About

The primary function of EIG CONCERT-Japan is to organize joint European-Japanese research calls for proposals and other research-related activities with the aim to enhance STI cooperation and exchange between the two regions. By facilitating international research collaboration and fostering exchange between the European and Japanese researcher communities, the initiative seeks to facilitate modern research and foster innovation that can lead to scientific advances in areas of common importance to Europe and Japan such as energy, environment, and technology, among others.

The EIG CONCERT-Japan membership is made up of a number of funding agencies and ministries in Europe and Japan and works as an independent body, which is governed in such a way as to flexibly be able to organize calls for proposals and other activities based on continually monitoring developing trends in the STI world.

EIG CONCERT-Japan began as CONCERT-Japan, an ERA-NET program funded by the 7th EU Framework Program for Research and Technical Development (FP7) from 2011 to 2014. As an FP7 project, CONCERT-Japan had a high impact on the coherence and coordination of European collaboration and joint funding activities with Japan as a partner country.

At the end of this period, the success of the program until that point called for its continuation, as a result of which the European Interest Group (EIG) was founded as a flexible successor platform for communication and coordination among STI institutions in Europe and Japan. The program is now continuing independently of EU support under the name of EIG CONCERT-Japan.

A dedicated Program Secretariat, funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and hosted at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), is responsible for coordinating and developing the program with its members, including administrating the various calls of the program and organizing other activities.