Bringing young talent from India to Japan: JST's LOTUS Program Launches

In India, although the ratio of R&D expenditure to GDP and the number of researchers per million population remain low compared to Western developed countries, the quantity and quality of natural science publications have improved dramatically. From 2021 to 2023, India ranked 4th in the top 10% of scientific papers and 5th in the top 1%. Additionally, Indian talent has gained international recognition, playing key roles in major U.S. IT companies.

The Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) has fully launched its program to invite young talents from India to Japan for the purpose of collaborative research (India-Japan Circulation of Talented Youths in Science Program: LOTUS). The program offers support in the form of living expenses for one year for Indian postdocs and doctoral students coming to laboratories to conduct joint research between Japan and India. The program also matches applicants with internship opportunities at Japanese companies in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. President Kazuhito Hashimoto said, "Last year, when we conducted a pilot one-month open call using the president's discretionary budget, we received 149 applications for 30 positions (55 were selected). Expectations are very high not only from Japan but also from Indian university officials."

Attracting top international talent to boost domestic R&D and competitiveness has become a global priority, sparking intense competition worldwide. Among emerging talent pools, India has recently drawn particular attention.

Not only has there been a leap in research, but many talented individuals are also active in industry. Notable examples include, Sundar Pichai, Google CEO; Shantanu Narayen, Adobe Chairman and CEO; Neal Mohan, YouTube CEO; Sanjay Mehrotra, Micron Technology President and CEO; Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO; and Arvind Krishna, IBM CEO are all people of Indian origin.

The EU has requested India's participation in Horizon Europe and has also suggested possibilities for expanding exchanges of young researchers and collaborative research in AI, semiconductors, and other areas. The UK has agreed to a technology security initiative with India, expanding cooperation in critical and emerging fields, and has launched a £7 million research call in next-generation information and communication technologies.

In Japan, half of all doctoral students are international, yet Indian representation remains low. Among 5,895 engineering students at former imperial universities, 3,568 are from China compared to just 158 from India. Similarly, in science fields, 1,120 students come from China, while only 68 are from India. Nationwide, there are roughly 800 Indian students in Japan versus 132,000 in the United States.

So, is Japan not attractive from an Indian perspective? When President Hashimoto spoke with presidents of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), the impression of Japan is very positive. India views Japan as a historically trustworthy and culturally aligned friend that has successfully modernized while preserving its unique culture. They expect to send students to Japan to learn from Japan's success stories and use them as models for future Indian development. Since about 90% of Indian doctoral students return home after graduation, considerable Japan-India personnel exchange could be realized with proper planning.

At the Japan-India Foreign Ministers' meeting held in the United States in January this year, it was decided to designate fiscal year 2025 as the Japan-India Science, Technology and Innovation Exchange Year based on the Indian government's proposal. To strengthen science and technology cooperation with India, the Japan-India Universities Forum has been held three times so far, and the fourth forum is scheduled to be held in Hyderabad in November this year.

Under these circumstances, JST implemented a pilot young talent invitation program last year using the president's discretionary budget. It supports the costs of inviting excellent Indian graduate students and postdocs for up to one year (with partial burden on the Indian side) for collaborative research projects between Japanese universities and top Indian universities. Rather than mere scholarships, this builds personnel exchange and inter-institutional cooperation that also contributes to strengthening Japan's research foundation through joint research and co-supervision.

Hashimoto said, "Faculty members can also stay in Japan for one month, enabling exchanges between researchers. In fact, many faculty members hope to stay. Rather than simply sending students, it's natural to select excellent talent when sending people to joint research partners. By not having Japan pay the full amount but having the Indian side bear costs such as travel expenses, we have created a system that results in excellent talent coming to Japan." In the pilot, 55 people and 25 institutions (21 universities and 4 national research institutes) were selected, including 11 regional universities such as Yamagata University, Shimane University, Ehime University, and Kumamoto University. On the Indian side, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) comprised 76% and the Indian Institute of Science 4% of those selected, with engineering fields being central.

This fiscal year, more than 1,300 requests for Japan-India joint research have been received from the Indian side, centered on the 23 IIT schools, and matching is progressing (cases where joint research will begin are also eligible for support). The budget framework is for about 270 people, but further expansion appears necessary. The program name LOTUS refers to the lotus flower, which is India's national flower.