Korea Brain Research Institute signs MOU with Japan's NIPS for neuroscience collaboration

South Korea and Japan's leading brain and neuroscience research institutions have joined forces for collaborative research.

The Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI) signed a memorandum of understanding Monday with Japan's National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS) to promote academic exchange and joint research in brain science.

The agreement aims to link the two institutions' research across molecular and cellular neurobiology, systems neuroscience and non-human primate studies, while expanding joint research activities and researcher exchanges.

Under the MOU, the two institutions will identify and carry out joint research projects, exchange researchers and scientific personnel, and organize joint lectures, seminars, symposiums and workshops. They also plan to share research infrastructure — including non-human primate research resources and advanced brain science research platforms — as well as research technologies, methodologies and expertise.

The collaboration will particularly focus on extending findings from the molecular and cellular level to research on brain function at the systems and whole-organism level. The two institutions plan to broaden the scope of joint research by combining KBRI's research capabilities with NIPS's accumulated experience and resources in non-human primate studies, and to build a sustainable framework for cooperation through education and personnel exchanges.

NIPS is an institute under Japan's National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) that conducts research into the mechanisms underlying brain and bodily functions, drawing on physiology and neuroscience. It also pursues joint research and international academic exchange using advanced research infrastructure.

"Our collaboration with NIPS will be an important opportunity to connect multiple layers of brain science research — from molecular and cellular studies to systems and non-human primate research," KBRI President Lee Seung-bok said. "We will invigorate joint research and researcher exchanges based on the strengths of both institutions, and particularly by sharing experience and expertise in non-human primate research, we aim to advance our work to a world-class level," he added.