On 12 May 2005 at the Academy’s headquarters in Helsinki, JSPS and the Academy of Finland(AF) signed a new blanket agreement aimed at further developing bilateral collaboration between them. The original agreement, concluded in 1998, had covered joint research, seminars, and researcher and postdoc exchanges. Not limited to such conventional forms of exchange, the new agreement emphasizes support for collaboration between centers of excellence (COEs) and other more flexible and diverse forms of cooperation.

At the signing ceremony, the new agreement was executed by JSPS president Prof. Motoyuki Ono and AF president Mr. Raimo Väyrynen.