Division of Research Programs International Collaborative Research Program: Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (SICORP)

The aim of this program is to contribute solutions to challenges facing world today and to bolster Japan’s scientific and technological capabilities through collaboration with a broad range of countries．

This program provides support for international joint research projects on the basis of equal partnership in countries，regions，and fields of cooperation that have been designated as particularly important by the Ministry of Education，Culture，Sports，Science and Technology（MEXT）on the basis of intergovernmental agreements，in collaboration with funding agencies in the countries concerned．

SICORP (UK)

Research Area – "Infectious Diseases"

The overarching aim of the UK-Japan collaborative initiative in infectious diseases is to provide bi-lateral support to biomedical and health researchers in the UK and Japan that will allow them to forge lasting collaborations. This initative aims to strengthen existing links or foster new links that add value to research taking place in both countries. This is expected to be achieved by facilitating exchange and catalysing innovative synergy amongst collaborators and is particularly aimed at those who are in the early stages of their careers.

Funding Agency of the UK Side

The UK Medical Research Council（MRC）

Duration: FY2019 - FY2022

Project Title	Systematic analysis of persistence mechanisms by high-throughput bar-seq and single cell analyses
Country	Japan	U.K.
PI	Dr. MUTO-FUJITA Ai	Dr. Suzie Hingley-Wilson
Affiliation	RIKEN	University of Surrey

Project Title	The human T-cell leukaemia virus HTLV-1: transcriptional heterogeneity at the single-cell level
Country	Japan	U.K.
PI	Dr. SATO Yorifumi	Dr. Charles Bangham
Affiliation	Kumamoto University	Imperial College

SICORP (Germany)

Research Area – "Neuroscience - Computational Connectomics"

The aim of the collaborative project is to provide bi-lateral support to biomedical and health researchers in Japan and Germany that will allow them to forge lasting collaborations in the field of neuroscience-computational connectomics.

Funding Agency of German Side

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft e.V (DFG)

Duration: FY2020 - FY2023

Project Title	The role of dynamic neural functional coupling in spontaneous thought
Country	Japan	Germany
PI	Dr. Mingbo Cai	Dr. Nicolas Schuck
Affiliation	The University of Tokyo	Max Planck Institute for Human Development

SICORP (Canada)

Research Area – "Advancing Epigenetic Technologies"

The aim is to support Japan- and Canada-based early career researchers develop fruitful international collaborations in the field of epigenetic mechanisms and technologies.

Funding Agency of Canadian Side

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Duration: FY2020 - FY2023

Project Title	Artificial Intelligence based adaptive and interpretable models for analyzing multi-track epigenomic sequential data
Country	Japan	Canada
PI	Dr. YAMANAKA Soichiro	Dr. Ahmed Ashraf
Affiliation	The University of Tokyo	University of Manitoba

Project Title	Single-cell probing of epigenetic memory in immunity
Country	Japan	Canada
PI	Dr. Jay Shin	Dr. David Langlais
Affiliation	RIKEN	McGill University

Project Title	Characterization of the integrative epigenetic and epitranscriptomic landscape of acute myeloid leukemias
Country	Japan	Canada
PI	Dr. YOSHIMI Akihide	Dr. Ly Vu
Affiliation	National Cancer Center Research Institute	Simon Fraser University

SICORP (Lithuania)

Research Area – "Basic research with the use of clinical data and bioresources in rare and undiagnosed diseases, and cancer"

The aim of the collaborative project is to provide bi-lateral support to biomedical and health researchers in Japan and the Republic of Lithuania that will allow them to forge lasting collaborations in the field of basic research with the use of clinical data and bioresources in rare and undiagnosed diseases, and cancer.

Funding Agency of Lithuanian Side

Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania

Duration: FY2021 - FY2024

Project Title	The interaction of nutrition, metagenomic and molecular gastric microenvironment factors in Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric carcinogenesis
Country	Japan	Lithuania
PI	Dr. SUZUKI Hidekazu	Dr. Juozas Kupcinskas
Affiliation	Tokai University School of Medicine	Lithuanian University of Health Sciences

Project Title	Radiogenomic patterns of BRCA1 / 2 breast cancer
Country	Japan	Lithuania
PI	Dr. NAKAMURA Seigo	Dr. Jurgita Ušinskienė
Affiliation	Showa University School of Medicine	National Cancer Institute

SICORP (Nordic countries)

Research Area – "Healthy Longevity"

The aim of the collaborative project is to generate new knowledge on healthy ageing and longevity through Japanese-Nordic research collaboration by utilisation of existing high-quality health data sources in a Japanese-Nordic context.

