Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development Program - SATREPS

JICA announces 12 Newly Selected Projects in FY2025:

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announces the following 12 projects provisionally^*1 selected in four research fields — the environment and energy (two areas: the environment, carbon neutrality), bioresources, disaster prevention and mitigation, infectious diseases control for SATREPS in FY2025, based on the selection results with the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). These projects will be carried out after discussion and agreement with the partner countries regarding project implementation and details.

SATREPS is a collaborative program implemented by JICA, JST, and AMED aiming to enhance science and technology diplomacy with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan. The program targets global issues and promotes social implementation of international joint research outcomes based on the needs of developing countries. The objectives of this program are to acquire new knowledge and technologies that will lead to an advancement in the level of science and technology for resolving global issues, and through this process, to foster innovation. International joint research under this program also aims to enhance the research and development capabilities of developing countries, and to help create sustainable research systems which could address and resolve issues related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As stated in the “Development Cooperation Charter,” revised in June 2023, JICA emphasizes "co-creation," whereby various actors bring their strengths together under a common goal to solve complex and intertwined development issues. From this perspective, by enhancing collaboration with universities and research institutions, the agency seeks to not only find new solutions to development issues, but also to maximize development impacts. It will do so by circulating international intellect through exchanges and joint research among students and researchers from developing countries and Japan, and by improving the scientific and technological capabilities of both parties.

*1. Selected provisionally
To start a project, an international agreement confirming implementation of the project needs to be concluded between the MOFA of Japan and the government of the counterpart country, followed by an agreement on the details of technical cooperation between JICA and the research counterpart(s) of the respective country. Depending on the situation in the counterpart country or the results of discussion on details with the research counterpart, the project may be modified or even terminated. For this reason, these projects at this stage are referred to as “selected provisionally”.

Research contributing to the solution to global-scale environmental issues

“Project for Implementing Water Quality Monitoring and Purification Technologies to Mitigate Health Risks for Antimicrobial Resistances (AMR) in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area”
[People's Republic of Bangladesh]
(Professor WATANABE Kozo; Division of Ecosystem Health Sciences, Center for Marine Environmental Studies, Ehime University)

“The Project for big data platform for water environment monitoring and data-driven policy implementation”
[Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka]
(Professor KAZAMA So; Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University)

“The Project for Development of Digital Network Platform for integrated modelling to assess Grassland and Gobi Desert Ecosystem resilience against Climate Change and human activities”
[Mongolia]
(Professor NAGAI Masahiko; Center for Research and Application of Satellite Remote Sensing, Organization for Research Initiatives, Yamaguchi University)

Research contributing to the sustainable use of resources and energy with a view to achieving carbon neutrality

“The Project for the Conversion of Weeds and Crop Residues into Organic Fertilizer and Electricity for Agriculture Production in Mine Clearance Areas in Banan district, Battambang Province in Northwestern Cambodia, by Introducing of Rumen Hybrid Methane Fermentation System”
[Kingdom of Cambodia]
(Associate Professor BABA Yasunori; Research Institute for Biotechnology, Ishikawa Prefectural University)

“The Project for Regional BCG Economy and Carbon Neutrality with Hydrothermal-Based Biorefinery for Coastal Ecosystem”
[Kingdom of Thailand]
(Professor, KIDA Tetsuya; Institute of Industrial Nanomaterials (IINa), Kumamoto University)

Research contributing to sustainable production and utilization of bioresources

“The Project for Development and Promotion of Sustainable Perennial Rice Production System using Multiple Crop Harvesting Technologies”
[Republic of Uganda]
(Professor SAKAGAMI Jun-Ichi; Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University)

“The Project for implementation of a comprehensive sweet potato seedling management system for national food security”
[Solomon Islands]
(Associate Professor MAEJIMA Kensaku; Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo)

“The Project for mitigation of wheat blast by integrated pest management”
[Republic of Paraguay]
(Associate Professor IKEDA Kenichi; Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kobe University)

Research contributing to disaster prevention and mitigation towards social sustainability

“The Project for Improvement of Inundation Forecast to Develop Flood Resilient Society under Climate Change”
[People's Republic of Bangladesh]
(Professor TERAO Toru; Faculty of Education, Kagawa University)

“The Project on Integrated Risk Assessment and Community-Based Early Warning System for Landslides and Debris Flows in Central Vietnam: Harnessing Remote-Sensing Technologies and Evaluating Mitigation Measures with Cost-Benefit Analysis in Hue”
[Socialist Republic of Viet Nam]
(Professor WAKAI Akihiko; Graduate School of Science and Technology, Gunma University)

Research on measures to address infectious diseases control attuned to the needs of developing countries

“The project for the development of an infection and pathological risk assessment system for leishmaniasis and Chagas disease”
[Republic of Ecuador]
(Professor KATO Hirotomo ; School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University)

“The Project for Research and Development for the Control of HDV infection”
[Mongolia]
(Associate Professor KOMA Takaaki ; Graduate School of Medicine, Tokushima University)