FY 2022 Follow-up of WPI Program
By Program Committee
March 2023
(This document reports on progress made under the WPI Program in FY 2021.)

A.

Highlights in FY 2022 ....................................................................................... 2
Interim Evaluations of ICReDD and ASHBi ............................................................. 2
Launching three new centers................................................................................ 2

B.
C.
D.
E.
F.

WPI Outline..................................................................................................... 2
WPI Centers .................................................................................................... 2
Follow-up framework ........................................................................................ 5
Future plan of the WPI Program ........................................................................ 7
Follow up on the 2 Centers launched in 2017 ...................................................... 8
I-1. IRCN............................................................................................................ 8
I-2. NanoLSI ..................................................................................................... 11G.

Interim Evaluation of the 2 Centers launched in 2018 ........................................ 14
H-1. ICReDD ..................................................................................................... 14
H-2. ASHBi ....................................................................................................... 17

H.

Follow up on the Centers launched in 2021 ...................................................... 20
H-1. QUP .......................................................................................................... 20

I.
J.

New WPI centers launched in 2022.................................................................. 25
WPI Academy ................................................................................................ 25
K-1. Aims and members ..................................................................................... 25
K-2. Follow-up of the Academy centers ................................................................ 25
K-3. Change of the Director in ELSI, ITbM, and MANA........................................... 25

K.
L.

International mobility of junior researchers with WPI program............................ 26
Branding and outreach ................................................................................... 281

In 2007, the Japanese government launched an ambitious initiative to create globally visible
and internationally open research centers. This program, World Premier International
Research Center Initiative (abbreviated WPI), has, pursuant to the program’s mission statedin 2007, successfully launched 13 centers over the 14-year period from 2007 to 2020. In
2020, a new mission was initiated that advances further the principles of the original WPI
mission. The Launching of centers under the New Mission began in 2021. This 2022 followup report describes notable areas of progress in FY 2021 and new developments in FY 2022.

A. Highlights in FY 2022
Interim Evaluations of ICReDD and ASHBi
FY 2022 marked the 5th year since the launch of ICReDD and ASHBi, which therefore
underwent the Interim Evaluation of the WPI Program. Based on hearings with their directors
and the heads of their host institutions, and reports from the Working groups conveyed by
the Program officers, the Program Committee concluded that both of the centers deserve ascore A. The progress that the two centers are making should enable them to achieve their
WPI mission goals by their continuing current efforts.

Launching three new centers
In 2022, MEXT announced the launch of three new centers under the WPI’s New Mission,
which was formulated in 2020. After a vigorous selection process that ran from February to
September of 2022, the Program Committee selected as the new centers “Premium ResearchInstitute for Human Metaverse Medicine (PRIMe)” at Osaka University, “International
Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (SKCM2)” at Hiroshima University,and “Human Biology-Microbiome-Quantum Research Center (Bio2Q)” at Keio University.

Three centers joining WPI Academy
The three centers which were launched in FY 2012 (IIIS, ELSI, ITbM) completed the 10 year
WPI funding period. All three centers were judged to have achieved the “world premier”
status by the WPI Program Committee in the final evaluation, and have been admitted as
members of WPI Academy.

B. WPI Outline
In 2007, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) launched
the WPI Program aimed at establishing internationally open and globally visible “World
Premium Institutes” in Japan. The background was:-Increasing worldwide competition in generating new research outcomes and in
recruiting talented scientists.
2-Strong need felt for more efficient forms of funding to advance fundamental andinnovative sciences, which are essential to building knowledge-based societies.

-

The advent of research excellence initiatives designed to encourage outstanding
research by providing large-scale and long-term funding.

To sharply focus the aim of the Program, the following Mission was given to the WPI centers.
-

Advancing to the highest pinnacle of globally leading-edge research-

Creating interdisciplinary domains-

Establishing international research environments-

Reforming research organizations

MEXT supports the WPI centers within the following context.
-

Up to ¥700 million a year per center in principle(Up to about ¥1.3 billion a year for centers launched in and before 2010)-

Research money is not included.

-

Support for 10 years (5-year extension is applicable for centers launched in or before
2012)

In 2020, the New Mission, advancing on the principles of the original mission above, wasformulated, namely,World-Leading Scientific Excellence and Recognition-

The Highest Level of Research Impact-

Expanding Knowledge Frontiers through Interdisciplinarity and Diversity

Global Research Environment and System Reform-

Harnessing Talent and Potential through Global Brain Circulation-

Interdisciplinary and Inter-Organizational Capacity Building-

Effective, Proactive and Agile Management

Values for the Future-

Societal Value of Basic Research-

Human Resource Building: Higher Education and Career Development-

Self-Sufficient and Sustainable Center Development

The launching of centers under the New Mission started from 2021. MEXT supports these
WPI centers within the following context.
-

Up to ¥700 million a year per center in principle-

Research money is not included.

-

Support for 10 years

C. WPI Centers3

Nine WPI centers were launched during the first 10 years of the WPI Program.
The first five WPI centers launched in 2007 are now members of the WPI Academy.
-

AIMR on materialse and mathematics, Tohoku University.

-

Kavli IPMU on the origin of Universe, The University of Tokyo.

