Agricultural science is an exceptionally complex and challenging academic field that inherently encompasses life science, environmental science, production science, and its intersections with society. Despite its fundamental importance, many research questions remain insufficiently explored due to their long-term nature and high uncertainty. This panel aims to support young researchers who take on such challenges—projects that may not yield immediate results but have the potential to transform the future of academia and society.

In this program, greater emphasis is placed not on the completeness of a research plan or short-term feasibility, but on

• how the researcher identifies their essential questions,
• how they attempt to transcend existing frameworks and disciplinary boundaries, and
• how deeply and proactively they engage with their chosen questions.

This panel seeks to support research that one can genuinely find “exciting”—not merely eccentric, but driven by a necessary logic, capable of unsettling established understanding and opening new perspectives. We evaluate not only formal coherence but also the intrinsic intellectual appeal and future potential of the research. Emergent creativity in agricultural science is not confined to trendy technologies or striking results; rather, it arises from observations that evoke discomfort, overlooked interspecies interactions, the incorporation of concepts from other fields, or even simple yet fundamental questions. Such ideas are what open new academic frontiers. We also value challenges that inherently involve the possibility of failure. Please propose, in your own words, the themes you truly believe are worth pursuing.

The future of agricultural science will be born from the challenges you undertake. We look forward to encountering bold and inspiring research proposals in this emergent forum.