Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
#### A. Dr. Takaaki Kajita, PI of Kavli IPMU, was awarded The 2015 Nobel Prize

We are pleased to announce that Kavli IPMU Principal Investigator and The University of Tokyo Institute for Cosmic Ray Research Director Takaaki Kajita has been awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics, jointly with Queen's University Professor Emeritus Arthur B. McDonald for discovering neutrino oscillations, which show that neutrinos have mass.

In 1998, Takaaki Kajita discovered that neutrinos from the atmosphere switch between two identities as they travelled to the Super-Kamiokande detector in central Japan. This metamorphosis could only occur if the neutrinos had mass.

Professor Takaaki Kajita, PI of Kavli IPMU

For particle physics this was a historic discovery, showing that the Standard Model, which assumed neutrinos were massless, could not be the complete theory of the fundamental constituents and their interactions of the universe. This research field was pioneered by Dr. Masatoshi Koshiba, and expanded greatly under the leadership of the late Dr. Yoji Totsuka, a previous member of WPI Program committee, Dr. Takaaki Kajita (then head of high-energy group), and Dr. Yoichiro Suzuki (then head of low-energy group). Both Kajita and Suzuki are PIs of Kavli IPMU, and were recognized by Breakthrough Prize this year.

Now the experiments are continuing and intense activity is underway worldwide in order to capture neutrinos and examine their properties. New discoveries about their deepest secrets are expected to change our current understanding of the evolution, structure and future fate of the universe.

### B. Outline of WPI program

## Research Excellence Initiatives (REI)

- There is increasing worldwide competition in creating new research outcomes and recruiting talented scientists.

● Strong needs are felt of more efficient forms of funding to advance fundamental and innovative sciences, which are essential for a knowledge based society.

● REIs are designed to encourage outstanding research by providing large-scale and
long-term funding to selected research areas and/or units.

## WPI program

In 2007, MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) launched the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) Program.

● WPI research centers aim to establish “World Premium Institute” by

Crossing walls of countries and barriers of disciplines and traditional cultures

Achieving top-notched science

- Serving as a hub of global brain circulations.

## Missions

The following four missions are crucial requisites for a WPI center.

- Advancing top-quality of science

- Making breakthroughs by fusion studies

Achieving internationalization

Reforming research and administration systems

## Supports

1.35 billion Yens (11 million US$) a year per center

(700 million Yens (5.8 million US$) a year per center for WPI Focus)

Research money is not included.

Support for 10 years with possible 5-year extension

### C. WPI Centers

Currently, the following 9 WPI centers are on-going:

The first 5 WPI centers from 2007

- AIMR on materials science, Tohoku University.

Kavli IPMU on universe, The University of Tokyo.

iCeMS on cell biology, Kyoto University

IFReC on immunology, Osaka University

MANA on nanotechnology, National Institute for Materials Science

The sixth WPI center under the program of green innovation from 2010

- I $ ^{2} $ CNER on energy, Kyushu University

The three WPI centers under the program of "WPI Focus" on focused research areas from 2012

- IIIS on sleep, University of Tsukuba

ELSI on Earth-Life, Tokyo Institute of Technology
As shown in this figure, the 9 WPI centers can be categorized into 3 groups: Origins of Universe, Earth, and Life; Life Sciences; and Materials/Energy Sciences.

### D. Follow up

The WPI program carries out a robust follow up system whose members are comprised of the International Program Committee, PDs, POs and working groups.

9WPI Centers

## Program Committee

The Committee consists of 15 members and is chaired by Dr. Hiroo IMURA, Honorary Chairman of the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation. The members are listed in the following URL:

http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-toplevel/data/07_committee.html

## Program directors (PDs) and Program officers (POs)

Dr. Toshio Kuroki, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and Dr. Akira Ukawa, RIKEN Advanced Institute for computational Science, serve as the program director (PD) and deputy PD.

The program officers (POs) are indicated in the summaries of each site visit report, shown below. They are also listed in the following URL:

http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-toplevel/08_followup.html

## Working groups (WG)

Working groups, organized for each WPI center, principally consist of 3 domestic and 3 international experts in the areas covering the center's activities. The working group members are listed in the above URL.

