Japan’s national research institute, Riken, is pushing back against government control so that it can choose its own research initiatives and fund them by commercializing findings. Forty-one years after its establishment, Riken became a governmental research institute in 1958 under what is now known as the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. This change in ownership made it difficult for Riken researchers to pursue projects that were not in accordance with or approved by federal policies. In relinquishing control to the government, Riken transferred its research focus to projects that would “yield reasonable outcomes” in approximately five years. Quality control checks on experimental data began to falter, leading to slapdash research findings that ultimately damaged the institute’s reputation, such as the “discovery” of STAP (Stimulus-Triggered Acquisition of Pluripotency) cell studies, which was later withdrawn by Riken on grounds of “fraudulent” research.

In 2016, Riken was granted more autonomy through its new designation as a national R&D agency, tasked with conducting international research collaborations to accelerate scientific innovation. However, Japan’s science budget has remained flat for several years, resulting in a lack of increase in grants to Riken and the resurrection of federal interference.

Riken is now searching for methods to establish its own source of revenue, asking government ministries to cut down on restrictions and requirements so that the institute can make its own investments and increase revenues from patent royalties.

Source: Nikkei Asian Review