Global Successes Aligning the Young Stars of Science
THE INTERSTELLAR INITIATIVE
The Interstellar Initiative recognizes the world’s most promising Early Career Investigators (ECIs) and connects them with peers in related yet distinct disciplines. The initiative, introduced by AMED in partnership with the New York Academy of Sciences in 2018, provides a platform to develop solutions to major medical research questions.
Following an international open call for participants, ECIs are selected from a wide range of disciplines and grouped into teams of three, including one Japanese member. Together, they devise research proposals for submission to international funding agencies.
Participants are invited to two workshops, where they work closely within their teams to develop and refine proposals. With participants from such a wide variety of backgrounds including medical biology, natural science and technology, the workshops provide ECIs the opportunity to learn outside of their chosen field. For some, it is also their first opportunity to collaborate with overseas peers.
During the workshops, each team also receives guidance and advice from experienced mentors. The mentors, who belong to global research institutions, assist the ECIs and inspect the feasibility of their proposals ahead of submission to funding agencies.
Once funding for a study is acquired, the international collaborative investigation begins, and is led by the same three-person ECI team that created the initial proposal.
By establishing such an initiative, AMED aims to accelerate the globalization of medical research and development from Japan, and help to plant new seeds for medical innovation by nurturing promising young researchers and scientists.
The initiative is also part of a broader strategy to bring international partnerships and new funding streams to Japan’s efforts to realize the world’s most advanced medical care.
Concept
Connect Early Career Investigators from Japan with their peers from around the world. Build a network to encourage interdisciplinary research and development, and plant new seeds to accelerate the pursuit of medical innovation through global collaboration.
Progress
This initiative started in 2018, and the targeted research fields are set to change every year. In 2018, neuroscience and cancer are the primary focus of the Interstellar Initiative. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also been designated as a key area of research. The Early Career Investigators — who will participate in two workshops that will be held on June 22 - 23, 2018, and January 31 - February 1, 2019 — will be recruited from a wide range of research areas, including not only biomedicine, but also physical science and technology.
In 2017, a feasibility study of the Interstellar Initiative was held, which focused on cancer, neuroscience, and regenerative medicine. The feasibility study was jointly conducted by AMED and the New York Academy of Sciences. An article describing the feasibility study can be found at:
Links
Last updated 09/20/18