Press Release #1664
January 25, 2024
Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)5-3, Yonbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8666
JST and NRC (Canada) jointly fund three research projects in the AI-based solutions
for well-being, better living environments, and social connection for aging
populations fields under the SICORP framework
The Japan Science and Technology Agency (HASHIMOTO Kazuhito, President) has
approved funding for three new joint research projects in the research field of “AI-based
solutions for well-being, better living environments, and social connection for aging
populations” under the Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (SICORP)*1
program (Attachment 1).
JST and NRC*2 jointly called for proposals from October 2022 to April 2023 and received a
total of eight proposals. Three projects were selected after evaluation by a panel of experts
in both countries and a joint review (Attachment 3). The projects started from November
2023, and follow the Japan-Canada 2x3 international academia-industry framework with apredicted research period of three years (36 months).
*1 Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (SICORP):
https://www.jst.go.jp/inter/english/index.html*2 NRC: National Research Council Canada
https://nrc.canada.ca/en
Attachments
1. Abstracts of selected projects
2. Abstract of the joint call for proposals
3. Experts for the evaluation (Japan side)
Enquiries
Department of International Affairs, JST
K's Gobancho, 7 Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0076
SUGAWARA Masae
Tel: +81-3-5214-7375 Fax: +81-3-5214-7379
E-mail: jointca[at]jst.go.jp

1Attachment 1
Abstracts of selected projects

Title(Abbreviated Title)

Principal
Investigator(Japan side)
Principal
Investigator(Canadaside)

Position andInstitutionITO Takayuki

Professor,

The purpose of this project is to develop a(Academia)

Graduate

prototype monitoring and management

School ofplatform that will enhance physical andInformatics,

mental behaviors of elderly individuals inKyoto

their homes using electrical devices andUniversity

information communication devices by a

Research Abstract

collaborative effort.

1

FureAI: An
Implementationof an Elders’
Living Support
System basedon Social
Conversational
Agents andSmart Activity
Monitoring(FureAI)

KUWAHARA

President,

The Japanese team will concentrate onHideto

AGREEBIT,

monitoring mental behavior, using AI-(Industry)Inc.

assisted

informationcommunications,while the Canadian team will focus ondeveloping method which support physicalShichao LIU

Associate(Academia)

Professor,

behavior

monitoring

using

AI-assisted

electric appliances.

Department ofElectronics,
CarletonThis

project

comprehensive

tocreatemonitoring

aandmanagement platform that will help elderlyindividuals

University

aims

live

independently

andcomfortably in their own homes.
Specifically, by establishing their social

Alan RUTH

President,(Industry)

GRTHealthInc.

connections, providing personal AI agents,
and providing personalized feedback andinteraction, which improve their physicalChungheng

PrincipalandYANG

Researchpersonalized feedback and interaction.

(NRC)

Scientist,
DigitalTechnologies
ResearchCenter2

mentalwell-being

throughEBIHARA

Professor,

The purpose of this project is to develop aSatoru

Department ofDigital(Academia)Internal

Assessment at Home (D-CGA@home) that

Medicine

performs remote digital transformation andandAI analysis of Comprehensive GeriatricRehabilitation

Assessment

Science,conducted by outpatient interviews.

Graduate

The Canadian team has a number of

School of

remote monitoring devices to be integrated

Medicine,

into D-CGA@home to collect data onTohoku

functional information for the elderly at

Universityhome.

Comprehensive(CGA),

which

Geriatric

hasbeenAt the same time as providing the device,

2Development ofDigital
Comprehensive
Geriatric
Assessment at
Home (DCGA@home)
to Support
Advanced
Telemedicine

SAKAI

President,

the Japanese team will use AI to automate

Fuminori

Sakura Tech

the data analysis of D-CGA@home and(Industry)Corp.

buildShannon

Associate

comprehensive analysis platform.

