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EU and Japan agree to strengthen science and innovation ties

Image: Claudio Centonze, European Union

Leaders seek synergies between Japanese Moonshot programme and Horizon Europe

Research heads from the EU and Japan have agreed to increase cooperation on science, technology and innovation following a joint videoconference hosted by Japanese prime minister Shinzō Abe, European Council president Charles Michel and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on 26 May.

During the meeting, EU R&D commissioner Mariya Gabriel and Japanese science and technology minister Naokazu Takemoto signed a letter of intent to strengthen cooperation in these areas and to enhance the synergies between the EU’s 2021-27 R&D programme Horizon Europe and Japan’s Moonshot R&D programme.

“European and Japanese researchers and innovators will be able to cooperate more easily on global challenges such as health, climate change, digital transition and ageing societies, and to coordinate their efforts in fighting the coronavirus pandemic,” the Commission announced.

“Japan is one of our key partners,” said Gabriel (pictured with Akira Kono, deputy head of the mission of Japan to the EU). “The coronavirus crisis has shown that cooperation at international level in research and innovation is more than ever necessary, including through open access to data and results.”

A joint press release said the leaders had “reaffirmed their commitment to global collaboration and sustained funding for developing and deploying effective antiviral medicines, diagnostics, treatments and vaccines in order to make them available to all at an affordable price, [and] called for the future Covid-19 vaccine to become a global common good”.

Japan is a co-chair, with the EU, of the Global Response pledging marathon for Covid-19 solutions, to which it has contributed more than €760 million.

The move builds on previous collaboration with Japan, which the Commission described as “one of the EU’s closest and like-minded partners”. Japanese institutions and researchers have participated 163 times in projects funded by Horizon 2020.