Vol.5 No.2 2012

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Round-table talks : Science and technology policy and synthesiology – Bridging science and values−129−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.5 No.2 (2012) Dr. Motoyuki AkamatsuTrends of science and technology policies and promotion activities in other countriesKobayashiYou have mentioned that the system or the structure for promoting innovation is not well understood in Japan. Is this a characteristic only of Japan? What is the situation overseas?ArimotoIt is not as bad as in Japan. In other countries, there is a wide coverage from science and technology policies to science and technology innovation policies. As values become diverse and the world becomes connected, countries, particularly the advanced countries, are struggling to redesign an innovation system including funding management and reviews, human resource training, and others. How to maintain their competitiveness; how to sustain the development of science and technology to maintain the quality of life of their citizens; those are the important viewpoints.What I wish to emphasize is that a funding system plays an extremely important role. The public research funding system was started by developing the system of grants, contracts and fellowships around 1930. The mechanism for convening the researchers and engineers to solve the research and technological issues across the boundaries of research institutes and universities was organized and nurtured. I think we must now return to the history of science policies and build a new model.KobayashiYou have mentioned the situation in the 1930s. The United States experienced the Manhattan Project where “amazing things could be accomplished when scientists are convened nationally.” After World War II, this became the DARPA model. Are you suggesting that there is a reemergence toward the direction that scientists should cooperate across the boundaries to solve problems?ArimotoExactly. Now, countries are trying to change the funding mechanism. While upstream has quite matured, the solution-seeking R&D, and response to emerging and fused disciplines were set as main policies. Looking at the selection of the Funding for World Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST), I got an impression that the effect of concentrating investments on nanotechnology and life science is clearly observed. What do you think about the promotion of life innovation and green innovations in Phase 4, and the “linkages” to system reformation for promoting science and technology innovation?ArimotoIn general, I think there were many papers produced during these years. When you say “linkage,” if you mean whether it is progressing toward the creation of final values, I’m afraid that is not necessarily going well. That is a total issue, and it is the fault of the scientific community, funding, policies, as well as companies. It also includes the issues of people’s capabilities, consciousness, education, and whether there are paths to advance careers in the future.AkamatsuSynthesiology is a term where synthesis and -ology are joined, and perhaps “linkage” is a keyword. The researchers thought it was simply okay just to generate good research results, but now it is important to “link” those research results to social values. It is important to think what kind of approach should be taken to create a system that can utilize the research results in society, and to train “people” who are capable of working in that system.ArimotoIt is important to share the roles and structures of the university research and education and the funding programs to see whether there is wide and diverse support and whether the support matches the research phases. There are the basic science and curiosity-driven research phases, and then there are the mission-oriented basic research, application, and prototype development phases. The scales of funding, research management and evolution systems are different according to the stages. I don’t think such process and eco-system of innovation are shared among the scientists/engineers and bureaucracy/government and companies.Dr. Tateo Arimoto

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