On January 28, 2026, the Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE) program held a meeting in the energy field at the JST Tokyo Headquarters Annex. The purpose of the meeting was to launch the two projects selected in FY2025 and to share annual reports on the progress of the ongoing projects.

Project Information:

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

The meeting started with remarks by Dr. Kenjiro Miyano, Program Director of ASPIRE, and Mr. Arakawa, Director of the Office of ASPIRE, Department of International Affairs, JST. The principal investigators (PIs) of two projects selected under “ASPIRE for Rising Scientists” for FY2025, Dr. Ryoichi Tatara and Dr. Naoto Todoroki, presented overviews of their international collaborative research plans and research exchange initiatives developed primarily by young researchers. Following this, six projects selected in FY2023 and five projects selected in FY2024 reported their ongoing research outcomes with a lunch break between presentations. In the final part of the meeting, an open-floor discussion session was held.

At the kick-off session, the PIs, who started their research in December 2025, presented ambitious research exchange plans unique to the ASPIRE program and received feedback from PIs and advisors of ongoing ASPIRE projects. Meanwhile, in the presentations by projects selected in FY2023 and FY2024, in addition to annual reports by PIs, young researchers who conducted research abroad and researchers currently visiting Japan also shared their viewpoints from on-site research exchanges with participants. These included stories of a researcher who patiently navigated complex travel procedures with limited available information, housing issues during overseas stays, and adapting research styles under different operating conditions from those in Japan, such as planning experiments under strict time management.

Moreover, PIs also discussed strategies for engaging international researchers and their impact, providing useful examples for other projects. For instance, after creating a laboratory website in English, they received inquiries from researchers in Europe and the United States, which later led to invitations for those researchers to visit their laboratories. They also experienced receiving inquiries from embassies about how to participate in ASPIRE.

In the debriefing session, PIs of the projects selected in FY2023 and FY2024 gave brief presentations on outcomes achieved through ASPIRE, challenges that emerged during their research, and their responses, followed by an open-floor discussion. Since ASPIRE aims to promote the exchange of researchers and international talent mobility and circulation, several pressing issues remain, including obtaining long-term visas, securing accommodations, and addressing rising costs due to inflation and depreciation of the yen. Nevertheless, there is clear evidence of a positive cycle of international research exchange. For example, graduate students who have conducted experiments in overseas laboratories under the ASPIRE program have returned to Japan, inspiring their colleagues to apply to overseas laboratories.

An increase in the number of students advancing to doctoral programs was reported in the meeting held in January last year. This trend continued and was confirmed in other projects, demonstrating the program’s positive impact on revitalizing the pool of young researchers. In this session, “building trust” was highlighted, as well as significant outcomes of the ASPIRE program. When young researchers achieve results during their stay abroad, their contributions clearly demonstrate mutual benefits for both sides. As these experiences accumulate, they help establish trust not only between individual researchers but also between institutions. This foundation of trust, in turn, opens up possibilities for future research development.

Young researchers who worked in overseas laboratories reported that their mentors treated them with respect and emphasized mutual interaction. ASPIRE's research exchanges provide not only quantitative outcomes such as increases in the number of international co-authored papers and doctoral students, but also opportunities to gain access to valuable firsthand information through networks established during overseas experiences.

In closing, Dr. Ryoji Kanno, Program Officer in the energy field, delivered final remarks. After the meeting, a networking reception was arranged, bringing together researchers, PIs, and advisors, allowing for meaningful interactions even within a limited timeframe.

We express our appreciation to PD Miyano, PO Kanno, advisers, and researchers who took time out of their busy schedules to participate in the in-person meeting and to contribute to the success of the event. In the energy field of ASPIRE, we will continue promoting research projects through effective exchanges between Top Scientists and Rising Scientists, utilizing the knowledge gained from this kick-off and annual briefing.

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