MEXT requests an estimated 11.5% budget increase to 5,953 billion yen for next fiscal year

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) submitted an estimated budget request of 5,953 billion yen to the Ministry of Finance for FY2025 for the general account (up by 11.5% from the previous year) and 139.6 billion yen for the special account for energy measures (up by 31.1 billion yen). In addition to the 1,182 billion yen for science and technology, the request includes costs for other projects such as developing a hydraulic rover for Japan's share of the Artemis program. Along with the new projects in areas such as next-generation semiconductors and the life sciences, the plan includes a new budget to promote the development of doctoral human resources and their success. MEXT has also requested Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research to increase by 11.5 billion yen to 249.2 billion yen.

An evaluation of international nature of research will be introduced for the core categories of Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research A, B, and C. These grants receive approximately 60,000 applications each year, and research funds will be allocated to highly international research. Specifically, the grant amount will be increased by an average of 35% (from 3.3 million yen to 4.7 million yen in the case of Grant C) for research proposals that are highly international in nature.

Additionally, MEXT will establish the "International and Young Researcher Support Framework in Grants B and C," which attract many applications from young researchers. The objective is to provide strong encouragement to young researchers engaged in highly internationalized research. This will increase the number of young researchers awarded grants by 30% in four years (from approximately 6,000 in FY2025 to approximately 8,000 in FY2028). MEXT has requested 33.6 billion yen (an increase of 8.9 billion yen) to expand efforts based on the Doctoral human resources action plan compiled in March of this year.

In order to create diverse career paths for doctoral human resources in society, MEXT will expand funding for postdoctoral fellowships for special researchers, overseas special researchers, and the Initiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research Environment as well as launch a new project to develop a system for R&D management human resources (approximately 1.5 billion yen). Tens of millions of yen will be provided over a 7-year period to institutions working to secure and train R&D management human resources or to deploy the know-how they already have. Moreover, as part of the reform of graduate schools, the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (7 billion yen) will be launched as a future leading project.

Through the formation of well-established international hubs and the implementation of industry-academia collaborative education, the project will achieve greater development of doctoral human resources working internationally with rich academic knowledge and high level of practical skills. The project will also involve support for efforts to form hubs for world-class graduate school education through review of the allocation of resources within organizations. Comprehensive support and special support will be available, and they are expected to provide 600 and 300 million yen, respectively.

A new budget of 9.4 billion yen has been allocated to semiconductors that have been becoming increasingly important in terms of economic security. This additional funding will promote semiconductor development and the development of use cases in academia and establish hubs and practical education networks for industry-academia collaboration with a view of social implementation of the above-mentioned endeavors in the 2030s and beyond.

In the integrated research and development of next-generation edge AI semiconductors and physical intelligence (4.2 billion yen), MEXT will promote the research and development of innovative AI robots (physical intelligence). Such robots will be equipped with innovative AI that actively learns and evolves and has real-time intelligence and eco-friendly physical functions achieved through edge intelligence. MEXT will also promote integrated research and development of next-generation edge AI semiconductors as core technologies for the 2030s and beyond. For example, this integrated research and development is assumed to be employed in highly efficient AI-based designs for semiconductor systems, next-generation AI circuit technology, beyond 1 nanometer-generation devices and manufacturing technology, and greening of manufacturing technology.

In addition, the development and enhancement of a semiconductor infrastructure platform (3.4 billion yen) will develop and strengthen distributed and networked hubs, which will include development of facilities utilizing the Advanced Research Infrastructure for Materials (ARIM) to expand the scope of research and development. Furthermore, 1.8 billion yen has been allocated to form hubs for the development of talent in the semiconductor field.

To continuously develop the next generation of highly skilled talent and essential personnel, practical educational systems will be established through industry-academia collaboration, including the development of educational programs that utilize networks while considering the characteristics and regional identities of individual universities.

In addition, to develop talented individuals capable of immediately supporting the semiconductor industry and those with the potential to become highly skilled personnel in the future, MEXT will support initiatives to collaborate with industry at the high school level and establish semiconductor-related subjects and courses.

MEXT has allocated 11 billion yen to enhance the training of advanced medical personnel at university hospitals and medical research. In addition to existing programs, such as the project to form centers for training advanced medical personnel, the plan for training next-generation oncology professionals, and the post-COVID-19 medical personnel training center project, new programs will be launched. The new projects include the advanced medical personnel training project (5 billion yen) and the medical research support program (2.1 billion yen). The former will cover the cost for the introduction of cutting-edge medical equipment to implement training programs for medical personnel based on the particular requirements of each university hospital. The latter will improve the research environment and support medical-related research, thereby fundamentally strengthening medical research.

MEXT has also allocated 13.1 billion yen to construct SPring-8-II, which will be the world's most advanced synchrotron radiation facility with 100 times the luminance of the current facility. The new budget also includes 4.2 billion yen to begin development and maintenance of a new flagship system that will be the next generation of the Fugaku supercomputer, with the aim to begin operation in the year 2030 at the latest.