-

iCeMS on cell biology and materials, Kyoto University-

IFReC on immunology, Osaka University-

MANA on nanoarchitetonics, National Institute for Materials Science

The sixth WPI center was launched under the “green innovation program” in 2010, and it is
now the 6th member of the WPI Academy.
-

I2CNER on energy, Kyushu University

Three WPI centers were launched under the new “WPI Focus” program in focused researchareas in 2012.
-

IIIS on sleep, University of Tsukuba-

ELSI on the origins of Earth and life, Tokyo Institute of Technology-

ITbM on plant/animal biology and chemistry, Nagoya University

In 2017, the 11th year of the WPI Program, two WPI centers were added:-

IRCN on origin of intelligence, The University of Tokyo-

NanoLSI on nano life science, Kanazawa University

In 2018, the 12th year of the WPI Program, two more centers were launched:-

ICReDD on chemistry and information, Hokkaido University-

ASHBi on human biology, Kyoto University

In 2021, the 15th year of the WPI Program, one new center was launched under the New
Mission:-

QUP on measurement science High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK)In 2022, three new centers were launched under the New Mission:-

PRIMe on human metaverse medicine, Osaka University-

SKCM2 on knotted chiral metamatter, Hiroshima University-

Bio2Q on microbiome and quantum computing, Keio University4

As shown above, the sciences explored by the 17 WPI centers extend from Origins of the
Universe, Earth-Life, and Intelligence, Life, Materials/ Energy, and Measurement/Information/ Mathematics.

D. Follow-up framework
The WPI Program carries out a robust follow-up system comprising the international Program
Committee, program director (PD), deputy program director (DPD), program officers (POs),
and working groups (WGs). Since 2017, an academy director (AD), academy officers (AOs),
and Academy working groups (AWGs) have been put in place to oversee the follow-up
activities of the WPI centers that are members of the WPI Academy.
Program Committee
WPI Program committee continued its operation under Dr. HAMAGUCHI without change ofmembers in FY 2022. The Committee members and their affiliations are listed in the following
website:https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-toplevel/07_committee.html
In FY 2022, the Program Committee held meetings on 14-16 September and on 1-2
November. Both meetings were conducted online, the COVID-19 pandemic having made an5in-person gathering difficult. The main items of business on Committee’s agenda in its
September meeting were (1) selection of three new WPI centers, (2) evaluation of ITbM’s
Academy membership, (3) report on WPI Academy centers, and (4) the future of the WPIProgram. In its November meeting, they were (5) Interim Evaluations of two centers (ICReDD
and ASHBi), (6) follow-up reviews of three centers (IRCN, NanoLSI and QUP), and (7) Reporton international mobility of junior researchers and WPI.
PD, DPD, POs and WGs
PD: Dr. UKAWA Akira has been serving as Program Director since April 2017.
DPD: Dr. KAIBUCHI Kozo was appointed as Deputy Program Director in April 2022. Dr.
YOSHIDA Minoru resigned Deputy Program Director at the end of September 2022.
POs: Being experts in the research areas of each center, they chair site visits and prepare
site-visit reports by compiling the comments of the site-visit team members.
WGs: Assembled for each WPI center, these groups principally consist of 3 domestic and 3international experts in areas that cover the center’s activities.
PD, DPD, POs and WG members and their affiliations are listed in the following website:
http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-toplevel/08_followup.html
AD, AOs and AWGs
AD: Dr. UKAWA Akira, Program Director, has been in this position since April 2021.
AOs: Being experts in the research areas of the member centers, they chair site visits andprepare site-visit reports for the Program Committee.
AWGs: Assembled for each WPI center, these groups principally consist of 2 domestic and 1
international expert in areas that cover the center’s activities.
AD and AOs and their affiliations are listed in the following website:
https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-toplevel/18_academy.html
Site Visits
Site visits to the WPI centers receiving ongoing funding were conducted during the period ofJune-September 2022. All the site visits were carried out online due to the continuing COVID19 pandemic. Following the format established in FY 2021, full site visits spanning 2 days
were held online. They had full agendas including presentations by the center directors andthe heads of the host institutions, presentations by the PIs, and poster sessions byresearchers. These full site visits were impactful for the interim evaluations of ICReDD and
ASHBi in their 5th year. The full site-visit agenda was also valuable in carrying out the followup reviews of IRCN and NanoLSI in their 6th year, and of QUP in its 2nd year.
For these five centers, reports on the site visits were submitted to the Program Committee
and disclosed to the respective centers.
6

WPI Academy Site Visits
For the five Academy-member centers (AIMR, iCeMS, IFReC, MANA, and I2CNER), site visitswere held from December 2021 to January 2022. Attended by AD, AO with PD and DPD,
these site visits were carried out online with a duration of about 2 hours. Reports on the site
visits were made to the Program Committee in its September meeting by AD.

E. Future plan of the WPI Program
In this year’s January meeting of the Program Committee, Mr. NISHIYAMA Takashi, Directorof Basic and Generic Research Division of Research Promotion Bureau of MEXT, presented
MEXT’s plan for new WPI centers in FY 2023. WPI CORE (Phased growth), a new supporting
system will be introduced to promote a stepwise center building with requests of about 70%of the current WPI requirements for the first stage of the center project. For pioneering new
domains of basic science via Japan’s lead, two new centers in WPI CORE or one new center
proposed under the solid alliance of plural host institutions will be adopted.

