The fourth Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation between Japan and Switzerland was held at the Mita Conference Hall in Tokyo on February 28th 2018.

The event was opened by Ambassador Nakane, Ambassador for Science and Technology Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and Ambassador Moruzzi, Head of International Relations at the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

The most recent Science, Technology and Innovation Policies of the respective countries were introduced by Mr. Hirotaka Yamada, Director for International Cooperation at MEXT, and Ms. Micol Venturino, Scientific advisor a.i. International Relations at SERI.

Bilateral Cooperation between Japan and Switzerland in the fields of Disaster Management, Particle and Nuclear Physics, Material Science, and in Medical and Welfare Research were presented by the delegations.

After a well-deserved lunch break, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) represented by Dr. Jean-Luc Barras, Head of International Co-operation, and Ms. Mariko Kobayashi, Director of the International Program Department, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation. This agreement paves the way for closer Swiss-Japanese scientific collaboration by simplifying the funding process for research projects.