"JSPS External Review Report" was issued.(PDF File 1.22MB)

5. Fostering Researchers(1) State of Fostering ResearchersNeed to foster researchersTo advance science and build a splendid society, government must first and foremost vitalizeyoung researchers and pour effort into their cultivation.It takes many years to develop an independent researcher. As the fostering of researchers beginsat the elementary and secondary school levels, teachers and mentors play very important roles incultivating their students’ intellectual curiosity.An environment needs to be established to facilitate the movement of budding postdoctoralresearchers through the ranks. It is important for such researchers to conduct independent researchas a postdoc at an excellent research institution, including overseas, other than the one of their registryas a postgraduate student. It will be necessary to establish an environment for these researchersto accumulate postdoctoral experience and to go through a period (usually several years uponobtaining their Ph.D.) in which they work as an independent researcher by forming and leading theirown research group. Particularly for young researchers participating in projects conducted by largescalegroups, a need exists to provide them with opportunities to receive independent funding and tocarry out their own research.Mobility of young researchersResearcher maturation varies by country based on their graduate education systems and otherfactors. Generally speaking, however, fostering independent young researchers entails having aneffective way of enhancing their mobility. With greater mobility, researchers can broaden their perspectivesand prepare for future careers by carrying out research using new methods from thoseemployed in their previous research groups and, in so doing, deepen their research experience. Oneapproach would be for young researchers to spend 1-2 years in an excellent research group overseas.To enable this, it will be essential for them to be affiliated with a research group in a Japanese graduateschool whose leader has both international standing and interpersonal networks. Thoseresearchers who are not in a position to take advantage of such international recognition and networkingwill need to change their research environment by, for example, moving to a higher qualityresearch group in Japan.Program for elite researchersIt is a very small number of researchers who emerge as elites through a process of becomingindependent and forming their own research groups a few years after obtaining their Ph.Ds. It isimportant to provide strong support for such elite researchers as the research environment aroundthem can be greatly enhanced through their leadership. Through providing them with fellowshipsand research grants of a sufficient monetary amount, higher research results can be expected. Alsothrough the recognition attached to receiving of such fellowships, elite researchers have a goodchance of acquiring additional external funding.36