Mirai 2024-2026

The Nordic Circle - Osaka, Japan October 9, 2025

Through a generous invitation from Umeå Municipality and with the support of Business Sweden, MIRAI will be hosting a full day of activities under the title "Innovating for the Future: Strengthening Sweden-Japan Collaboration Across Academia and Industry."

The aim of this event is to foster cross-sector collaboration between academia, industry, and financiers to drive innovation and advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By bringing together key stakeholders from Sweden and Japan, the event will provide a platform to explore and expand collaborative research opportunities, industry partnerships, and funding synergies.

This collaboration will accelerate progress in tackling global challenges such as health and aging, climate adaptation, resilient cities, and renewable energy. Ultimately, the event seeks to strengthen Sweden-Japan research and innovation partnerships, enhancing both nations’ contributions to a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future.

Learn more about the Nordic Pavilion EXPO 2025 Osaka Nordic Circle

The following advanced goals have been set for the third phase of MIRAI:

• Contribute to solving global challenges by setting up groups where researchers from MIRAI universities work together across and beyond institutions, countries, disciplines and sectors.
• Create an environment to promote long-term research collaborations.
• Facilitate PhD student and researcher mobility.
• Promote innovation and entrepreneurship in education and research and facilitate joint efforts between academia, industry and external partners.

Global Challenges Teams (GCTs)
Instead of the previous academic focus areas, for the project 2024-2026 MIRAI will form four Global Challenges teams, for the targeted challenges. Each university could nominate two researchers to participate in the Global Challenge Teams. Linnaeus researchers participating is Anna Sandgren in challenge 1, Health and an Ageing Population and Leteng Lin in challenge 4, Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage: Renewable Energy, Solar Energy Conversion, Electrification, Sustainable Processes, and Use of Resources.

Find the members of the teams and their activities:

Challenge 1: Health and an Ageing Population (Part of SDG 3)

Challenge 2: Climate Adaption, Disaster and Risk Management and Prevention (Part of SDG 13)

Challenge 3: Resilient Cities and Communities - Policies, Strategies, Local Government, and Urban Planning (Part of SDG 11)

Challenge 4: Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage: Renewable Energy, Solar Energy Conversion, Electrification, Sustainable Processes, and Use of Resources (Part of SDG 7)

There are 17 universities in MIRAI, 10 Swedish and 7 Japanese.

Contact information to the different universities is found on mirai.nu

Swedish universities

• Umeå University (coordinating university)
• Jönköping University
• Karlstad University
• Linnaeus University
• Linköping University
• Luleå University of Technology
• Stockholm School of Economics
• University of Gothenburg
• Uppsala University
• Örebro University

Japan

• Kyushu University (coordinating university)
• Hiroshima University
• Nagoya University
• Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)
• Sophia University
• Tohoku University
• Waseda University

There are several funding opportunities for Swedish Japanese collaborations, you can find updated information on MIRAI.nu.

The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) granted the MIRAI collaboration ten million SEK for the project period 2024–2026. Read the article "STINT approves SEK 10 million in strategic funding to MIRAI"

Call for Applications

MIRAI Japanese-Swedish mobility grant for Early-Career Researchers 2025-2026

Linnaeus University is pleased to announce a call within the MIRAI collaboration: STINT Work Package ECR: Longer-Term Mobility for PhD Students and Early Career Researchers. This program presents a unique opportunity for Linnaeus University to send candidates for extended research stays in Japan and to welcome Japanese researchers from the MIRAI network partners, fostering deeper collaboration in research and education.

Through this initiative, Linnaeus University opens for two (2) PhD candidates or Early Career Researchers (ECR) going to Japan and to host one (1) Japanese researchers at Linnaeus University in Sweden. The incoming spot for Japanese PhD candidate/ECR will be open to applicants from Sophia University.

General Application Requirements:

• Applicants must be current doctoral students or ECR have earned their doctorate in 2021 or later.
• Mobility duration must be a minimum of 5 consecutive months.
• Applicants must remain employed by their home university throughout their stay in Sweden/Japan and continue receiving their full salary.
• All mobility periods must conclude by December 31, 2026, with participants back in their home country by this date.
• Applicants are responsible for researching and fulfilling visa requirements for the destination country. While relevant information will be provided, they must ensure compliance through due diligence.
• The mobility must take place at one of the MIRAI partner universities.

This mobility is funded by STINT (The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education).

Call and application form is found on Medarbetare and MIRAI.nu. Deadline is May 15, 2025.

Seed funding

Lnu researcher awarded MIRAI STINT seed funding 2025

With support from the STINT grant, MIRAI launched a call for seed funding to foster groundbreaking research collaborations. This initiative aims to strengthen and expand both existing and new partnerships among MIRAI member universities, driving innovation through bold ideas and visionary projects.

In response, MIRAI received 43 compelling submissions. Following a rigorous evaluation by four Global Challenges Teams (GCTs), alongside the Board of Directors and General Assembly, 11 outstanding projects—representing approximately 25% of all applications—were selected for funding. This strategic investment underscores MIRAI’s commitment to advancing pioneering research and fostering global collaboration.

Associate Professor Leteng Lin, Linnaeus University member of the MIRAI Global Challenge Team Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage: renewable energy, solar energy conversion, electrification, sustainable processes and use of resources was awarded funding for the project “BioC-Stora: Biomass-derived Carbon material for Energy Storage applications” with Japanese main applicant M. Yoshizawa-Fujita from Sophia University. Co-applicants are with Hiroshima University, Kyushu University and Linnaeus University.

- I am excited and encourage that our BioC-Stora project secured MIRAI seed funding in such a competitive landscape, which underscores the innovative potential of our project. This grant fuels my ongoing dual commitment as an active researcher and a member of the GCT Materials. Collaborating with leading Japanese researchers through MIRAI has been pivotal, and this funding allows us to accelerate our work on biomass-derived carbon materials for next-generation energy storage. It’s a testament to international synergy and Linnaeus University’s commitment to impactful, cross-border science.

All MIRAI seed funded projects. 

STINT

Research funding in Japan

Japan, the world's fourth-largest economy and a top investor in research and development (R&D), plays a key role in global science, technology, and innovation. The country is particularly strong in natural sciences and consistently performs well in global rankings.

STINT has released a report explaining Japan's research funding system, focusing on opportunities for international researchers. It provides an overview of key government programs available to non-Japanese scientists, offering practical guidance on accessing funding and navigating the research landscape in Japan.

Research Funding in Japan: A Practical Guide for International Researchers

Additionally, STINT has created the Japanese Grants Navigator, a tool designed to help researchers explore funding opportunities. It includes options from Japanese public funding agencies, open to international applicants, including those from Sweden, with concise descriptions and eligibility details.

Further details are available on STINT's website.