Funding Agency on the Nordic Side

Academy of Finland, Research Council of Norway, Swedish Research Council, and NordForsk

Duration: FY2021 - FY2024

Project Title	Nordic-Japan multidomain interventions for healthy aging and prevention of dementia and disability
Role	Project Leader	Japan-based co-PI
Country	Sweden	Japan
PI	Dr. Miia Kivipelto	Dr. ARAI Hidenori
Affiliation	Karolinska Institute	National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology

Project Title	Molecular and structural biomarkers for personalised care in osteoarthritis
Role	Project Leader	Japan-based co-PI
Country	Sweden	Japan
PI	Dr. Martin Englund	Dr. ISHIJIMA Muneaki
Affiliation	Lund University	Juntendo University

Project Title	Unveiling the risk factors of ageing to promote healthy longevity
Role	Project Leader	Japan-based co-PI
Country	Norway	Japan
PI	Dr. Evandro Fei Fang	Dr. YOKOTE Koutaro
Affiliation	University of Oslo	Chiba University

SICORP (UK)

Research Area – "Neuroscience, Neurodegenerative Disease and Dementia"

The aim of the collaborative project is to address major questions in the fields of neuroscience, neurodegenerative disease and dementia, leveraging strengths of researchers in both the UK and Japan. It is expected that project outcomes will lead to next generation neuroscience research.

Funding Agency of the UK Side

The UK Medical Research Council（MRC）

Duration: FY2022 - FY2025

Project Title	Synaptic Pathology in ALS-FTD
Country	Japan	U.K.
PI	Dr. OKABE Shigeo	Dr. Seth Grant
Affiliation	The University of Tokyo	University of Edinburgh

Project Title	Multi-analyte prognostic and diagnostic screening in blood and skin for Alzheimerʼs disease
Country	Japan	U.K.
PI	Dr. TSUKAKOSHI Kaori	Dr. Sanjiv Sharma
Affiliation	Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology	Swansea University

Project Title	Deciphering synaptic dysfunctions of human cognitive disease gene mutations via optical physiological and neurochemical strategies
Country	Japan	U.K.
PI	Dr. BITO Haruhiko	Dr. Nigel Emptage
Affiliation	The University of Tokyo	University of Oxford

SICORP (Australia)

Research Area – "Research and development on the prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment of dementia"

The aim of the collaborative project is to deliver research funding for internationally competitive and innovative collaborations between early career researchers and established researchers from Australia and Japan in the field of dementia research.

Funding Agency of Australia Side

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

Duration: FY2023 - FY2025

Project Title	Reducing Cognitive impairment by management of Heart Failure as a Modifiable Risk Factor: the Cog-HF trial
Country	Japan	Australia
PI	Dr. OBOKATA Masaru	Dr. Quan Huynh
Affiliation	Gunma University	Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute

Project Title	Exploring biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and modifiable risk factors for non-Alzheimer's dementia
Country	Japan	Australia
PI	Dr. KAGAWA Yoshiteru	Dr. Yijun Pan
Affiliation	Tohoku University	The University of Melbourne Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health

Project Title	Novel therapeutic strategies to intervene in tau-associated neurodegeneration by modulating tau clearance and neuroinflammation
Country	Japan	Australia
PI	Dr. YAMADA Kaoru	Dr. Chien-Hsiung Yu
Affiliation	The University of Tokyo	The University of Melbourne Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health

• Terminated Projects

PS（Program Supervisor）

SUDA Toshio, M.D., Ph.D., Director and Professor, International Research Center for Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University

PO（Program Officer）

SICORP (UK)

Research Area - "Infectious Diseases"
SATO Hironori, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Pathogen Genomics Center, The National Institute of Infectious Diseases
Research Area - "Neuroscience, Neurodegenerative disease and Dementia"
IWATSUBO Takeshi, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo

SICORP (Germany)

ISA Tadashi, M.D., Ph.D., Dean and Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University

SICORP (Canada)

USHIJIMA Toshikazu, M.D., Ph.D., President, Hoshi University

SICORP (Lithuania)

ENDO Hiroyoshi, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, St. Luke’s International University

SICORP (Nordic countries)

NAKAGAWA Hidewaki, M.D., Ph.D., Team Leader, Laboratory for Cancer Genomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences

SICORP (Australia)

IWATSUBO Takeshi, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Department of Neuropathology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo