December 18, 2024 — STELLAR SCIENCE FOUNDATION (SS-F, headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Takayuki Takebe) announced today the launch of the Global Science Scholars – SS-F & CZ Biohub Network Program (hereafter, “the Program”) in collaboration with the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network (CZ Biohub Network, headquartered in San Francisco, California, Representative: Amy Herr). This program offers exchange opportunities for early-career researchers from Japan and the United States. It aims to support researchers at the beginning stages of their careers by providing a two-year fellowship that fosters innovative research environments.
【Program Overview】
This Program is part of initiatives promoting the Cabinet Secretariat’s Global Startup Campus Initiative and aligns with the Cabinet Office Fellowship Program Survey for Strengthening the Startup Ecosystem (Note 1). The collaboration between SS-F and CZ Biohub Network aims to strengthen an ecosystem dedicated to creating and supporting startups rooted in research and development. Selected fellows are expected to contribute to the advancement of impactful research with potential for societal application through research exchanges between top-tier research institutions in Japan and the United States.
SS-F is a Japan-based organization dedicated to building an ecosystem that fosters new discoveries and inventions through interdisciplinary research exchange. CZ Biohub Network, a nonprofit research organization established by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, tackles scientific challenges on a global scale. Through this partnership, the two organizations will provide early-career researchers with an environment conducive to groundbreaking research, thus promoting global innovation and community development.
The Program targets early-career researchers from Japan and the United States (Note 2), offering placements in research laboratories of both countries for up to two years. Fellows will receive a scholarship of approximately 10 million yen per year (Note 3), facilitating international research exchange and providing the foundation for new innovations (Note 4).
Researchers dispatched to laboratories in Japan and the United States will work within world-class research environments. These placements will also offer mentorship, networking opportunities, and the chance to exchange knowledge and build new networks from a global perspective.
Figure: Image of the Exchange Program
Note 1:
This Program is implemented as part of measures to promote the Global Startup Campus Initiative led by the Cabinet Secretariat, with the objective of strengthening an ecosystem aimed at creating and fostering startups based on research and development. It is conducted in accordance with the Cabinet Office Fellowship Program Survey for Strengthening the Startup Ecosystem. SS-F plans, operates, and manages the Program as a project implementation partner of Arc Communications, which is responsible for this initiative. For more details, please refer to the Fellowship Program for Strengthening the Startup Ecosystem.
Note 2:
The Program offers two types of fellowships: one for dispatching researchers from Japan to laboratories in the United States, and another for dispatching researchers from the United States to laboratories in Japan. Eligibility criteria differ depending on the type of fellowship. Please refer to the Global Science Scholars Request For Applications for more details.
Note 3:
The fellowship amounts for one year are as follows:
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For early-career researchers dispatched from Japan to the United States: $75,000 USD annually (approximately 11,250,000 yen, based on a conversion rate of 150 yen per dollar).
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For early-career researchers dispatched from the United States to Japan: 9,600,000 yen annually.
In addition to the scholarship, travel allowances will be provided as necessary. For more details, please refer to the Global Science Scholars Request For Applications.
Note 4:
Support for FY 2025 is contingent upon the approval of the FY 2025 budget. Please note that the details of the support may be subject to change depending on the budget situation.
【Background of the Program】
Innovation aimed at solving global challenges relies on the foundational elements of invention and discovery. To foster these elements, global exchange among researchers is a critical factor. Particularly for early-career researchers, it is essential to have access to funding, time, and innovative research environments while incorporating knowledge from different countries and fields. This need exists in both Japan and the United States.
In Japan, however, there has been a notable decline in the number of researchers participating in mid- to long-term exchanges — both researchers hosted by Japanese institutions from abroad and those dispatched from Japan to overseas institutions (Note 5). This decline in international research exchange poses a significant challenge.
【Opportunities Offered by the Program】
In light of these challenges, the partnership between SS-F and the CZ Biohub Network aims to provide early-career researchers with an environment dedicated to research and opportunities to drive new discoveries and inventions through interdisciplinary exchange. This program offers annual funding of approximately 10 million yen to early-career researchers from both Japan and the United States.
Additionally, the program facilitates research opportunities in top-tier laboratories in Japan and the United States, providing access to outstanding mentors, seminars, interdisciplinary collaboration, and joint research projects. These experiences cultivate an environment where groundbreaking ideas emerge beyond conventional boundaries, supporting young researchers to thrive on the global stage.
The knowledge and networks gained in these international research environments will serve as a foundation for sustained innovation. By offering optimal opportunities and environments for early-career researchers to engage in challenging research, the program aims to foster not only individual growth but also deepen international research exchange, advance scientific and technological development in both Japan and the United States, and create innovations that can change the world.
Note 5:
Regarding the number of mid- to long-term researchers (those staying for more than 30 days) hosted by Japan from overseas, the figures remained relatively stable in recent years but saw a significant decline in FY 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This downward trend continued through FY 2021 and beyond. Similarly, the total number of researchers dispatched from Japan to overseas institutions peaked in FY 2000, declined thereafter, and stagnated from FY 2007 onward. The COVID-19 pandemic caused another decline starting in FY 2020 (Source: MEXT, Overview of International Research Exchange, FY 2021 – Link).
In particular, the decline has been more pronounced among postdoctoral and specially appointed researchers, who are at the early stages of their research careers (Source: Science and Technology Innovation White Paper 2022, Figure 1-1-38 – Link).
【Program Features】
(Note: For researchers selected for the fellowship dispatching them from Japan to research laboratories in the United States)
- Provision of Fellowship (Note 6):
Selected researchers will receive a fellowship of $75,000 USD per year for up to two years, supporting them in pursuing challenging research topics.
