The International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) is designed to enable potential and foster prosperity. It puts research and innovation at the heart of our international relationships, supporting UK researchers and innovators to work with peers around the world on the major themes of our time. It is managed by the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
As one of the partner organisationsof ISPF, the British Council launched the UK-Japan research collaboration grants to facilitate partnerships among institutions in the UK and Japan. The grants provide funding for bilateral research collaborations under the themes of 'transformative technologies' and 'tomorrow’s talent.' They support institutions in establishing local hubs for UK-Japan activities, enabling engagement from the wider research and innovation community.
Japan is one of the priority countries for the UK and ISPF makes available, for the first time, a significant fund for UK-Japan research and innovation.
Akie Koyma, Head of Education at the British Council notes “International collaboration is the key to tackling the unprecedented global challenges we now face. It also plays a significant role in strengthening economic security and providing economic growth. We strongly hope that ISPF will help further collaborations between researchers in the UK and Japan.“
We are pleased to announce that the following six collaboration projects were awarded the grants. We received 35 eligible applications in total. The funding duration is 24 months.
| UK Institution Name |
Project Title | Funding awarded |
| Aston University | The AI-Driven Malware Detection (AIMD) in Mobile Internet of Things (MIoT), 5G and 6G Networks | £79,993.60 |
| The University of Manchester | Synchronising Society 5.0 Innovations with Built Environment for Sustainable Growth and Yield in Japan and the UK (SYNERGY-Japan & UK) Network | £79,996.80 |
| The University of Manchester | Long-Coherence Spin Qubits Based on Bilayer Graphene Quantum Dots | £79,997.60 |
| University of Bristol | Net Zero Ultrawide Semiconductor Power Device Technology (ELECTRIC) | £80,000.00 |
| University College London, Institute of Education | Sustaining Multilingual Children' Well-Being Through AI-Based Neurocognitive and Language Training | £78,560.14 |
| Edinburgh Napier University | AI Gaps: A Comparative Study on Developing a Robust AI Maturity Framework for the UK and Japan | £60,005.60 |