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Greeting from the Chairman
Greetings from the Chairman of the Science Academy of Tsukuba

Japan has positioned science and technology policy as a cornerstone of its national strategy and has developed policies aimed at achieving innovation through science and technology by aligning them closely with other key policies. At the prefectural level, Ibaraki has set a fundamental goal of becoming Japan’s leading prefecture for scientific and technological creation. Ibaraki is promoting measures aimed at creating a center of excellence to lead Japan’s science and technology by generating continuous R&D and innovation, and by developing talents that support these efforts and then using the outcomes of these activities to benefit society.
Ibaraki Prefecture is in the fortunate position of having the potential to further develop and promote science and technology by taking full advantage of the advanced research facilities in Tsukuba City and Tokai Village and in the industrial clusters of the Hitachi and Kashima areas. In particular, the city of Tsukuba is home to more than 70 laboratories of private companies operating in the chemical, pharmaceutical, construction, food, and other industries, in addition to universities and national research and development agencies. As one of the world’s largest R&D centers, boasting 20,000 researchers, the city is generating a tremendous amount of world-class research results.
Amidst fierce international competition, each research institute must improve the quality of its research and make good use of the outcomes of research. In particular, entities such as universities and national research and development agencies need to not only generate new knowledge and contribute to the world of science, but also make significant efforts in the use of such knowledge and work hard on the creation of startups and other programs.
The agglomeration effects of science and technology can only occur when researchers interact with and inspire one another across disciplines and organizations. Based on this vision, the establishment of the Science Academy of Tsukuba (SAT) was adopted in the Tsukuba Declaration for the International Conference on Science Frontier Tsukuba 999, a multi-disciplinary international conference held in 1999 to commemorate the opening of the Tsukuba International Congress Center. SAT was established the following year, in November 2000. In 2009, the Academy merged with another organization that shared a common goal— the Science and Technology Promotion Foundation of Ibaraki—further strengthening SAT’s operational base.
SAT’s goal is to contribute to the enhancement of interaction across different disciplines, stimulate such engagements to pioneer new areas of research and achieve technology transfer and the commercialization of research outcomes, and promote science to develop young people who will lead the next generation. Under this goal, we have undertaken a wide range of activities including the SAT Forum, the Technology Showcase, and networking programs for our members and played the role of “a center of knowledge inspiration” that helps stimulate R&D activities in Tsukuba Science City.
We will continue to explore the visions that science and technology should pursue in the 21st century and contribute to the sound development of a society that makes full use of science and technology.

Leo Esaki
Chairman, Science Academy of Tsukuba