The JSPS Research Fellow-DC Friendship Meeting 2025 was held at the Kyoto International Conference Center on Saturday, July 5, 2025.

Last year the JSPS Research Fellow-DC Friendship Meeting was held for the newly selected fellows of the academic year 2024 for the first time. The purpose of the event was to facilitate cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional interaction among the DCs, who are Japan's top young researchers selected through a rigorous competitive process. 

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the JSPS Research Fellowships for Young Scientists. Due to this special year the eligibility to participate in the JSPS Research Fellow-DC Friendship Meeting 2025 has been expanded to all JSPS Research Fellow-DCs. Consequently, a total of 705 DCs from all over Japan attended the event.

The morning session was dedicated to creating relationship and networking with other participants. The participants were organized into groups of six and in each group, participants presented their research themes and findings, fostering meaningful dialogue and enriching the discussion.

The event in the afternoon at the Main Hall began with an opening speech by JSPS President SUGINO Tsuyoshi. This was followed by a video message from Dr. ABE Toshiko, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and a congratulatory speech and lecture by Prof. YANAGISAWA Masashi of the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba, WPI center.

Subsequently, during the Senior Researcher Lectures and Group Discussions session, participants were dispersed across 11 designated venues. In each venue, senior researchers delivered lectures on their career paths or approaches to work-life balance, leading participants into group discussions that fostered deeper engagement with the themes presented. The atmosphere across all venues was energetic and filled with enthusiasm. 

Participants shared highly positive feedback, including the following remarks:
"Seeing so many of my peers working hard truly sparked my motivation to pursue research." 
“Meeting others with shared interests and challenges was truly uplifting and will remain a motivating force moving forward.”
"It was a valuable opportunity to practice communicating the appeal of my research within a limited time frame."
“Exchanging perspectives on the researchers we aspire to become and our envisioned career paths helped me gain clarity about my own future.”