7

F. Follow up on the 2 Centers launched in 2017
F-1. IRCN
Center director: Takao HENSCH
Program officer: MISHINA Masayoshi, Ritsumeikan University
1. Advancing research of the highest global level
IRCN is tackling challenging questions on how human intelligence (HI) arises by
establishing principles of brain development, unraveling the etiology and treatment of
mental disorders, and innovating neuro-inspired artificial intelligence (AI).
Researchers in IRCN have discovered new principles in neural communication, critical
period shaping, and hierarchical network development, which have been published inhigh impact journals. Interdisciplinary collaborations stimulated by the center’s teamscience strategy have produced exciting advances in the understanding of brain
functions and mental disorders.
However, it was not clear how far the research has progressed toward innovating neuroinspired AI and answering how human intelligence arises. The center director’s report
should address the overall status and dynamics of IRCN, not just individual teamsuccesses, and what progress has been made toward becoming an international
research hub.

bottom-up?

at birth

parallelRecent highlight. Hierarchical layered
architecture is a hallmark of both human andartificial deep neural networks. These
structures were long thought to develop
sequentially from the bottom-up. In 2022,
IRCN PI Kenichi Ohki and colleagues revealed
that multiple visually-related cortical areas in
the mouse brain are constructed in a parallel,
modular manner. This groundbreaking
discovery revolutionizes both ourunderstanding of early blindness andbiologically-inspired generalizable artificial
intelligence. The research results were
published online in the British scientific journal

adulthood

2. Implementation as a WPI center
Generating fused disciplines:
The center’s bottom-up team-science strategy has strongly stimulated interdisciplinary
8

collaborations among developmental neuroscience, clinical and computation groups.
The original 14 research teams were fused down to 5 teams in order to sharpen thecenter’s focus. The work of these 5 teams is advanced by combining them with 3
perpendicularmissionstoamatrix

as

‘an

AI

incubator’forinnovatingneurodevelopmental AI.
Realizing an international research environment:
IRCN has established a rich international network with 16 institutes. The centerpromoted an international environment through online events in English while thepandemic unfortunately limited travel and in-person events. The center held 46
International Science Salon seminars with 24 of 46 speakers being from international
locations. IRCN also organized a New Horizons in Computation Workshop and coorganized the 6th Japan-US Science Forum.
Making organizational reforms:
Director Hensch governs IRCN via consultation with IRCN’s Executive Board andSteering Committee. In April of 2021, a new administrative director (AD), Dr. Nobukazu
Toge, and a Special Adviser to the Director (SAD), Dr. Masamitsu Iino, were added tostrengthen center management. IRCN enlisted 47 Affiliated Faculty members and 17
Associate Research Fellows to involve PIs from other UTokyo campuses and otherinstitutes in Japan and worldwide. The 5 Core Facilities continue to provide professionaland state-of-the-art research services. The impact of IRCN on UTokyo system reform
needs to be addressed in more detail.
Effort to secure the center’s future development over the mid- to long-term:
The center is committed to advancing Team Science as its main engine for achieving a
deeper integration of brain development principles with clinical research and forinnovating neuro-inspired AI. For funding, IRCN has initiated discussions with a wide
range of candidate sponsors and partners. UTokyo has launched a university-wide
working group to design the future of IRCN as a permanent entity within the university.
However, the plan for a new building is elusive.
Center’s response to the follow-up results of last year:
IRCN advanced its team science strategy to a matrix by combining 5 selected teams
with 3 perpendicular missions so as to sharpen its focus on ensuring excellence andimpact. The center employs the matrix as ‘an AI incubator’ for innovatingneurodevelopmental AI. The center’s PIs are eligible to give lecture courses in Graduate
Schools across UTokyo, and IRCN has continued its membership in the MEXT WISE
9

Graduate Program. UTokyo has launched a university-wide working group to design the
future of IRCN as a permanent entity within the university.
3. Actions required and recommendations
1) IRCN should strengthen the computation group by recruiting more PIs and leading
researchers in the field as affiliated faculty or advisors.
2) IRCN should present concrete milestones toward unravelling the etiology andtreatment of mental disorders and toward innovating neuro-inspired AI based on theprinciples of brain development. The center should clearly define questions regarding
the origin of HI to be solved during the WPI funding period.
3) IRCN should overcome significant challenges stemming from the Director being stuckoverseas throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Strong leadership of the Director isneeded to innovate neuro-inspired AI and to answer the important question of how
human intelligence arises by integrating individual research teams.
4) The impact of IRCN on UTokyo reform should be addressed.
5) UTokyo should present a concrete plan of a new building to establish IRCN as anautonomous institute at UTokyo. The UTokyo working group on the future of IRCN
should present an interim report by next year’s site visit. The report should include
a plan for an IRCN graduate program to foster young scientists.

10F-2. NanoLSI
Center director: FUKUMA Takeshi
Program officer: NAKANO Akihiko, RIKEN
1. Advancing research of the highest global level
NanoLSI is continuing its excellent activities in science. World top-class Bio-SPM
technologies are utilized to visualize nano-scale structures and dynamics of living cells
and their inside in vivo and of molecules in vitro. The effects of probe insertion into cells
have been carefully examined by calcium ion response. Through collaboration between
Bio-SPM and supramolecular chemistry, molecular sensors designed to measure cellular
substances have been improved for sensitivity and selectivity. The advantage of AFM in
measuring the elasticity of membranes has led to very interesting findings regarding
opposite softening and stiffening of the plasma membrane and the nuclear envelope
during metastatic cancer progression. Applications to nanoscale particles such as
exosomes and viruses also look interesting. Emerging publications of high-impact papers

Recent highlight We developed a method to simultaneously measure dynamic changes in topography
and mechanical properties of living cells based on our high-speed scanning ion conductance microscopy(HS-SICM) technique. We applied this technique to genotype-defined mouse intestinal tumor-derived cells
to investigate the relationships between gene mutations and colon cancer phenotypes. (a) Mapping of
topography and inverse elastic modulus in the respective genotype cells. (b) Averaged-inverse elastic
modulus (IE) of the representative genotype cells. (c) 3D representation of physical properties, such as IE,
surface roughness, and the volume change. (d) The principal component analysis using the gene
expression data of organoid cells for the representative genotype cells.
Wang et. al., Biomaterials (2022), vol.280, DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.121256

