The Council for Science and Technology Policy (CSTP) has mandated that “funding agencies introduce a program officer (PO) system.”  To satisfy this requirement, JSPS established the Research Center for Science Systems within its organization in July 2003.  A PO system as defined by CSTP is one in which researchers play a key role in the management of government-funded programs, including their planning, selection, evaluation and follow-up.
The Center is a think tank comprising a staff of frontline researchers. Program Officers administer project selections and evaluations over a broad spectrum of JSPS programs. They also provide advice to enhance JSPS's scientific systems and conduct surveys and research on science promotion policies.