Conducting joint research as part of the Japan-U.S. Brain Research
Cooperative Program
The Japan-U.S. Cooperative Program is a research and development program implemented in accordance with “the Agreement between the Government of Japan and Government of the United States of America on Cooperation in Research and Development in Science and Technology” (“the Agreement”; concluded June 20, 1988). The specifics of the implementation of this program are stipulated in “the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Japan-U.S. Cooperative Program” (decided upon on January 6, 2001 by the respective heads of the Science and Technology Policy Bureau, the Research Promotion Bureau, and the Research and Development Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). The program is implemented for each field by the relevant institutions on the Japanese side.
The Brain Research Cooperative Program is headed by the National Institute for Physiological Sciences of the National Institutes of Natural Sciences. A Memorandum of Understanding on joint research activities based on the Agreement was signed by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA and the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Japan.
The Research Plan Committee, which was established by the director of the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, is responsible for planning and designing research projects as well as for reviewing and coordinating them when they are implemented.
When conducting joint research as part of the Japan-U.S. Brain Research Cooperative Program, it is especially necessary to give due consideration to matters involving the handling of intellectual property rights. In accordance with Annex IV of the Agreement, which is titled “Protection and Distribution of Intellectual Property Rights and Other Rights of a Proprietary Nature,” Section III of the Memorandum stipulates that “Concerning the distribution of rights to and interests from inventions produced as a result of joint research, both parties shall establish their requirements and conditions before the commencement of joint research,” and that “Concerning the distribution of rights to and interests from intellectual property produced as a result of joint research, both parties shall establish their requirements and conditions before the commencement of joint research.”
In the interests of furthering joint research, please confer with the researchers from the U.S. side how inventions and intellectual property should be handled and otherwise maintain an awareness of matters regarding intellectual property rights so that difficulties do not arise with U.S. researchers.
We ask that you conduct joint research in the Brain Research Cooperative Program with an understanding of the concerns above.
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* This is an unofficial translation of "Matters to be noted in implementing joint studies". Only the original Japanese text has legal effect, and this translation is to be used solely as reference material to aid in understanding the original Japanese version.
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, USA AND NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR PHYSIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF NATURAL SCIENCES,JAPAN FOR A BRAIN RESEARCH COOPERATIVE PROGRAM
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, USA and the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Japan(the Institutes), share common interests in brain research. An agreement was signed on June 20, 1988 titled "Agreement Between the Government of Japan and the Government of the United States of America on Cooperation in Research and Development in Science and Technology"(the Agreement) that specifically identifies life sciences as a main area for cooperative activity. The Institutes hereby establish a brain research cooperative program based on the Agreement. The main focus of this cooperative program is studies of the molecular, cellular, and integrative mechanisms of mammalian, including human, brain function.
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*The name of the institute has been changed from Okazaki National Research Institutes to National Institutes of Natural Sciences in 2004.
Precautions regarding research activities overseas
When participating in research activities overseas, you should be aware that rules and procedures related to research activities often differ widely from research practices in Japan. For this reason, if you are planning on engaging in research activities at overseas institutions, you are advised to familiarize yourself with and develop a sufficient understanding of the rules imposed by the institution you will be affiliated with, as well as the domestic laws, rules, regulations, etc. of the country in which you are to reside, so as not to violate these laws, rules, and regulations or give the wrong impression to those around you when you are there. Furthermore, persons already engaged in research overseas are likewise advised to again familiarize themselves with and develop an understanding of rules of the institutions they are affiliated with and the domestic laws, rules, regulations, etc. of the countries in which they reside.
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* This is an unofficial translation of "Precautions regarding research activities overseas". Only the original Japanese text has legal effect, and this translation is to be used solely as reference material to aid in understanding the original Japanese version.
*URL in this PDF became dead links.