Outline of Committee on Promoting Collaboration in Life Sciences

Mutsuhiro Takekawa Principal Investigator for Committee on Promoting Collaboration in Life Sciences

In recent years, the rapid technological and mechanical advances in the field of life science (e.g., genome-editing technologies, animal model establishment, bioimaging, physiological and behavioral analyses, comprehensive molecular profiling, and data and information sciences) have opened the door to a comprehensive understanding of the molecular basis of biological phenomena and human diseases. However, at the same time, this situation also makes it difficult for individual scientists to efficiently deal with and exploit such new advanced technologies. In order to overcome such problematic situations in the life science fields and to promote life science research in Japan, "Platforms for Advanced Technologies and Research Resources" was launched in fiscal year (FY) 2022 under the new framework of the Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas. This project aims to establish academic research support platforms that provide advanced technical and resource support for individual research projects funded by the MEXT/JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research. Furthermore, it also aims to promote the development of human resources and interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers working in various fields of science, thereby contributing to the advancement of life sciences in Japan and worldwide.

In order to achieve the above goals and effectively respond to the diverse needs of individual researchers, the "Platforms for Advanced Technologies and Research Resources" has been established through close cooperation among related institutions across Japan, including Inter-University Research Institutes and Joint Usage/Research Centers. This project is supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan, and has succeeded the previous MEXT programs "Support Programs for Three Fields in Life Sciences (Cancer, Genome and Brain Sciences) (FY2010-2015)" and "Platforms for Advanced Technologies and Research Resources (FY2016-2021)".

The Committee on Promoting Collaboration in Life Science organizes the project management group to facilitate close cooperation between four core support platforms (PAGS, ABiS, AdAMS, and CoBiA) that are composed of 54 universities and 23 research institutions in Japan. We established an administration office in the Institute of Medical
Science, the University of Tokyo for flexible management, and hold several Management Board Meetings, in which 21 members participated (i.e., four platform representatives and 17 board members), to ensure close coordination of individual support functions and to efficiently provide state of the art technical support to researchers nationwide. In addition, we have established “Group for Actively Engage Society” to provide consultation and training regarding ELSI (ethical, legal, and social issues) and to conduct information dissemination and outreach to the public.
In closing, we sincerely hope that life science researchers will develop and expand their research projects by actively taking advantage of the resources offered by our support platforms, and disseminate their research results to the global scientific community. We also hope that they will promote a dialogue with the general public about science and technology by enlightening the public on the generated results and contents of their scientific work.
I would like to thank all general visitors to this website for their understanding and support for researchers and their research activities. I hope the contents of this website provide the readers with insights into the current status and achievements of life science research in Japan.