E. REI International Workshop and 2015 Program committee meeting

2015 Program committee meeting and the 3^{rd} international workshop on REI were held jointly on 14-16 October 2015 in the Sheraton Hotel in Tokyo.
### E-1. REI Workshop

The REI workshop is undertaken to discuss current situations and future prospective of REIs as well as policies of science and technology under a similar concept to REI. Speakers and titles of presentations at REI workshop are as follows:

Current status of WPI Program: Dr. Toshio. Kuroki

German Research Excellence Initiative: Drs. Inka Spang-Grau and Julika Griem

French Research Excellence Initiative: Dr. Arnaud Torres

Canadian First Research Excellence Fund: Mr. Denis Leclerc

Israeli centers for Research Excellence: Ms. Noa Binstein

Academic Research Centers in US: Dr. Dragana Brzakovic

British Science Policies and systems: Dr. David Sweeney

Max Planck society: Dr. Klaus von Klitzing

Steps toward Building World-Class Research Centers in China: Dr. Luis C. Ho

On the second day morning, a round table discussion was held with the chair by Dr. R. Dasher, a member of Program committee, regarding the following 3 questions:

Question No.1: What is a particularly important factor in justifying to stakeholders the

contributions of an REI program?

Question No.2: What are the best ways in which one can maximize the lasting benefits of

an REI center after the term of its REI grant has finished?

Question No. 3: How do you see the future of REI programs?

### E-2. Program committee meeting

The program committee meeting was convened on 15 $ ^{th} $ and 16 $ ^{th} $ to hold hearings on the scientific achievements and project implementations of the WPI centers in FY 2014. Last year, the program committee has nominated Kavli IPMU for a 5-year extension. Regarding the four WPI centers whose funding will end in FY2016, the committee heard from the presidents of their host institutions on their support to sustain the centers.

### E-3. Future plan of WPI program

After extensive discussions and considering global trends in REI programs, the committee reached the following conclusions, which will be recommended to MEXT.

1. Continuation of WPI program

● 2007-WPI Centers have been established successfully as a “World Premier institute” in terms of scientific achievements and implementation of its missions.

- WPI program should be continued after reconsideration of its mission statements and support schemes.
● WPI program will be further accelerated by “Metabolism” of centers, as being agreed by the 2014-Program committee.

● A call for new WPI center proposals should be made in FY2017.

### 2. Support for the former centers

● Presidents of host institutions promised that WPI centers will be sustained by their efforts, providing facilities, researcher positions, and costs for their management.

● Considering the excellence that WPI centers achieved, PC recommends that Government keeps the WPI brand by setting up a grant scheme for the former centers.

● We suggest to establish a new system, “WPI Association or WPI Academy”, with members satisfying WPI standards.

- These WPI centers will be evaluated regularly (e.g. every 3 years) for their performance of the WPI standard.

### F. Site visits

Site visits to the 3 WPI centers launched in FY2012 were conducted over 2-day periods during June-September 2015 by the Program Committee members, PD, PO, international WG members, MEXT officials and JSPS secretariats. All 21 WG members participated in the site visits. The visit schedule included a briefing by the center director, presentations by selected PIs, and poster presentations by young researchers, a guided tour of the new buildings, and comments/advice offered by the site-visit team members. Short version of site visits were conducted to the 6 WPI centers launched in FY2007 and 2010 by PD, PO, MEXT and JSPS. Detailed reports on the site visits were submitted to the Program Committee and disclosed to the respective WPI centers. The following is a summary of the site visit reports and the comments by the program committee members.

### F-1. AIMR

Center director: Motoko KOTANI

Program officer: Yoshihito OSADA, RIKEN

### 1. Scientific achievements

- Continual effort is being made in compliance with WPI standards. The research is directed under a clear mission with continual organization improvements. The research results accomplished at AIMR remain at a top world-level of quality in many areas of materials science.
● Their excellence in science is evident from the list of publications, amount of external research funding, and number of international and domestic award winners.