11

on proof-of-concept and technology development are impressive. The research activities
of NanoLSI and their applicability to many problems are now being observed with keeninterests by researchers from a variety of life science fields.
2. Implementation as a WPI center
Generating fused disciplines:
Various efforts have been made to promote interdisciplinary research. Three priority
research themes have been set by the future planning board and will be promoted withincentives. Bottom-up proposals from young researchers are also supported by apromotion grant. T-meetings between pairs of research teams with different disciplines
have been quite helpful in promoting the fusion of disciplines at the Center.
Realizing an international research environment:
Among the publications over the past five years, 46% were internationally co-authoredpapers. T-meetings have now been extended to include overseas PI groups. A new
overseas PI, Professor Carsten Beta from the University of Potsdam, Germany, has been
appointed. Dr. Hanae Sato from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY, USA, has been
appointed as a new Associate PI at NanoLSI.
Making organizational reforms:
NanoLSI is already recognized as an independent research institute within Kanazawa
University and has made many successful efforts toward organizational reforms.
Tenured and tenure-track positions of PIs and junior PIs have been confirmed and themaintenance of Center’s administrative office has been secured.
Effort to secure the center’s future development over the mid- to long-term:
The new president of Kanazawa University, Takashi Wada, promised to continue strong
support for NanoLSI. Kanazawa University will increase its budget for maintenance of
the NanoLSI building. NanoLSI continues to acquire increasing amounts of externalfunds, which will be a strong base for securing the Center’s future.
Center’s response to the follow-up results of last year:
NanoLSI has responded to the previous year’s follow-up review very sincerely. Among
its responses, NanoLSI updated 6 nanotechnology and 7 life science roadmaps andclarified major challenges. To increase female scientists, especially at the PI level,
NanoLSI appointed Dr. Hanae Sato from the USA as a new Associate PI. The ratio of
female researchers at NanoLSI has been continuously increasing and will exceed 20%
in 2023 as planned. Advancing Bio-SPM technology itself has been and will be very
12

seriously pursued and is now explicitly indicated in the project map.
3. Actions required and recommendations
Every effort that NanoLSI is currently making appears to be in good shape and isstrongly encouraged to continue. It is very good to hear the strong commitment of
support from Prof. Wada, the new president of Kanazawa University. Center director
Fukuma has slightly changed gears to a more top-down governance so as to support
mission-oriented research subjects, which will be important to achieve the Center’s final
goals. At the same time, bottom-up research activities emerging from young
researchers will also be extremely useful in producing unexpected cutting-edges in“Nanoprobe Life Science.” The leadership of the director in balancing the top-down andbottom-up trajectories will be very much appreciated. Strategic approaches to involve
more early-stage students and female researchers should be continued. In the future,
it will also be good to see industry collaborations and perhaps an expansion to nonbiological sciences.

13

G. Interim Evaluation of the 2 Centers launched in 2018
G-1. ICReDD
Center director: MAEDA Satoshi
Program officer: TATSUMI Kazuyuki, Nagoya University
Interim Evaluation Score:A

The scientific accomplishments made by ICReDD based on multi-disciplinary collaboration
across theoretical chemistry, synthetic chemistry, and more recently information science, areevaluated as outstanding. Internationalization is boosted by many researchers from abroad
as well as by active participation of eminent foreign PIs, though more proactive effort isneeded to increase female scientists. The occurrence of scientific misconduct is serious,
lowering the reputation and evaluation of ICReDD. It causes a need for implementing athorough investigation and robust reforms to establish a healthy research culture.
A. Advancing the establishment of the center
1. Science level
ICReDD has made significant progress in advancing research on chemical reactions in past
years. The quality and the volume of its publications are impressive. Collaborative efforts,
primarily those of theoretical chemists and synthetic chemists, have been very successful,and they have created a new paradigm for reaction discovery and expanded the scope ofdesigning chemical reactions. The seven Flagship Projects have been set as a powerfuldriver for research focus, methodological advances and validated reaction discoveries.
Bottom-up projects have been proposed and organized by young members, and are nicelycomplementary to the top-down Flagship Projects.

Recent highlight[Left] In silico reaction screening with difluorocarbene for N-difluoroalkylative
dearomatization of pyridines (Nat. Synth. 2022. DOI: 10.1038/s44160-022-00128-y)[Right] A theory-driven synthesis of symmetric and unsymmetric 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane
analogues via radical difunctionalization of ethylene (Nat. Commun. 2022. DOI:10.1038/s41467-02234546-5)

14

2. Implementation as a WPI center
Interdisciplinary research activities:
ICReDD has been conducting research through collaborative efforts across different
disciplines in theoretical chemistry, synthetic chemistry, and information science. Following
the strong collaboration between theoretical chemists and synthetic chemists, information
scientists have accelerated their contribution to ICReDD, strengthening the collaborative
capacity of the institute. The fusion of computational and information science has resulted
in the AFIR Database, called SCAN.
Globalization of the institution:
The institute is developing its global plan, and as of July 2022, 42% of researchers areforeign nationals. The active participation of Prof. Benjamin List, a Nobel Prize winner in
2021, who is well aligned with Director Maeda on the vision and objectives of ICReDD, isan advantage not only for the Center’s research activity but also for its international
reputation as an institute.
Organizational reform:
The governance of ICReDD has been steadily strengthened with Prof. Ishimori becoming
its Administrative Director, who provides significant management help for Director Maeda.
Newly appointed President Houkin of Hokkaido University has been very enthusiastic inpromoting the activity of ICReDD. Five junior researcher positions, 4 junior PI positions
and 1 assistant professor position have recently been provided by the University.
ICReDD continues to have a lamentable paucity of female scientists in the institute (15%).
Although significant efforts have been made to change this environment, such as theimplementation of additional female-only posts (two out of the five Tenure-Track juniorpositions), ICReDD may need to be more proactive in directly recruiting from outside rather
than focusing on time-consuming internal promotion.
Future prospects of the centers’ project:
It will be particularly important in the Center’s second five-year plan to capitalize on
existing success but also to reinvent and expand into new areas of potentially high futurescientific impact. To achieve this in the second half of its funding period, ICReDD will needto set clear goals/targets and a roadmap.
The occurrence of scientific misconduct at ICReDD is an unfortunate development not only
for its reputation but also in terms of the advancement of science. The facts and causesof this incident need to be thoroughly investigated. Robust reforms need to be
implemented systematically to ensure a healthy research culture and governance15

