Draft:World Premier International Research Center Initiative

The World Premier International Research Center Initiative, abbreviated as WPI, is a research grant program endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan..

Overview
The WPI program was established by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to support various research endeavors across Japan. MEXT commissions the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to take responsibility for grant selection and evaluation before WPI approves the support. As part of this initiative, 17 research centers, including but not limited to the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe and the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), have received support

The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), hosted by Tokyo Institute of Technology was funded in 2012 for $100 million over 10 years.

Research categories
As of 2022, 16 centers under the WPI program focus on four primary research domains:


 * 1) Origins: This category delves into understanding the beginnings and fundamental aspects of the universe.
 * 2) Life: Research here encompasses various biological processes and life-centric phenomena.
 * 3) Materials/Energy: This segment is dedicated to studying potential materials and energy sources.
 * 4) Measurement: The focus is on innovating methodologies and technologies for scientific measurements.

Research centers

 * Osaka University: Premium Research Institute for Human Metaverse Medicine (PRIMe) -
 * Hiroshima University: International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (SKCM²) - FY2022
 * Keio University: Human Biology-Microbiome-Quantum Research Center (Bio2Q) - FY2022
 * High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK): International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles (QUP) - FY2021
 * Hokkaido University: Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (ICReDD) - FY2018
 * Kyoto University: Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi) - FY2018
 * The University of Tokyo: International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN) - FY2017
 * Kanazawa University: Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI) - FY2017
 * University of Tsukuba: International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (IIIS) - FY2012
 * Tokyo Institute of Technology: Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) - FY2012
 * Nagoya University: Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM) - FY2012
 * Kyushu University: International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I²CNER) - FY2010
 * Tohoku University: Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) - FY2007
 * The University of Tokyo: Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) - FY2007
 * Kyoto University: Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) - FY2007
 * Osaka University: Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC) - FY2007

Administration and selection
The administrative and evaluative aspects of the WPI program, including grant selection and project assessment, are handled by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), as commissioned by MEXT.