NIH DR.ZERHOUNI'S VISIT TO TOKYO

UNCLAS TOKYO 005867 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/J DEPT PASS TO NIH/DR.ZERHOUNI HHS FOR OGHA/STEIGER, BHAT AND ELVANDER SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO JA SUBJECT: NIH DR.ZERHOUNI'S VISIT TO TOKYO ¶1. Summary. On September 13, NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni visited Tokyo to attend the JST-NIKKEI Science Symposium after his participation in the STS Forum in Kyoto. In his meetings, Dr. Zerhouni exchanged opinions with officials at the International Medical Cooperation Center of Japan (IMCJ),Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST). End summary. ¶2. Dr. Takehiko Suzuki, President of IMCJ and Dr. Satoshi Kimura, former Director General of IMCJ's AIDS Clinical Center, current President of Tokyo Teishin Hospital visited the Embassy to discuss further cooperation on the US-Japan Cooperative Medical Science Program. Dr. Suzuki discussed research at his hospital on lifestyle diseases and explained IMCJ's extensive clinical research on diabetes. Dr. Zerhouni and Suzuki discussed the importance of clinical research and the difficulties in getting research funds and scientists to engage in such research. They agreed that this was a challenge both in the United States and Japan. ¶3. Dr. Zerhouni met with Mr. Motoyuki Ono, President of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and other JSPS officials. Dr. Zerhouni and Mr. Ono exchanged opinions on training programs on infectious diseases and research funding systems in universities. Mr. Ono noted that JSPS was interested in training programs for Japanese researchers and also in finding ways to support programs for researchers in developing countries. Mr. Ono pointed out that Japanese universities were losing their competitiveness. He believes the closed system makes it difficult for researchers to move. JSPS officials were very interested in NIH's funding system for researchers and universities which enables researchers to move to other universities and keep their research grants. ¶3. Mr. Kazuki Okimura, President of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST),Dr. Koichi Kitazawa, Senior Executive Director and Dr. Hiroo Imura, Principal Fellow introduced their major research programs which JST funds such as Exploratory Research for Advance Technology (ERATO),Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST) and Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO). JST is the second largest funding institute in Japan following JSPS. This fiscal year JST has a USD 800 million budget and JSPS has USD 1.5 billion. They also talked about the importance of training project evaluators as an integral part of the research granting business. Dr. Zerhouni and the JST officials exchanged views on how to ensure that research funding goes to deserving projects. They shared ideas on how to make adequate funds available for young researchers and how to design programs to identify promising high-risk research. ¶4. Dr. Zerhouni was invited to the JST-NIKKEI Science Symposium on the Future of Medical Science and its Impact on our Lives as a speaker. He made a presentation in the symposium on a vision for transforming medicine in the 21st Century. SCHIEFFER