JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency): Funding Overview

JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) is one of Japan’s two major national research-funding agencies operating under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). If you searched for “JST” expecting Japan Standard Time, the Joint Services Transcript, or a connector standard, this page is not that — it covers the funding agency specifically, using its full name to keep that distinction clear from the outset.

This guide explains what JST is, the kind of research it funds, its main program families, how it fits into Japan’s wider funding landscape, and — because the two are easily confused — exactly how it differs from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), a separate agency with a similarly formatted name and an overlapping MEXT reporting line.

What JST is

JST traces to the Japan Information Center of Science and Technology (JICST, established 1957) and the Research Development Corporation of Japan (JRDC, established 1961), which merged in 1996 to form the Japan Science and Technology Corporation. That organization was reorganized in 2003 into the present-day Japan Science and Technology Agency. JST’s current formal legal status is a National Research and Development Agency (国立研究開発法人) — a category of Japanese public corporation created specifically for organizations whose core mission is research and development, distinct from the general-purpose Independent Administrative Institution category. JST is overseen by MEXT and the Cabinet Office’s Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI), which sets the national science-and-technology strategy that many of JST’s programs are designed to implement.

Where a curiosity-driven, investigator-initiated funder asks researchers what they want to study, JST is built the other way around: much of its portfolio funds research and innovation activity aimed at government-set strategic priorities — from basic science with a defined national-strategy rationale, to international joint research under intergovernmental science-and-technology agreements, to bridging university research toward practical application. It is not a single grant program but an agency running several distinct funding schemes with different purposes, eligibility structures, and funding scales.

JST vs. JSPS: two separate agencies, easily confused

JST and JSPS are separate Japanese government agencies, not two names for the same organization. Both report to MEXT, both fund research, and both have similarly structured acronym names built from “Japan + Science” — which is exactly why the confusion happens. They are not interchangeable:

• JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) is Japan’s closest counterpart to a curiosity-driven, investigator-initiated research council — comparable in character to the US National Science Foundation, UKRI’s research councils, or Germany’s DFG. Its flagship program, KAKENHI (Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research), is peer-reviewed, competitive, bottom-up funding open to individual researchers and teams across all disciplines. See CASRAI’s JSPS funding overview and KAKENHI guide for detail.
• JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) — the subject of this page — funds strategically directed, mission-oriented research and innovation: team-based strategic basic research tied to government-set priorities, international collaborative research under bilateral and multilateral science agreements, and programs that bridge academic research toward commercialization. JST does not administer KAKENHI and is not a general-purpose peer-review funder for investigator-initiated proposals in the way JSPS is.

A practical rule of thumb for an international collaborator: if a Japanese colleague mentions applying for “KAKENHI” or a JSPS fellowship, that is JSPS’s peer-review system. If they mention a strategic program with a name like CREST, ERATO, or SICORP, tied to a defined national research priority or an intergovernmental agreement, that is JST. Other mission-specific agencies exist alongside both — for example AMED for medical and health research — and operate independently of JST and JSPS alike.

JST’s main funding program families

JST’s program portfolio is organized around a small number of distinct purposes rather than one uniform grant mechanism.

1. Strategic Basic Research Programs

This is JST’s core basic-research portfolio, funding research aligned with strategic goals set by the Japanese government rather than open, investigator-defined topics. It includes several named programs with different scales and structures:

• CREST funds team-oriented research aimed at producing the technological seeds for future science-and-technology innovation, aligned to government-set strategic research areas.
• ERATO (Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology), founded in 1981, funds larger, single-research-director-led exploratory projects intended to establish new fields of science and technology.
• PRESTO and ACT-X fund individual (rather than team) research within the same strategic-priority framework, generally aimed at earlier-career researchers than CREST or ERATO.

These programs are generally restricted to research conducted at institutions in Japan; an overseas researcher’s most realistic route into them is as a named collaborator on a Japan-based team’s project, not as an independent applicant. Current calls, eligible research areas, and funding terms should always be confirmed on JST’s own site rather than assumed from a prior cycle, since the specific strategic areas funded change with each call.