throughout the university. Hokkaido University is asked to submit an official report to the
WPI Program Committee on the findings of its investigation and on measures that it takes
to prevent reoccurrences.
B. Host institution’s concrete action plan toward making its center anautonomous research institute in the second half of the grant period(from the 6th year of the center’s operation)
Hokkaido University has presented a strong and concrete support plan for the future of
ICReDD, in which the center is envisaged to become a special research organization within
the University. The research space will be expanded from 2,600m2 in July 2022 to 8,100m2
in March 2023, including a new building of 5500 m2 which features a “Super Mix-lab”.
The initiative to establish the “List DX Catalyst Collaboration Research Platform” is underway
within the framework of ICReDD. This is a very welcome boost to the visibility of ICReDD
within the world.
Advice/recommendations(Including opinions on host institution’s plan toward a sustainable Center)1) ICReDD needs to set explicitly its goals and roadmaps for the Flagship Projects and thebottom-up projects. What has been achieved in the last 5 years and what is expected in
the 2nd half of the funding period should be clearly articulated.
2) To elucidate the nature of the cancer stem cells that ICReDD has derived from theirinteractions with hydrogels, closer collaborations with experts in fundamental cancer
biology and pathology are needed.
3) In its support plan, Hokkaido University should make clear whether the 10 senior PI
positions belong to ICReDD.
4) ICReDD needs to provide a clear strategy for balancing academic leadership withresponsiveness to industry and commercialization opportunities. It is important for theCenter to show that it has a strategy for maximizing its impact—both in terms of theacademic world and in practical terms.
5) Hokkaido University is asked to submit an official report to the WPI Program Committee
on the findings of its investigation on the scientific misconduct that occurred at ICReDD
and on the reforms that the university will undertake to prevent reoccurrences.

16G-2. ASHBi
Center director: SAITOU Mitinori
Program officer: OKANO Hideyuki, Keio University
Interim Evaluation Score:A

ASHBi's sincere pursuit of what makes us human is overall highly evaluated. The level ofscience conducted at ASHBi is very high. Its fusion research and ratio of foreign researchers
also show that the Center’s efforts are yielding very good results. On the other hand, there
is serious need for accelerated synthesis and coherence in ASHBi’s research aligned with its
goal of answering what key biological traits make us human. Also, its contribution to theorganizational reform of the university should be addressed.
A. Advancing the establishment of the center
1. Science level
ASHBi is investigating the fundamental concept of human biology focusing on genome
regulation and disease modeling, while creating a foundation of knowledge for developing
innovative therapies. Over the past four years, ASHBi has produced more than 200 WPI
papers with very high impact. The high level of research is well illustrated by Director
Saitou’s list of representative research results. Looking toward the second half of the WPIfunding period, the biggest concern is the need for accelerated synthesis and coherencein ASHBi’s research aligned with its goal of answering what key biological traits make us
human. Among the critiques of the Center’s project are that ASHBi’s research is excellent
but is a collection of research from different fields and does not seem to be fully addressing
the center’s fundamental question of what makes us “human,” and that, in particular, ASHBi
should strengthen a genomic anthropological approach.

Recent highlight
Reconstituting the human somites
in a dish (Alev G, Nature, 2022)

17

2. Implementation as a WPI center
Interdisciplinary research activities:
The fusion of biology and mathematics is making steady progress at ASHBi. Their activities
have led to the development of advanced novel algorithms, including RECODE for noise
reduction in scRNA-seq analysis and several others relevant to biological data analysis.
Regarding the fusion of bioethics and life science, the ASHBi bioethics group is to prioritize
ethical considerations regarding “in vitro generation of oocytes and embryos” and “human
fetal tissue and early postmortem tissue”, which will garner much greater attention andinterest.
Globalization of the institution:
Diversity in ASHBi has been advanced by the strategic recruitment of two young foreign
PIs and by the promotion of foreign postdocs through the ASHBi Foreign/Female
Researcher Employment Support Program. However, it is pointed out that the number offoreign and female researchers is low at the higher levels and high at the lower levels.
Organizational reform:
The Research Acceleration Unit is functioning very well in providing research support. On
the other hand, unfortunately, there is no indication of efforts being made to change thesystem or culture of the host institution.
Future prospects of the center’s project:
ASHBi needs to align its power toward strategically advancing research with its vision“What makes us human?” The Flagship Project is a crucial vehicle for achieving thispurpose, and it should be pushed ahead with the utmost effort by all ASHBi’s researchers.
B. Host institution’s concrete action plan toward making the center anautonomous research institute in the second half of the grant period(from the 6th year of the center’s operation)
The Host institution will give 3 additional tenure positions to ASHBi by 2024. Approximately
90% of ASHBi’s minimum required budget will be covered by the host institution. These
points are highly commendable. However, the following points need to be clarified. (1)Positions of senior PIs forming the core of ASHBi should be transferred to the Center as anautonomous research institute. (2) Funding support from the host institution should be
provided independently of the external funding acquired by ASHBi. (3) The center’s
administration, including its Research Acceleration Unit, is a crucial component of the ASHBi
organization. Kyoto University should guarantee its support after the WPI funding ends.

