MIRAI – Swedish-Japanese research collaboration for future solutions to global problems

The aim is to forge close ties between researchers in Sweden and Japan, thereby fostering long-term collaborations. The project adopts an interdisciplinary approach and focuses on four areas:

• Health and an ageing population.
• Climate adaptation, disaster and risk management, and preventive work.
• Resilient cities and communities – guidelines, strategies, local governance and urban planning.
• Materials for energy conversion and storage: renewable energy, solar energy conversion, electrification, sustainable processes and resource use.

MIRAI offers a range of opportunities for both organisations and individual researchers and doctoral students. The project aims to create new research contacts and networks in both Sweden and Japan. This is achieved, for example, through mobility programmes for doctoral students and postdocs, which enable longer research stays at partner universities in the other country.

There is a particular focus on strengthening the international networks of younger researchers and on providing them with opportunities to develop in global environments. Swedish master’s students have the opportunity to undertake internships at Swedish companies in Japan.

MIRAI has also previously distributed seed funding, enabling researchers to test interesting research ideas at an early stage. In the long term, it is hoped that this will lead to more substantial research grants from external funders. The project has now begun establishing contacts with the business communities in Japan and Sweden.

MIRAI was established in 2017. The project has now entered its third phase and has received funding from STINT, the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education.

Global Challenges Teams