About WPI program

WPI Program

In 2007, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) launched the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) in their commitment to make Japan an outstanding place to conduct scientific research.

The WPI Initiative's goal is to create outstanding centers of research in Japan that can compete in the global environment. By breaking away from the conventional modes of research operation and administration in this country, the program aims to attract globally competitive researchers to come to Japan.

The WPI Initiative highlights four main concepts to be realized under the strong leadership of each center's director.

Advancement of leading edge research

Establishing international research environments
Reforming research organizations
Creating interdisciplinary domains
Currently there are nine research institutes participating in the WPI Initiative. ELSI, one of the nine, was selected in December 2012.

For more information about the WPI Initiative, please refer to the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) or the MEXT websites.

World Premier International Research Center (WPI) Initiative