New Funding Helps MITI Reform Labs

Abstract

Tsukuba, Japan--The 15 national labs that are part of Japan's Agency of Industrial Science and Technology make its parent organization, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), an important player in the country's research enterprise. Thanks to a big infusion of government funds, those labs are also setting the pace for much-needed reforms in how scientists are hired and grants are awarded, changes that Japan's national universities have been reluctant to make. The new policies are part of a broader campaign to improve the quality of science in Japan.