Research for Society – Dialogue between Young Researchers and Funders -

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals provide researchers and funders a common language to confront enormous and complex global challenges. Using this common language, how can science and technology better contribute to accomplish the goals? How can researchers utilize research funds to advance their careers and serve the world at the same time? How can funders support research while maximizing limited resources? Does international research collaboration really benefit researchers, and how can it help solve global issues?
In this session, young researchers and young funding experts from around the globe will discuss how can researchers and funders collaborate together to better contribute to the SDGs. The session aims to find common points of interest among its diverse international participants, and stimulate proposals for more feasible and attractive supports for researchers. The audience is welcome to join in with group discussions and share their ideas.

Moderator

Osamu Kobayashi
Director of the Department of International Affairs, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan

Speaker

David Sweeney
Executive Chair, Research England, UK

Group Discussion Leaders

Melanie Cullins
Executive Director, International Innovation Office, National Research Council Canada, Canada
Nugroho Dwi Hananto
Acting Head of Deep Sea Research Center, LIPI, Indonesia
Nare Prudence Makhura
Director for Overseas Collaborative Grants and Initiatives, Knowledge Advancement and Support (KAS), National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa
David Sweeney
Executive Chair, Research England, UK

Special Guest

Mohamed H A Hassan
President of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Italy

Pitch Presenters

Barbara Kabai Burmen	Senior Research Officer, Kenya Medical Research Institute and Centers for Disease Control Research and Public Health collaboration, Kenya
Tsunenori Kameda	Unit Leader, Division of Biotechnology, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Japan
Annop Klamchuen	Team Leader, Nanocharacterization Research Team, NANOTEC, Thailand
Mattheus Theodor Loots	Senior Lecturer, Department of Statistics, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Norazira Abdu Rahman	Doctoral student, Department of Aquatic Bioscience, University of Tokyo, Japan
Hichem Sebai	Associate Professor, Department of Animal Biotechnology, Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Beja, University of Jendouba, Tunisia (TBC)
Patricia Silveyra	Associate Professor & Director, Biobehavioral Laboratory, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
Yoshinori Utsumi	Research Scientist, Center for Sustainable Resource Science/ Plant Genomic Network Research Team, RIKEN, Japan
Koen Vermeir	Associate Research Professor, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), France (TBC)

Keywords

STI for SDGs, Research for Development, Research for Society, International, funder

SDGsはその課題目標の普遍的な定義設定により、複雑に影響しあう様々な社会課題、地球規模課題の解決に科学技術をつうじて立ち向かう際の共通の価値観を共有する指標を、研究者やファンディング機関等の科学技術ステークホルダーに提供している。
このセッションでは、筑波会議のメインテーマである「Society 5.0-SDGsを見据えた目指すべき社会のあり方とその実現に向けて取り組むべき課題」に関連し、研究をつうじて社会課題・地球規模課題を解決しSDGs達成に貢献すべく活動している内外の若手研究者やファンディング機関関係者等が、その活動のあるべき姿について意見交換を実施し、実践可能で効果的な研究活動モデルについて議論する。
すなわち、SDGs というこの共通の指標を前提として、科学技術はSDGsの達成にどのように貢献できるのか？研究者はキャリアアップと同時に、普遍的な社会課題・地球規模課題の解決を通じて人類社会に貢献できるのか？ファンディング機関にとって限られた資源（人材、資金、研究資源等）を最大限に活用できる研究支援や、研究者にとって有益な国際研究協力などのあり方は何か？その国際研究協力が社会課題・地球規模課題を解決するのにどのように役立つのか？などを議論するものである。
本セッションではスピーカーのみならず、全参加者の積極的なグループディスカッションへの参加と貢献が期待される。