tokyo

Prominent basic research institutes in Japan, such as the Institute of Space and Astronomical Sciences, appear likely to be added to the list of organizations due to be transformed into semi-autonomous ‘agencies’, with greater managerial independence.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (Monbusho) is considering whether the National Research Institutes for Joint University Use should be included in reform plans aimed at improving the nation's administration (see Nature 389, 897; 897; 1997). These institutes provide facilities and equipment for domestic and international researchers.

The institutes — which include the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization and the National Institute of Genetics — would become semi-autonomous, alongside research institutes attached to science-related ministries, such as the National Institute for Environment Studies.

In proposing the move last month, the government said that the focus of these bodies on research showed that their role in university education was minimal, and that they were therefore equivalent to the national research institutes.

The plan, which is likely to be formally adopted next month, will give each institute its own management system and an external assessment body to review its performance. The new status will give the institutes greater flexibility in funding, for example by allowing them to carry over unspent research funds to the next fiscal year.

Concern had been raised over the plan's emphasis on financial performance, but these targets have been revised and would no longer apply to long-term basic research. Although the restructuring will include an accounting system comparable to that of private companies, it will not require cost-related performance from research institutes.