html

The plenary meeting started with remarks from Dr. Norio Kawakami, the Program Officer of ASPIRE in the quantum field. Next, the Principal Investigators (PIs) of the four projects selected in FY2024 presented an overview of the joint research plans and international talent mobility and circulation initiatives. Following this, the PIs of the nine projects selected in FY 2023 presented an overview of the joint research plans, along with a report on the progress of the research and international talent mobility and circulation approximately one and a half years after the start of the support. In addition, early career researchers of the eight projects who had traveled abroad reported on their activities.

After presentations by each project, a Q&A session was held about the direction of future research and the creation of an effective international collaborative research network. During the intermission, there was a lively exchange of information across the categories (Top and Rising Scientists) and selection year.

In the latter half of the meeting, participants engaged in a discussion on how to effectively and efficiently promote international talent mobility and circulation, which is the core objective of ASPIRE. Researchers selected in FY2023 shared their knowledge and experiences with those selected in FY2024. They also exchanged information on common issues such as visa applications for travel, establishing a living environment abroad, and international joint research agreements.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Kenjiro Miyano, the Program Director of ASPIRE, expressed encouragement to support the further growth of early career researchers by providing high-quality opportunities for exchange, and then the plenary session ended. With the knowledge gained from this conference, we will strive to smoothly promote its research projects. （Report by Norikane and Hashimoto, Office of ASPIRE, Department of International Affairs）