● “Creation of new materials science that can predict new functions based on a mathematics-materials concept” and “mathematics-guided materials science” are steadily progressing.

### 2. Implementation as a WPI center

## Fusion of research areas

● The center is carrying out strategic activities in various Mathematics-Materials Science collaborations, and excellent fusion research is being advancing toward creating new fields of materials science. AIMR is now internationally well recognized as an institute that promotes Math–Mate collaboration.

● A Mathematical Science Group has been newly established by merging two existing units—Mathematics Unit and Interface Unit—with the expectation of making further progress in Math-Mate collaboration.

## I nternationalization

● AIMR is making a continuous effort to develop a global research network with five overseas research centers in materials science, including University of Cambridge, University of California at Santa Barbara, and others. AIMR established joint

laboratories with the University of Chicago in 2014.

● A number of frontline researchers (47% as of March 31, 2015) have been assembled from around the world through open international solicitations. These young scientists performed research at AIMR while pursuing their careers. Thus, the circulation of young scientists is working well.

In FY 2015, AIMR is publishing a series of textbooks entitled “Springer Briefs in Mathematics of Materials.” This will enhance AIMR’s reputation as the first institute to advance Math-Mate collaboration in the world.

## System reform

AIMR has instituted a number of reforms in Tohoku

SPRINGER BRIEFS IN THE MATHEMATICS OF MATERIALS 1

Susumu Ikeda

Motoko Kotani

A New Direction in Mathematics for Materials Science

The first volume of the monograph series, Springer Briefs in the Mathematics of Materials. It will be published in December 2015.
University. “Organization for Advanced Studies (OAS),” where AIMR is modeled and placed as the first core institute, was established in July 2014. The AIMR administrative division is to be transferred to OAS’ “International Administrative Office” to play a central role in the internationalization and organizational reform of the host organization. A new program “Graduate School of Spintronics” has been established and started to receive graduate students in FY 2015.

### 3. Support of host institution toward sustainability

● President Satomi confirmed that the host institution is committed to providing AIMR with resources sufficient to maintain its activities. President Satomi has also promised to maintain many of AIMR’s aspects including the number of its scientists (10 tenured positions) and a budget for sustaining joint laboratories within a world-leading hub.

● The “OAS” and “Graduate School of Spintronics” have been established and the support pledged to AIMR for them by Tohoku University appears to be very solid.

### 4. Recommendations

AIMR is expected to create “new materials science capable of predicting new functions based on a mathematics-materials concept.” This is a really challenging and long-term target, with the full-fledged fusion of materials science and mathematics remaining a challenge for the future. In addition, benefits for materials science are evident but not visible to mathematics. A two-way cognitive effort, i.e. mathematician learning from materials science and vice versa, is desired to achieve the center's ultimate objectives.

OAS is highly evaluated for establishing its International Administrative Office and Graduate School of Spintronics, although it is not clear at present how they will be implemented. Continued efforts on institutional reform would be desirable.

### F-2. Kavli IPMU

Center director: Hitoshi MURAYAMA

Program officer: Ichiro SANDA, Nagoya University

### 1. Scientific achievements

In a remarkably short time a highly productive interdisciplinary center has been created, and its prominence continues to grow. This center is known as a vibrant place to discuss ideas. The reputation and visibility of the Kavli IPMU is very high throughout the global community of mathematicians, physicists and astronomers. The particular combination of physics and mathematics makes it unique. Activities in physics and astronomy include
contributions from theorists and experimentalists.

- Noteworthy experiments are two major instruments on the Subaru telescope (HSC-PFS), three underground experiments (KamLAND Zen; Gadzooks!; Xmass) in the Kamioka Lab. These experiments were proposed by Kavli IPMU researchers.