18

Advice/recommendations(Including opinions on the host institution’s plan toward a sustainable Center)1) Accelerating the synthesis and coherence of research that is strategically aligned with
ASHBi’s founding vision should be the Center’s top priority. Utmost effort needs to bemade to execute the Flagship Projects from this point of view. The five flagship projects
should be more cohesively correlated so that they do not appear to be a collection ofresearch from different fields. Clear goals and milestones need to be set for the successful
completion of the project in order to effectively address ASHBi’s fundamental question ofwhat makes us “human.”
2) For ASHBi to become a true international hub for human biology, it would be advisable
for it to increase the number of its foreign and female PIs and also its junior researchers
including postdocs.
3) Kyoto University should clarify the following points in its support plan; (i) Transferring
senior PI positions to ASHBi so that its core researchers can be sustainably maintained
after the WPI funding ends, (ii) Maintaining the center’s administration, including its
Research Acceleration Unit, after the WPI funding ends, and (iii) Effort to be made tochange the system and culture of the host institution, rather than just maintaining ASHBi
after the WPI funding ends.

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H. Follow up on the Centers launched in 2021
H-1. QUP
Center director: HAZUMI Masashi
Program officer: TSUNETA Saku, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
1. Efforts to improve points indicated as requiring improvement in application
review and results of such efforts
The very ambitious goal of creating a world research hub focused on developing novel
detection systems relevant for the future of particle physics and cosmology, thereby adding
new values to the already well established KEK, was the key to the acceptance of QUP asa WPI center. It is utterly disappointing that there has been nothing to show clear
development toward this goal since last year. QUP needs to be far more aggressive indeveloping specific and clear strategies for achieving the overall WPI goals (world-classscience, a global research environment for interdisciplinary research, system reform of thehost institution, and the providing of value to society), all of which remain unclear andunderdeveloped.
KEK’s statement that it needs to review QUP’s progress before committing its support fora permanent center is almost counter to the condition for QUP’s selection. KEK must makea definitive statement on its policy and plan for making QUP a permanent and sustained
institute within KEK.
2. Implementation as a WPI center(1) World-Leading Scientific Excellence and Recognition
Advancing research of the highest global level:
Establishing world-visible Flagship Projects is the first and critical step for QUP. Its progressin this regard is very slow and disappointing.
The first Flagship Project is the development of TES (Superconducting Transition Edge
Sensor) focal plane detector system for the LiteBIRD mission of JAXA. This is a suitableproject for QUP. However, the scope of the project has to be clarified in terms of thedelivery of the flight TES detector system to JAXA and the funding to build the flight system.
The second Flagship Project is the forthcoming Project Q. It is worrying that this project isstill undefined. It is also disappointing that there were no new ideas about new sensors
discussed. Director Hazumi and all the PIs should engage in intense discussions toformulate a project plan so that they all share QUP’s vision and actively participate increating the science aimed at by QUP. Identification of actual projects has to be done
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immediately, well before the proposed schedule of FY 2024.
While emphasized as a unique concept of QUP, Systemology continues to be vague inconcept and implementation with no demonstrable applicability or new added value.
The problem setting for the proposed “Feeling Beauty in Physics” with neuroaesthetics isvery ambiguous. It is unlikely that meaningful research is possible on brain functions
behind beauty recognition.
PI-led projects are a mere collection of each PI’s research projects. To support them as
QUP projects, they will need to be evaluated as to whether they have enough significanceand novelty in line with QUP’s vision. PI-led projects with sufficient merit for QUP
implementation should be promoted to Flagship Projects and be provided with personnel
and funding resources.

Recent highlight The optical transition edge sensor (TES) can measure the energy of a sub-eV
photon. This device can be a new eye for application to dark matter searches. This year, we achieved
an energy resolution of 67meV, as shown in the figure. It is the highest absolute energy resolution
among TES calorimeters. (K. Hattori et al. Supercond. Sci. Technol. 35 (2022) 095002)

Generating fused disciplines:
QUP can be a fruitful platform upon which new ideas and efforts for quantum-sensor
developments merge and grow through Systemology. To realize this, connecting individual
PI-led investigations by QUP leadership will be important. It is also critical that strong
interactions continuously take place among the various groups or clusters. The benefit of
implementing the Toyota satellite is unclear, as is the application of Casimir force
technology.
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(2) Global Research Environment and System Reform
Realizing an international research environment:
In order to realize a truly international environment, more than one third of all QUP
scientific staffs should be non-Japanese. A more permanent physical presence of PIs fromabroad, as well as rotation of staffs (at the working level, not just PIs) among satellites
and the Center is required.
For initiating new developments, new additional PIs should be appointed, preferably fromabroad, who can always stay at QUP.
Formal establishment of the Berkeley satellite should be done quickly so that young
students and postdocs can be dispatched to it from QUP.
Making organizational reforms:
KEK has instituted changes so that QUP can operate as an autonomous institute within its
organization. Specifically, top-down management by Center Director Hazumi allows
researcher hiring and funding allocation within QUP to be decided by the Director. However,institutional commitment for making these reforms permanent is lacking.
(3) Values for the future
Societal Value of Basic Research:
QUP’s plan is very thin on how it creates values for society or how it conveys its researchoutcomes to society. In this regard, QUP should have had a kickoff symposium. It would
have been an ideal arena to advertise the creation of this new institute and its goals,
especially regarding the societal values of basic research.
Human resource building: higher education and career development:
Although the Center is planning to create a program for inviting graduate students startingfrom FY 2023, its size and contents are still unclear. Marketing of the postdoc training
program also seems weak. It will also be important to work out concrete ways in which
the postdoc training will synergize with QUP research. It would be good to see a moreaggressive approach toward reaching out to graduate students as well as postdocs,
perhaps with internship-type programs.
Self-sufficient and sustainable center development:
Program Committee explicitly pointed out that “KEK should provide a concrete plan forsupporting QUP.” In response KEK stated that it needs to review how QUP will contributeto KEK’s overall value before committing itself beyond the WPI funding period. This attitude
of “wait and see how well QUP delivers” is a clear contradiction to the obligation of the22host institution to help develop QUP toward becoming a sustainable institution. KEK must
present a plan for sustainability now so as to show its commitment to the successful
execution of the QUP grant.

