The Seventh Meeting of the Japan/UK Joint Committee on Cooperation in Science and Technology

February 12, 2009
Japanese

The 7th Japan-UK Joint Committee on Cooperation in Science and Technology will be held on February 13 (Fri) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo.
This Committee will be attended on the Japanese side by Mr. Seiji Kojima, Ambassador for Science and Technology Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as co-Chair, and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Environment and on the UK side by Prof. John Beddington, Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Government Office for Science, as co-Chair, and representatives of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, the Government Office for Science, and the Research Councils UK.
In this Joint Committee, Japan will exchange information and opinions on the latest science and technology policies with the UK, which boasts high levels of science and technology and has run a nationwide campaign, under the Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004-2014, to design and implement international strategies on science, technology, and innovation. Participants will also exchange information and opinions on research cooperation activities between the two countries in the fields of life-science, environment-friendly energy, climate change, nanotechnology, and outer space.
Prof. John Beddington, Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Government Office for Science, who will be the UK-side chairperson of the Committee, is in a key post to formulate the country’s science and technology policies, advising the prime minister and the Cabinet. Staying in Japan from February 8 (Sun) to 14 (Sat), Prof. Beddington is expected to visit relevant institutions and exchange views with officials.

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