TOKYO >> The Japanese government has decided to allocate 100 billion yen (nearly $682 million) from the 10 trillion yen University Endowment Fund and other sources to attract eminent researchers from overseas, including Japanese nationals.
With top researchers in the U.S. leaving the country, having lost their jobs due to research funding cuts under the Trump administration, Japan plans to fully engage in the intensifying global competition to attract talent.
Minoru Kiuchi, the state minister for science and technology policy, announced the details at a news conference on June 13.
The endowment fund is a program through which the Japan Science and Technology Agency entrusts financial institutions with the management of 10 trillion yen in government contributions. Some of the operating profits from this fund are provided as grants to institutions such as the Universities of International Research Excellence.
Since salaries in the U.S. and Europe are reportedly two to three times higher than in Japan, a substantial wage disparity would have posed a significant barrier to attracting foreign researchers. But the government’s plan to tap the endowment fund’s profits will allow universities to offer competitive compensation packages.
The way it will work: Through JST, the government plans to support domestic universities and national research and development agencies that bring on international personnel.
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The current policy of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry limits the fund’s support to doctoral students and the Universities of International Research Excellence aspiring to world-class research capabilities. The government plans to revise the policy and make support available by fall, when researcher recruitment traditionally starts up in the U.S. and Europe.
In addition to financial support, the government will back reforms to university personnel systems that will allow them to bring on international researchers and supply institutions with cutting-edge research equipment.
Recruitment efforts are expected in the U.S. and other countries, paired with public relations campaigns to showcase Japan’s lifestyle and cultural appeal.
The race to secure top U.S. researchers has intensified, with the European Union indicating it will budget 500 million euros (about $587.5 million) to the cause. In response, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba instructed Kiuchi this month to reinforce efforts at Japan’s Council for Science, Technology and Innovation to attract researchers.
AloJapan.com