３．Actions required and recommendations
QUP must develop specific and clear strategies for achieving the overall WPI goals (worldclass science, a global research environment for interdisciplinary research, system reformof the host institution, and the providing of value to society). KEK must make a definitive
statement on its policy and plan for making QUP a permanent and sustained institutewithin KEK beyond the WPI funding period. If these requirements are not satisfactorily
met, QUP is in serious danger of getting stranded before it has really started.
Specific recommendations are as follows:
1) Concrete identification of the actual Project Q should be done immediately. This effort
should be led by QUP leadership and with the full participation of all the PIs. This willbe critically important for interconnecting individual PIs and sharing QUP’s vision,
while alleviating the danger of devolving into an ongoing development of detectors
and sensors.
2) PI-led projects are a mere collection of each PI’s research projects. To support themas QUP projects, they will need to be evaluated according to their significance andnovelty in line with QUP’s vision. Those with sufficient merit should be promoted to
Flagship Projects and be provided with personnel and funding resources.
3) The scope of the Flagship Project to develop a TES detector for the LiteBIRD mission
should be clarified in terms of the demarcation point of responsibility between thebasic development of the TES detector system and the delivery of the flight TES
detector system to JAXA.
4) The Systemology project must be concrete in its design and schedule. The buildup of
the Systemology Support Section, including the appointment of the section leader andstaffs, must be expedited.
5) The “Beauty in Physics” project is unlikely to generate the highest quality-level ofscientific results in its present form.
6) Formal establishment of the Berkeley satellite should be done immediately to attract
young students and postdocs.
7) Efforts should be made to recruit additional PIs from abroad who can always stay at
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QUP.
8) An aggressive plan is urgently needed for reaching out to graduate students as wellas postdocs.
9) KEK Director General should clarify KEK’s policy and support plan for making QUP asustainable institute beyond the WPI funding period. The support plan should include
the provision of PI positions and a new building that is well designed for QUP
researchers to gather under one roof.

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I. New WPI centers launched in 2022
In February 2022, MEXT invited proposals for three new WPI center to be launched in 2022.
Carrying out a vigorous three steps selection procedure, the WPI Program Committee
selected in its September meeting the centers “Premium Research Institute for Human
Metaverse Medicine (PRIMe)” at Osaka University, “International Institute for Sustainability
with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (SKCM2)” at Hiroshima University, and “Human BiologyMicrobiome-Quantum Research Center (Bio2Q)” at Keio University.
Headed by NISHIDA Koji, PRIMe aims to pioneer the field of “Human metaverse medicine”
which uses human biodigital twin for understanding and treating human deseases throughfusion of human organoid biomedical science and information and mathematical science.
Headed by Ivan Smalyukh, SKCM2 aims to create a novel paradigm of materials based on
knotted chiral meta matter, bringing new understandings on the natural laws on matter andcreating novel materials with properties needed for sustainability.
Headed by HONDA Kenya, Bio2Q combines multi-organ analysis data and microbiota data
related to various human diseases, development and aging with artificial intelligence andquantum computing to deepen the understanding of the mechanisms involved in maintaining
human health.

J. WPI Academy
J-1. Aims and members
Concurrent with the end of the 10-year support period for the initially established five WPIcenters, a WPI Academy was launched by MEXT in 2017. Its aim is to enhance and amplify
the WPI brand and to play a vanguard role in internationalizing and reforming Japan’s
research environment by leveraging the WPI achievements attained so far.
Academy membership requires certification by the WPI Program Committee that a centerhas achieved “world premier” status. Centers, then, need to be recertified every 3 to 4
years by the WPI Program Committee, which determines whether they have maintained
their “world premier” status.
Currently, the WPI Academy centers are: AIMR, iCeMS, IFReC and MANA from FY 2017
and recertified in FY2020, I2CNER from FY 2020, Kavli IPMU from FY 2017 and recertified
in FY 2021 at its final evaluation, and IIIS, ELSI and ITbM since FY 2022.

J-2. New members of WPI Academy
IIIS and ELSI joined the WPI Academy as of 1 April 2022, having been certified to have25

achieved “world premier” status in their final evaluation in FY 2021, and admitted by ameeting of domestic members of the WPI Program Committee in January 2022.
ITbM was also certified to have achieved “world premier” status in FY 2021 in its final
evaluation. However, because of the research misconduct that occurred at ITbM, the WPIProgram Committee determined that it was necessary to receive another report on efforts
to prevent recurrence of research misconduct at Nagoya University and ITbM. As a resultof receiving a report again at the Program Committee in September 2022, ITbM wasapproved as a WPI Academy center from October 1, 2022.

