From Monday, July 28 to Wednesday, July 30, 2025, Japan-US Research Collaboration Week (JURC) 2025 was held at Stanford University in the United States. During the event, ASPIRE held a two-hour morning session on July 29 at the Beckman Center, one of the event’s venues. It was rather chilly in the San Francisco Bay Area—a stark contrast to Japan's scorching heat.

The ASPIRE session, titled "Maximizing Impact through Strategic Networking among Established Researchers - Creating the Leaders of Tomorrow through Japan-US Talent Mobility," introduced ASPIRE projects and featured a wide range of speakers, from top-level researchers to undergraduate students, who exchanged views on the results of their daily efforts and research in the United States.

In the first half, three principal investigators (PIs) from ASPIRE projects presented their international collaborative research and researcher mobility initiatives, along with their achievements to date.

Dr. Hiroshi Amano (Nagoya University), a PI in the materials field, spoke online and introduced unique systems such as the "3 + 3 model" and the "1,000-day plan" that enable long-term stays in the United States and other countries by maximizing ASPIRE support mechanisms. Dr. Srabanti Chowdhury (Stanford University), a PI on the U.S. side (and a partner of Dr. Amano's joint research), said that there is a culture that welcomes joint research because important laboratories such as SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC)* are located near the university and in Silicon Valley, and that collaboration with Japan has produced results. Dr. Atsutake Kosuge (University of Tokyo), a PI in the field of semiconductors who is conducting research at Stanford University, spoke enthusiastically on the value of living in and conducting research at such a location surrounded by cutting-edge technology startups and Big Tech.
*Founded in 1962, the SLAC is now sponsored by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and is administered by Stanford University.

In the second half, four early career researchers, ranging from an associate professor to students, who are pursuing careers in the United States, gave presentations on their activities and future prospects. The audience raised many insightful and inquisitive questions, such as why so few young people in Japan pursue opportunities abroad, and how STEM education is also being provided to female students. The discussion was so engaging that attendees wished for more time. It was apparent that there was a high level of interest in the opinions of early career researchers.

Next, in the round-table discussion, several participants pointed out that the U.S. research environment is characterized by a relaxed atmosphere and cultural openness. It was agreed that this made it easier to build teams and generate new ideas and cross-sector collaboration. Prof. Soichi Wakatsuki (Stanford University) welcomed one of the speakers, Dr. Shun Yokoi, a visiting scholar from the University of Tsukuba, into his laboratory at Stanford. Dr. Wakatsuki was introduced to Dr. Yokoi by Dr. Ayori Mitsutake (at that time, Keio University), whom he met when he was a research supervisor at CREST. Dr. Yokoi expressed his desire to actively support the overseas orientation of young Japanese researchers.

Participants expressed the importance of young researchers studying abroad at an early stage of their career, as well as the need for better support systems. ASPIRE’s objectives regarding the networking of researchers and the development of early-career researchers are hard to achieve overnight, but these exchanges are being seen as encouraging. For this session, a preliminary meeting was held with the speakers to carefully coordinate how the roundtable would be facilitated. Connections were also formed among the participants, and this became a successful example of support provided by ASPIRE.

About Japan-US Research Collaboration Week (JURC)

Founded in 2021 to create a robust foundation for research exchange between the United States and Japan, JURC has built a dynamic community of more than 200 researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders through expert-led symposia and hands-on workshops. Participants range from Nobel Prize winners to emerging students seeking collaborative research opportunities.

JURC program: https://www.jst.go.jp/inter/washington/stanford2025/docs/program2025.pdf