FREEMAN

Professor,

Joint development of D-CGA@home by(Academia)

School ofteams from both countries will enable real-Nursing,time remote comprehensive evaluation ofUniversity ofthe elderly and appropriate AI-based care

Northplan drafting.

BritishColumbia
JordanCEO,

SCHLEY

Care2Talk(Industry)
HeleneResearch

FOURNIER

Officer,(NRC)

DigitalTechnologies
ResearchCenter

3arobustAI

thatenablesa

YOSHIDA

Professor,

The purpose of this project is to develop

Eiichi

Faculty ofintelligent assistive robots that can naturally(Academia)

Advanced

co-exist and co-live with humans mainly inEngineering,

caregivingTokyo

autonomous robotic solution that can be

University ofdeployed in the near future, where the robot

Sciencecan perform basic tasks autonomously, andsettings,

throughasemi-complex tasks with human intervention (via3Intelligent
Assistive
Robots forCaregiving(ARC)

KAWASUMIManager,teleoperation).

YuichiroCore Platform

The Japanese team takes charge of(Industry)

Laboratory,collaborative teleoperation framework andKawada

estimation of human physical state based

Technologies,

kinematic and dynamic models.

Inc.

TheYue HU

Assistantdevelopment of sensors and safe robot(Academia)

Professor,

systems, data collection and analysis by

Department ofphysical interaction experiments within

Engineering,

caregiving scenarios, as well as theUniversity ofdevelopmentofWaterloo

understandhumanCEO,This collaborative research allows one

MojtabaCanadianteamAItackles

technologies
intentionandthetotheenvironment.

(Industry)

MAE Robotics caregiver or worker to efficiently perform
various services: aiding several olderInc.

Pengcheng

SeniorXI

Research(NRC)

Scientist,

AHMADI

adults without commuting or participating indifferent customer services or collaborative
assemblyoperations

remotelyandphysically.
We expect to contribute to workloadDigital
Technologies

reduction and increased labor participation
with the results from this project.

ResearchCenter4

Attachment 2
Abstract of the joint call for proposals
Funding agencies:
Japan side: JSTCanada side: National Research Council Canada (NRC)
https://nrc.canada.ca/en
Field
Projects must be joint research between the two countries in the field of AI-based solutions
for well-being, better living environments, and social connection for aging populations,following the Japan-Canada 2x3 international academia-industry framework.
Eligibility
Japan side: any researcher actively conducting research that is affiliated with a domestic
Japanese research institution or company, regardless of nationality, is eligible to apply.
Research period
3 years (36 months)
Amount of funding
Japan side: up to 58.5 million yen from JST to the researchers (Japan side) per project
over 3 years, including overhead costs (30 percent of direct costs).
Evaluation method
Based on evaluation by experts from the two countries and discussion between JST andNRC.
Evaluation criteria
I. Meet the application requirements.
II. The proposal must be in accordance with the purpose and target of this public offering.
III. Scientific and technological perspective
a. Quality and originality of the projectb. Scientific and technical expertise of the team including the applicant
c. Expected scientific results and prospects for their developmentIV. International cooperation perspective
a. Applicant's international cooperation experienceb. New cooperation or expansion of existing cooperation5

c. Quality of cooperation and synergies of participating institutions- Synergistic effects through international industry-academia collaborative research- Expected economic/social spillover effects

6

Attachment 3Experts for the evaluation (Japan side)
Name

Position and Institution

Role

NISHIDA Toyoaki

Vice President and Professor, Faculty ofInformatics, The University of Fukuchiyama

Program
OfficerIFUKUBE Tohru

Adviser,
Research Center for Advanced Science andTechnology, the University of Tokyo, The
University of TokyoAdvisor

ETO Minoru

Professor, Institute for Open andTransdisciplinary Research Initiatives,
Osaka University

Advisor

SATO Tomomasa

Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo

Advisor

NAKAMA Shinichi

Executive Fellow, Human Renaissance
Institute Co.,Ltd.

Advisor7