J-3. Change of the Director in ELSI and ITbM
Toward their final evaluation in FY 2021, Tokyo Institute of Technology, the host institutionof ELSI, proposed a change of the center director from Dr. HIROSE Kei to Dr. SEKINE
Yasuhito. Following the procedure for changing WPI center directors, a pre-evaluation by
the PD and DPD was conducted on 26 April 2021, a hearing by the Working Group at itssite visit on 24 June 2021 and a hearing by the Program Committee on 17 November 2021.
The change was approved and Dr. SEKINE started his directorship on 1 April 2022.
Dr. SEKINE is an excellent planetary scientist, well-known for his research on the chemical
evolution and material cycle of planets’ atmospheres and oceans that nurtures life. Dr.
SEKINE is the right person to lead ELSI from the theme of Life on Earth into its next phaseof Life on Planets.
Nagoya University, the host institution of ITbM, proposed a change of the center director
from Dr. ITAMI Kenichiro to Dr. YOSHIMURA Takashi. A pre-evaluation by PD and DPD was
conducted on 28 February 2022, a hearing by the Working Group on 8 March 2022 and ahearing by the Program Committee on 23 March 2022. The change was approved and Dr.
YOSHIMURA started his directorship on 1 April 2022.
Dr. YOSHIMURA is a world leading biologist in the field of animal chronobiology. Hisleadership from the biology side should work well for ITbM to move forward further
maximizing the power of chemistry to create transformative bio-molecules.

J-4. Follow-up of the Academy centers
Follow-up of 5 WPI Academy centers, AIMR, iCeMS, IFReC, MANA, and I2CNER for theperiod of FY 2020 was conducted from December 2021 to February 2022. The findings
were reported at the September meeting of the WPI Program Committee.
AIMR
Research activity continued at a high level, with focus on the three Advanced Target
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Projects, which resulted in many publications in high impact journals. The ratio of female
scientists, which was 5% in 2018, has improved to 15%. The international circulation ofjunior researchers was kept active even under the COVID-19 pandemic using a new“Remote Funding” scheme implemented by Tohoku University. Outreach to students andindustry were made through G-RIPS (Graduate-level Research in Industrial Projects forStudents) Program. Tohoku University continued its strong support to AIMR in terms ofresearcher positions, funding, and infrastructure costs.
iCeMS
Robust research activity continued including fusion research with emphasis on themes
related to human health. The number of publications increased in 2020. The international
activity was expanded by adding 2 more On-Site Laboratories (Singapore and New
Zealand) in addition to the already existing 4 (Thai, USA, Taiwan, China). Active outreachactivities included a web site renewal and a special page for On-Site Laboratories. iCeMS
is the founding institute of KUIAS (Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study), and 2
young researcher positions have been added to iCeMS.
IFReC
World top-level research was continued with many papers in high impact journals, keeping
the world top-rank status of IFReC in immunology. Nurturing of next-generation leaders
was made through the “Young Lead Researcher Program”, and the “Advanced Postdoc
Program” attracted many excellent junior researchers from abroad (12 hired since 2017).
The outreach activities include publication of “Imuneco” for general public and“Immunology Map” for children. Funding is in very good shape with the “Inclusive
Collaborative Agreement” with Chugai Ltd. and Otsuka Ltd., and collaborative researchfunding generated from them.
MANA“Quantum Material Project” was established with the change of Director to TANIGUCHI.
Fusion research was advanced through funding from Director General of NIMS.
Publication record continued to be high in quality and quantity. “MANA Virtual City ofWorkshops” was held as a new online workshop scheme under COVID-19 pandemic.
Active international collaboration continued using 7 satellites. E-bulletin distributed
through Kyodo Tsushin successfully reached many audiences. Strong support from NIMS
continued as its division for basic research in material science with full support of 90
positions and significant research funding.
I2CNER27

After transitioning to a member of WPI Academy, the research strength was kept at an
80% level in terms of the overall number of personnel; all PIs are kept, and postdocs are
increasing after an initial decrease. “International Collaboration Hub” was set up as aplatform for international exchange. A number of international symposia including theannual I2CNER symposium were held despite COVID-19 pandemic. Support from Kyushu
University continued strong in terms of researcher positions (12 tenure positions),
research funding, and infrastructure costs.

K. International mobility of junior researchers with WPI program
In 2021, the WPI Center in JSPS conducted a survey in order to (i) grasp the state ofinternational mobility of junior researchers through the WPI Program, and (ii) grasp the
impact of WPI experience on their research and careers.
Junior researchers are defined as postdocs or assistant professors. For those who held theposition at WPI centers at any time between 2012 and 2016, web-based search was
conducted to collect their affiliations and positions during their 13-year career from 2008 to
2020. An additional web-based search was carried out for their publication records.
The main findings are: (i) WPI centers are functioning well as international hubs of circulationof junior researchers for Japan. (ii) Many junior researchers came from, and went on to,world top-level universities and research institutions via WPI centers. (iii) Junior researchers
who came to WPI centers were of high quality in science, and they continued to excel after
leaving the WPI centers authoring high quality publications in terms of citation metrics. (iv)
Junior researchers steadily elevated their positions through their WPI experience, with about
1/3 securing associate professor or professor position after a decade.

L. Branding and outreach28

Due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, online gatherings continue to be the main
mechanism for much of the WPI’s branding and outreach activities this year.
In December 2022, the 11th WPI Science Symposium was held in Tokyo on the theme“Possibilities opened by science is infinite.” IRCN of the University of Tokyo led in organizing
the symposium. The symposium was held in a hybrid fashion: 51 attended the symposiumin person and 233 through internet.

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