What is WPI?

Competition for securing the world’s finest brains has intensified over recent years.  So that Japan may take a world lead by virtue of its strength in science and technology amidst this demanding environment, it needs to place itself within the global flow of outstanding human resources while creating open research platforms that attract such people from around the globe.

Given this perception, the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) provides concentrated support for projects implemented by Japanese universities and research institutes aimed at building top world-level research centers staffed by the highest caliber of core researchers. By achieving a very high research standard and providing an excellent research environment, these centers should possess a level of "global visibility" that attracts top researchers from around the world. They are given a high degree of autonomy, allowing them to virtually revolutionize conventional modes of research operation and administration in Japan.

The program is underscored by four main concepts: advancing leading edge research, establishing international research environments, reforming research organizations, and creating interdisciplinary domains. To realize them, the WPI centers advance research activities and create new disciplines under the strong leadership of their center director.

Program Contents

• Targeted fields
  • Fields of basic research
• Funding period
  • 10-15 years
• Project Funding
  • Around ¥1.4 billion per year per center
• WPI center staffing
  • 10-20 world-class principal investigators
  • About 200 researchers and staffs
  • At least 30% of the researchers from overseas
• International-standard working and living environments
  • Strong leadership by center director
  • Merit-based salary system
  • Strong support functions for researchers
  • English as the primary working language
  • Housing and support for child education and daily living
• Follow-up Procedure
  • WPI Program Committee conducts follow-up activities on progress being made by the WPI centers with an eye to developing them into “highly visible research centers.”