Note 6: Research expenses are not included. In addition to the fellowship, a travel and relocation allowance of up to $5,000 USD per year will also be provided. For more details, please refer to the Global Science Scholars Request For Applications.
- Placement in CZ Biohub Network Laboratories:
Researchers dispatched from Japan to the United States will be affiliated with laboratories at world-class universities partnered with the CZ Biohub Network, gaining mentorship and access to a global network of researchers.
Note 7: Out of the nine university research institutions affiliated with the CZ Biohub Network (Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, University of California San Francisco, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Columbia University, Rockefeller University, Yale University), five institutions (Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, Yale University, University of Chicago, and Columbia University) rank within the Top 20 of the World University Rankings (Source).
【Program Schedule】
All dates and times are in Pacific Standard Time (PST). Please check the application website for detailed information.
- Application Period:
December 17, 2024 (Tuesday) – May 27, 2025 (Tuesday) - Application Deadline:
May 27, 2025 (Tuesday) by 3:00 PM (PST) - Dispatch Period:
Researchers will be dispatched as soon as they are selected.
Submitted applications will be collected and reviewed on the last Tuesday of each month at 3:00 PM (PST).
- First Deadline: January 28, 2025
- Second Deadline: February 25, 2025
- Third Deadline: March 25, 2025
- Fourth Deadline: April 29, 2025
- Final Deadline: May 27, 2025
Important:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please note that all available slots may be filled before the final deadline of May 27, 2025. If all candidates are selected before the final deadline, the application portal will close, and no further applications will be accepted. Therefore, applicants are strongly encouraged to plan ahead and submit their applications as early as possible within the application period.
【Comments】
Steve Quake, D.Phil., Head of Science, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative（CZI）
Science is an international endeavor, and cross-pollinating people and ideas between countries is key to solving scientific challenges. To really understand the cellular mechanisms of health and disease, we need a multi-national collaborative effort, and we’re excited to bring great scientific talent to the U.S. and to Japan to better understand the mysteries of the cell. With this new fellowship, I’m excited for the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network to be part of Japan’s Global Startup Campus Initiative and harness the potential of great universities in Japan together with CZI’s world-class institutional partners and their entrepreneurial faculty.
Takanori Takebe, Founder and Representative Director, SS-F
At the age of 28, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to establish my own independent research in the United States. Through this experience, I deeply realized that the richness and depth of budding research are nurtured through trusted interpersonal interactions. Time and again, I have witnessed how interactions with senior mentors, connections beyond organizational boundaries, and open collaboration with lab members help transform individual creative ideas and insights into solid, successful projects.
This new fellowship program, initiated by SS-F and the CZ Biohub Network, aims to empower pioneering early-career researchers from Japan and the United States. By leveraging people-centric networks and connecting with outstanding individuals, the program offers a platform for significant advancement. I hope that through the strengths of host laboratories and encounters at various community events, each researcher’s unique perspectives and skills will be maximized, accelerating revolutionary research breakthroughs.
Through this program, I sincerely hope that innovative young researchers will be provided with unexpected opportunities for growth and development, leading to remarkable achievements.
For those interested in learning more about the background of the Global Science Scholars program and the type of researchers we are seeking, please refer to the interview articles with:
- Steve Quake (Head of Science, CZI)
- Amy E. Herr (Vice President, CZ Biohub Network)
- Takayuki Takebe (Founder and Representative Director, SS-F)
【Global Science Scholars Program Launch Commemorative Event】
To commemorate the launch of this program, we will be hosting an event featuring keynote lectures by Dr. Steve Quake, Head of Science at CZI, and Professor Emi Nishimura of the University of Tokyo. The event will also include a panel discussion with next-generation Principal Investigators (PIs).
Applicants considering the program are welcome to attend the event in person. For further details, please visit the event page.
【About Stellar Science Foundation】
The Stellar Science Foundation (SS-F) is a Japan-based organization aiming to build mechanisms that promote the sustainable creation of disruptive discoveries and inventions by focusing on the power of the people who drive forward scientific discovery. We aim to contribute to society by promoting scientific research in Japan by supporting free research activities of scientists and generating world-changing discoveries and inventions. Guided by its philosophy of being “People-Centric”—Start with people, connect people, empower people—SS-F works to build an ecosystem where individual researchers can collaborate and connect across companies, organizations, and scientific disciplines. Through these efforts, SS-F strives to generate continuous breakthroughs and drive innovation.
WEB: https://ss-f.org/en
【About the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative】
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of our communities. Through collaboration, providing resources and building technology, our mission is to help build a more inclusive, just and healthy future for everyone.
WEB:http://www.chanzuckerberg.com/
【About Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network】
The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network is a group of nonprofit research institutes that bring together scientists, engineers, and physicians with the goal of pursuing grand scientific challenges on 10- to 15-year time horizons. The CZ Biohub Network focuses on understanding underlying mechanisms of disease and developing new technologies that will lead to actionable diagnostics and effective therapies.
【About Arc Communications Inc.】
Arc Communications Inc. upholds the vision of “Communicate Locally, Market Globally” and accelerates global business through its human resource services, translation and interpretation services, and web planning and development services. The company supports global professional talent through its human resource services. It offers high-quality translation services based on native translation in all languages. Through its web and cross-media business, it specializes in corporate website planning and production, as well as global site expertise. With these three core businesses, Arc Communications provides high-quality communication services that convey the client’s intentions and essence.
Contact Information
STELLAR SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Marketing & Communications Team: Terushita / Fujiwara
Email: marcomm@ss-f.org
