Path to the Science Council Japan’s Large-Scale Research Program (Master Plan)

Abstract

The Science Council of Japan has developed a Master Plan for Large-Scale Research Programs to guide important research initiatives across academic fields in the country. Starting from the 2014 Master Plan, the council has been regularly soliciting and selecting concrete project proposals from the scientific community, aided by scientific committees, at three-year intervals. The members of Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy participated in the 2014 Master Plan and continued as a priority large-scale research project in the 2017 and 2020 iterations. This article outlines the development and history of this process.