PMU-B Frontier Brainpower and Future Industries

PMU-B × JST NEXUS Biotechnology Joint Call

Funds Thai and Japanese teams through PMU-B and JST for biotechnology collaborations that combine complementary expertise.

PMU-B (Program Management Unit for Human Resources and Institutional Development, Research and Innovation) jointly administers the NEXUS program — Networked Exchange, United Strength for Stronger Partnerships — with Japan's Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). NEXUS is a bilateral Japan-Thailand research cooperation framework focused on biotechnology and designated priority research fields. Projects are fixed at 36 months and require a matched pair consisting of one Thai principal investigator and one Japanese principal investigator; solo Thai applications are not accepted. Thai-side funding is disbursed by PMU-B in THB; the Japanese side is separately funded by JST in JPY, and award amounts for each side were not disclosed in the JST program announcement.

The program targets universities and qualified research organizations; for-profit companies are not eligible as leads. Team size must include at least a two-person international pair (Thai + Japanese). Selection is jointly evaluated by scientific experts from both countries in consultation with JST and PMU-B. In the documented first selection round, 5 projects were funded out of 26 applications, reflecting an approximate 19% success rate — though this is a single-cycle data point and should be treated as indicative only. Topics in the biotechnology designation include fields aligned with both countries' life sciences priorities.

Applicants should identify a counterpart Japanese researcher and confirm alignment with the active NEXUS call's designated priority fields before submission. The application process is coordinated between JST and PMU-B; Thai applicants use the PMU-B funding portal at www.pmu-hr.or.th. The competitive nature of the selection (roughly one in five proposals funded) means a well-defined research question, clear bilateral complementarity, and a named Japanese partner with active JST affiliation are essential for a strong submission.