GADZOOKS experiment was proposed by M. Vagins, professor at Kavli IPMU, to observe supernova neutrinos. Shown is a EGADS detector (Small scale Super Kamiokande) to demonstrate GADZOOKS capability. Credit Kamioka Observatory, ICRR, Univ. of Tokyo

### 2. Implementation as a WPI center

● Kavli IPMU is a beacon for university reform, both for the University of Tokyo (UTokyo), and for the whole of Japan. Reforms made by Kavli IPMU include the treatment of researchers (e.g. merit-based salary system, annual salary system), tenured positions with non-traditional external funding, the split appointment system, and establishing an international graduate school. These reforms are made under the leadership of Dr. Murayama and with strong support from the host institution UTokyo.

We are pleased that Dr. Kajita was awarded 2015 Nobel Prize in physics. It is hoped that Kavli IPMU can exert an even larger impact, through ripple effects, on particle and space science research in Japan.

### 3. Support of host institution toward sustainability

● UTokyo has clearly demonstrated its commitment to securing a permanent future for Kavli IPMU by creating the University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS). UTokyo transferred 13 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions, including 4 FTE positions provided by MEXT, to Kavli IPMU through UTIAS.

- It is gratifying that UTokyo has wise and inspirational leadership that recognizes Kavli IPMU as being a treasure of UTokyo.

### 4. Recommendations

● Regarding the reform on the way research is being done in Japan, the impact of Kavli IPMU could be even larger. The host institution’s commitment needs to be more
proactive. The activities of Kavli IPMU should be used as a model to transform UTokyo as a whole and, in particular, its many research centers so that they will become more visible globally.

● Kavli IPMU’s ambition to participate in large cutting-edge experiments is perfect, but the required technical support should be carefully determined and kept within budgetary limits. The technical people should remain as Kavli IPMU staff for longer periods than the theorists, who might more easily benefit from mobility to other institutions.

- The number of foreign PI should be increased; PIs should spend more time on site; the number of Japanese postdocs is too small (only one fourth); and the number of graduate students could be increased.

● Utilizing the locational advantage of Kashiwa campus in the future, Kavli IPMU’s collaboration with Tsukuba University and other nearby institutions, as well as Chiba University, can be strengthened. This would push ahead reform further at the other institutions as well as at UTokyo.

### F-3. iCeMS

Center director: Susumu KITAGAWA

Program officer: Toru NAKANO, Osaka University.

### 1. Scientific achievements

iCeMS is continuing to pursue a high level of research. In FY 2014, iCeMS published 255 peer-reviewed papers, 51 of which were published in journals with an impact factor of more than 10. 216 papers were published with co-authors outside of iCeMS. 1,237 papers have been published since the inauguration of the institute; about 4% of them are Top 1% cited papers, as compiled by Thomson Reuters.

● Synthesis of materials is critically important aspect of iCeMS’ mission. iCeMS has synthesized about 1,500 new materials including Dr. Kitagawa’s porous gas materials for gas biology, Dr. Sugiyama’s SAHA-PI polyamide for histone modification, and Dr. Uesugi’s cell adhesion molecules for regenerative medicine.
● In FY 2014, 17 iCeMS researchers received 19 awards including Dr. Kitagawa's 2014 Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher, Dr. Motomu Tanaka's Philipp Franz von Siebold Award, and Dr. Heuser's E. B. Wilson Medal of the American Society for Cell Biology. As to the budget, the acquisition of external

The dynamic assembly process of DNA origami units on the lipid bilayer

Nature Communications 2015, 6, 8052

Origami structures rearrange at the lipid bilayer–solution interface through such phenomena as defect/boundary healing and reorganization-coupled growth. This constitutes a bottom-up nanotechnology expected to advance the integration/organization of nanodevices and the development of new molecular devices.

grants (a total of JPY 1.834 billion) is very good.

### 2. Implementation as a WPI center

● Based on iCeMS’ self-evaluation, 35 and 92 out of 255 papers are regarded as highly interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary papers, respectively. Publication-based bibliometric methods show that the fusion of areas among biology, chemistry, and physics has steadily improved.

● Taken together with its high scientific level, iCeMS has been realizing the WPI criteria.

