J-PEAKS Site Visit: Showcasing OIST’s Innovation and Collaborative Future
On December 4, OIST welcomed stakeholders from MEXT’s J-PEAKS program for a site visit, highlighting initiatives in research, education, and international collaboration. The visit provided an opportunity to share insights gained through J-PEAKS adoption and showcase OIST’s unique strengths and efforts to address key challenges.
The opening session set the stage for OIST’s vision of collaboration and innovation. President Karin Markides highlighted OIST’s unique strengths—cutting-edge science, global reach, and interdisciplinarity—while addressing key constraints and how they are being transformed through the One OIST and J-PEAKS neXus vision. Provost Amy Shen outlined the roadmap for this vision, including partnerships with leading institutions, and shared initiatives to boost core facilities, expand visiting programs, and support education and early-career researchers.
Professor Koji Hase of Keio University and Professor Akihiro Takemura of the University of the Ryukyus, described joint projects with OIST as a way of illustrating how collaboration among these universities takes place.
Closing the session, Lauren Ha, Associate Vice President for Technology Development and Innovation, introduced OIST’s innovation strategy and its role in driving regional development and Okinawa’s future.
In the second part of the visit, participants explored OIST’s University Community Services, which supports researchers in their daily lives, and toured our cutting-edge Core Facilities—including world-class cryo-electron microscopes and a cleanroom. They also learned about our Visiting Program, which strengthens OIST’s global research and education network.
The poster session showcased OIST’s innovation ecosystem, industry-government-academia-finance collaborations, career development programs that foster international mobility for young researchers, and initiatives in fisheries that drive regional contributions in Okinawa.
In his remarks at the mixer, Dr. Michinari Hamaguchi, Director General of Strategic Center of Biomedical Advanced Vaccine Research and Development for Preparedness and Response (SCARDA), AMED and J-PEAKS Chief Supporter shared his astonishment:
“I had heard that OIST was remarkable, but I did not expect it to be this extraordinary. I was amazed by the innovative efforts in fostering international academic collaboration and education, and by the fact that a relatively small university focused on fundamental research has already created such a significant number of startup companies.”
This visit reaffirmed OIST’s commitment to innovation and the opportunities enabled through J-PEAKS. Together with our partners in Japan and around the world, we look forward to advancing research, education, and innovation for the future.
