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Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's (MEXT) FY2006 　　"Creation of Innovation Centers for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research Areas" 　　Scheme, proposed by the Ministry's Science and Technology Policy Bureau

Okayama University’s research project on the “center for integrated creation of nanobio-targeted 　　　therapy” has been selected by MEXT for initial funding under the FY2006 “Creation of Innovation 　　　Centers for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research Areas” scheme from the Ministry’s Science and 　　　Technology Policy Bureau. 　　　A key funding scheme that follows up on the Ministry’s Super COE (Center of Excellence) program, 　　　nine projects, including Okayama University’s, out of forty-six applications were selected in the 　　　hopes of “creating innovations,” the single most important task laid out in MEXT’s third-term Science 　　　and Technology Basic Plan. Unlike other government-subsidized projects in the past, this program 　　　assumes research and development in interdisciplinary, integrated fields, and demands substantial and 　　　major commitments from enterprises that are involved in industry-academia-government projects. 　　　The program will fund selected projects in advanced integrated technological fields, which are expected 　　　to contribute to technical innovations that can be applied to industrial and practical use within ten to 　　　fifteen years. At that point, industry is expected to make efforts to create a market for the developed 　　　technologies. Another feature of this program is that a university and an enterprise are required to be 　　　equally involved in creating the collaborative framework of the “center” from the planning stage. 　　　This is essentially a competitive fund: after three years of initial funding, only several programs are 　　　expected to continue for another seven years, based on the assessment at that point.