SATREPS announce decision on new research themes for FY2021

Michinari Hamaguchi, President of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), has announced that they have adopted 10 research projects in four domains across three fields as the new FY2021 research themes for SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development). Two of them were adopted as top-down projects ("Reverse Engineering" style of research, often involving black boxes) and the research period is 5 years.

The details of these projects, including research areas, partner countries, and major research institutions are listed below (○ indicates a top-down project):

Environment/ Energy field:

Global Scale Environmental Issues domain:

• Strengthening Tropical Forest Resilience Based on Management and Utilization of Genetic Resources Capable of Climate Change Adaptation
Senior Researcher Naoki Tani - Forestry Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS)
Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia

• Establishment of Risk Management Platform for Air Pollution
Prof. Masami Furuuchi - Faculty of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, Institute of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University
Institute of Technology of Cambodia, Cambodia

• Innovation of Science and Technology on Natural Rubber for Global Carbon Process
Prof. Takashi Yamaguchi - Graduate School of Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology
Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Vietnam

Low Carbon Society domain:

○ Development of New Ammonia Synthesis System using Renewable Energy and Hydrogen
Prof. Ken-ichi Aika -National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Numazu College
North-West University, South Africa

• Construction of a Decarbonized Heat Energy Supply System using Groundwater Resources
Lecturer Fumiaki Inagaki - Graduate School of International Resource Sciences, Akita University
Centre for Innovative Development of Science and New Technologies attached to the National Academy of Sciences, Tajikistan

Bioresources field:

• Creation of a Local Value Chain by Optimizing Cattle Microbial Flora and Grassland Management on Digital Infrastructure
Prof. Satoshi Ohkura - Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University
Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation (AGROSAVIA), Colombia

• Production of Safe and Nutritious Rice through Breeding and Water Management
Associate Prof. Takehiro Kamiya - Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo
Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh

• Establishment of Nitrogen-efficient Wheat Production Systems in Indo-Gangetic Plains by the Deployment of BNI-technology
Specially Assigned Investigator Satoshi Tobita - Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS)
Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), India

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation field:

• Numerical Weather Prediction and Warning Communication System for Densely Populated and Vulnerable Cities
Chief Scientist Takemasa Miyoshi - Cluster for Pioneering Research, RIKEN
National Meteorological Service, Argentina

○ Building Sustainable System for Resilience and Innovation in Coastal Community
Prof. Nobuhito Mori - Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University
Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia

SATREPS is implemented through the cooperation of JST, AMED, and JICA with the support of MEXT and MOFA, with the aim of strengthening science, technology, and innovation diplomacy, which integrates science and technology with diplomacy and promotes mutual development. The objective is to solve global issues related to developing countries' needs by improving science and technology and fostering innovation by linking international joint research for social implementation with ODA. The FY2021 open recruitment identified regions and research themes deemed critical to Japan's foreign policy; projects were solicited and selected with a top-down approach to promote the SDGs through scientific and technological innovation.