Arai Attends STS Forum Annual Meeting
Overview
METI Vice-Minister for International Affairs Arai attended the 23rd Annual Meeting of the STS Forum in Kyoto. He met with Thai officials and representatives of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, witnessed the signing of a cooperation memorandum between NEDO and NSTDA, and spoke at a session. He discussed Japan-Thailand cooperation in quantum technology and space, as well as Japan-EU research and innovation cooperation, and presented Japan’s efforts to harness science, technology, and innovation.
Key points
- METI Vice-Minister Arai attended the 23rd Annual Meeting of the STS Forum.
- NEDO and NSTDA signed a memorandum of cooperation.
- Arai discussed Japan-EU research and innovation cooperation with the Director-General of the JRC.
Overview
On Sunday, October 4, METI Vice-Minister Arai attended the 23rd Annual Meeting of the STS Forum (Science and Technology in Society Forum), held in Kyoto, where he spoke at a session and met with participants.
Impact
Under the memorandum of cooperation, NEDO and NSTDA will strengthen collaboration between the two organizations on applying science, technology, and innovation to address energy and environmental challenges and support industry.
The meeting confirmed the importance of further advancing cooperation between the JRC and NEDO, including in technology intelligence and hydrogen.
Details
In a meeting with Yotchanan Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation of Thailand, the participants exchanged views on Japan-Thailand cooperation in quantum technology and space. In the presence of Vice-Minister Arai and others, NEDO and Thailand’s National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) signed a memorandum of cooperation.
At the session “A World in Transition - Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future,” Vice-Minister Arai said that the power of science, technology, and innovation is essential to overcoming challenges such as climate change and uncertainty in energy supply and to opening the way to a sustainable future. He presented Japan’s efforts to realize a “nation built on new technologies” and promote Green Transformation (GX) and AI Transformation (AX).
In a meeting with Bernard Magenan, Director-General of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), the participants exchanged views on Japan-EU research and innovation cooperation. They discussed giving concrete form to research cooperation in light of Japan’s associated-country participation in Horizon Europe, collaboration with a view to the next research and innovation framework programme, and challenges and approaches to cooperation aimed at helping startups scale up.