### 3. Support of host institution toward sustainability

● Prof. Yamagiwa, who assumed the office of Kyoto University President in October 2014, inaugurated “WINDOW” as a reform and future concept for the University. “I” of “WINDOW” stands for international and innovative, and the establishment of a leading research hub is one of the main objectives. For that purpose, Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) will start up in April 2016. iCeMS will be included within IAS, but will continue conducting its program as an independent institute, i.e., iCeMS will be consolidated as the core and hub for IAS’ frontline research.

The plan for support after the current WPI program ends is as follows. The institute will consist of 5 core research groups, 15 PI groups (10 younger researchers and 5 overseas researchers), and 10 adjunct research groups (10 PIs and 20 non-PIs). In addition, 20 postdoctoral researchers will be hired using external funding. In total, JPY 2.043 billion (including the salary of adjunct members, building depreciation, land
price, and so on) is secured.

### 4. Recommendations

Although the scientific achievement is high, truly visible results, which will be regarded as iCeMS landmarks, may be missing.

- It is necessary to devise a concrete future plan of iCeMS as a major part of IAS of Kyoto University, which will commence next April.

- It is understandable that the fusion of material science and cell biology is quite difficult and contains various directionalities. However, still, the aim of iCeMS seems a little too divergent. More focused subjects would be desirable in view of the size reduction of the institute after the current WPI program funding.

### F-4. IFReC

Center director: Shizuo AKIRA

Program officer: Takehiko SASAZUKI, Kyushu University

### 1. Scientific achievements

● IFReC has been successfully pursuing its extremely high quality research in immunology combined with bioinformatics and imaging science. The total number of papers published in 2014 was 195. The number of papers published in high-impact journals (IF greater than 14) was 17 (8.7%).

● These papers include Sakaguchi’s elucidation of a new mechanism in Treg cells for controlling antigen-specific humoral immune response through CTLA-4 (Immunity 2014) and for maintaining the self-reactive CD8+ T cells’ anergic state in healthy individuals

● The discovery of the regulatory function of IL-10 producing plasmablasts in autoimmune inflammation by Kurosaki’s group and the new finding on the control of lymphocyte egress by $ \beta_{2} $ -adrenergic receptors by Suzuki’s group together with Sakaguchi’s findings show the importance of a multiplex concept of regulatory mechanisms in human immune response.

Tregs render self-reactive human CD8+ T cells anergic (Maeda et al. Science).
- It is also important to note that younger-generation PIs have contributed to areas of chronic inflammation, allergy and parasite infection by publishing high impact papers.

● In addition to these scientific achievements made through publications, Shizuo Akira was elected as a member of the Japan Academy, and Shimon Sakaguchi was awarded the Gairdner International Prize.

### 2. Implementation as a WPI center

## Fusion of research areas

● IFReC has established a platform that includes fusion research units, a research support program, dual mentor system, and interaction seminar series (9 seminars/ 2014) to further accelerate their tight interaction with scientific entities in the areas of informatics and imaging.

● IFReC created an SPF animal facility equipped with an 11.7 T MRI. Furthermore, it is tightly engaged with QBiC and CiNet, which has a 7.0 T MRI for imaging analysis of the whole human body. All these strategic as well as bottom-up efforts resulted in fusion-research papers reaching 27% of all IFReC publications.

## I nternationalization and global visibility

● Continuation of holding international symposia and the Winter School on Advanced Immunology for young researchers, and implementation of outreach activities including an online educational program (Massive Open Online Course, MOOC/ edX) have contributed much to IFReC’s global visibility.

## System reform

● IFReC has introduced a top-down decision system by the center director, which has provided a role model for the University’s reform. It is evident that Osaka University regards IFReC as a role model in terms of the internationalization and system reform of its research environment, which was restated and confirmed by the University’s new President, Shojiro Nishio, during the site visit.

### 3. Support of host institution toward sustainability

● President Nishio clearly declared “Osaka University will construct world top-level research institutes and promote multidisciplinary research.” This declaration is in perfect line with IFReC’s mission and activities. The University’s central administration must continuously support the activities of IFReC. President Nishio has indicated that constructive supervision and continuous support for the WPI program is a high priority.