2. International collaborative research programs

JST runs dedicated programs for research conducted jointly between Japan-based and overseas researchers, generally under formal government-to-government science-and-technology cooperation frameworks:

• SICORP (Strategic International Collaborative Research Program) funds joint research carried out under intergovernmental science-and-technology cooperation agreements between Japan and partner countries or regions, in fields MEXT has prioritized. It runs as an equal-partnership model: a joint call is issued with the partner country’s own funding body, projects are jointly selected, and each side’s researchers are typically funded by their own national agency rather than one side funding the other.
• SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development) is run jointly by JST and JICA (the Japan International Cooperation Agency), funding research partnerships between Japan-based researchers and researchers in developing countries on global and sustainability-related challenges, coordinated with Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) framework, with a stated aim of eventual practical use of the research outcomes in the partner country.

For an overseas institution, the practical entry point into either program is usually a Japan-based counterpart researcher who is eligible to apply, plus (for SICORP in particular) a matching national funding opportunity issued by the researcher’s own country’s funding body under the same joint call — not a direct, unilateral application to JST.

3. Research-to-application and innovation programs

JST also runs programs oriented toward moving academic research findings toward practical and commercial application — commonly grouped under the A-STEP (Adaptable and Seamless Technology transfer Program) name — alongside science-communication, researcher-training, and information-infrastructure activities that fall outside its research-funding programs proper. These are generally less relevant to an international collaborator than the two categories above, but they are part of why JST’s remit is often summarized as “science, technology, and innovation” rather than “research funding” alone.

How an international researcher or institution engages with JST

Unlike JSPS, which runs dedicated inbound fellowship tracks built specifically for individual overseas researchers to work in Japan, JST’s international engagement model is built around project-level, agency-to-agency collaboration rather than individual fellowships:

1. A Japan-based eligible researcher or institution is generally required. Most JST programs, including the Strategic Basic Research Programs and SICORP, require the lead applicant to be based at a Japanese institution; an overseas researcher typically participates as a named collaborator rather than as the lead applicant.
2. International collaborative funding usually runs through a matched call. For SICORP specifically, funding is coordinated with a partner-country funding agency issuing its own, parallel call — so the starting point for a non-Japanese researcher is often that home-country agency’s announcement, not a JST page directly.
3. SATREPS applications are coordinated with JICA and are structured around a joint Japan – partner-country research team addressing a defined development or sustainability challenge, rather than an individual application.
4. Review and selection criteria vary by program and generally assess both the scientific/technical merit of the proposal and its fit with the strategic priority or intergovernmental framework the specific call was issued under.

Because eligible countries, priority research areas, funding scales, and deadlines change between calls and vary by program, the authoritative source for current terms is always JST’s own English-language site (jst.go.jp/EN) for the specific program in question, or the partner-country funding agency’s own call for a jointly run program like SICORP.

Related CASRAI content

For the closely related agency this page distinguishes JST from, see the JSPS funding overview and the KAKENHI guide. For international funding more broadly, see the grants-management pillar page, how to find a research funding sponsor, and funding opportunity databases. Institutions coordinating cross-border collaboration should also see export control (EAR/ITAR) and international research collaboration.

Frequently asked questions

Is JST the same organization as JSPS?

No. JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) and JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) are separate Japanese government agencies that both report to MEXT but fund different kinds of research. JSPS’s flagship program, KAKENHI, is investigator-initiated, peer-reviewed funding open across all disciplines. JST funds strategically directed research and innovation programs tied to government-set priorities and international science-and-technology cooperation agreements. They are not competing versions of the same agency.

What does JST stand for, and is it about Japan Standard Time?

In a research-funding context, JST stands for the Japan Science and Technology Agency. “JST” is also a common abbreviation for Japan Standard Time and for other unrelated things (a Joint Services Transcript, a connector standard); this page covers the funding agency only.

Can a researcher outside Japan apply directly to JST?

Generally not as an independent, unilateral applicant. Most JST research programs require a Japan-based lead researcher or institution, with overseas researchers participating as named collaborators. International collaborative programs like SICORP and SATREPS are structured around joint Japan – partner-country teams and, for SICORP, a matched call issued by the partner country’s own funding agency.

What is the difference between CREST and ERATO?

Both are part of JST’s Strategic Basic Research Programs, but CREST funds team-oriented research toward strategic goals, while ERATO funds larger, single-research-director-led exploratory projects aimed at establishing new fields of science and technology. PRESTO and ACT-X, also part of the same framework, fund individual (non-team) research, generally aimed at earlier-career researchers.

Where do I find current JST funding calls and eligibility?

Always check the specific program’s page on JST’s English-language site (jst.go.jp/EN) directly, or for jointly run international programs, the partner-country funding agency’s own call for applications. Eligible countries, priority research areas, and funding terms are revised between calls.