Advanced Research & Development Programs for Medical Innovation (AMED-CREST / PRIME / LEAP)
Backs researchers and academic institutions through Advanced Medical Innovation, helping them access seed funding for medical breakthroughs.
This program builds time-limited research systems that cross organizational boundaries, targeting the generation and incubation of revolutionary breakthroughs in drug discovery, medical devices, and medical technologies. Research and Development Objectives are designated by the national government (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology); Program Supervisors and Program Officers then assemble interdisciplinary teams from academia, industry, and government to pursue those objectives. The program runs three tracks: AMED-CREST (unit-type — a Principal Investigator leading a research group pursuing world-class innovative seeds), PRIME (solo-type — individual PIs independently conducting research to spawn innovative seeds), and LEAP (incubation-type — swift commercialization of promising results where development risk is difficult for companies to evaluate; no public solicitation). Active R&D areas include aging and functional impairment, sex differences, stress-disease mechanisms, anti-infective drug discovery, proteostasis, early-life biology, and tissue repair. Several older areas are completed.
No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Annual.