Building a Base for a Brilliant Society for Biotechnology the Next 100 Year

SBJ President 　SHIMIZU Hiroshi

25th SBJ President
SHIMIZU Hiroshi

I am Hiroshi Shimizu from the Department of Bioinformatic Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Osaka. I am honored to be appointed as the 25th President of the Society for Biotechnology, Japan (SBJ) beginning the fiscal year 2025.

I first joined SBJ as a graduate student, and I remember being deeply impressed by the presentations and passionate discussions at the conference. Since then and for more than 35 years now, SBJ’s activities have been at the center of my research career. Although my efforts may be modest, I am determined to contribute to the advancement of the Society together with our strong board members, including Vice Presidents Hideki Aoyagi (University of Tsukuba) and Takaomi Yasuhara (Asahi Quality & Innovations, Ltd).

SBJ celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022 and because of your strong support and dedication, our centennial projects have been successfully completed. I would like to express my deep gratitude once again for this. Founded in 1923 as the Osaka Brewing Society, the Society was renamed the Society for Biotechnology, Japan on its 70th anniversary in 1992. It was stated in our centennial publication how SBJ has evolved from its origin which was primarily rooted in the brewing technology. From brewing, it is heartening to know that SBJ has now established its position as the central society for biotechnology. We aim to continually develop our activities so that we can keep our position as an illustrious society for the next 100 years.

The Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering (JBB) has developed into an international journal with an IF of 2.3 in the field of biotechnology. It disseminates cutting-edge research results and showcases the presence of Japanese biotechnology in the world. We encourage you to continue to submit your research activities to JBB. Our journal in Japanese, Seibutsu-kogaku Kaishi, continues to publish and disseminate engaging articles that meet your needs through various special features and editorial projects. Information that needs to be updated in a timely manner has been moved to the website, thus enriching the content of the journal as a valuable reading material.

One of the major features of our society is the exchange of information among members from academia and industry. We aim to support the formation and activation of new research communities through activities such as conferences, SBJ Symposium, and research division activities. Taking the opportunity of the centenary, international exchanges with the biotechnology-related societies, the Korean Society for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (KSBB) and Biotechnology and the Biochemical Engineering Society of Taiwan (BEST), have been extended and those with ASEAN societies have also been initiated. We will continue to involve you in our discussions to further increase the international reach of our conferences.

2025 is a time when the Public Interest Corporation Law will be revised. Since our society was recognized as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation in 2011, we have been working steadily in accordance with its purpose, aiming for the stability of our financial base. With this revision, we will appoint external directors and auditors to the Board of Directors and work as an even more objective and open society.

This year also marks a period of change for the organizational structure in our society. In March 2025, the secretary-general retired, while other staff members will be transferred over the next few years. We welcomed our new secretary-general and a new staff member in April 2025. At the same time, we will update the electronic system and the conference management system to improve the efficiency of various activities in the society. We recognize that such endeavors cannot be accomplished by headquarters alone, thus we coordinated with each branch and have begun the work. Our goal is to create an infrastructure that will facilitate your activities easier, and lead to smooth operations at both headquarters and branches. During this period of personnel and system changes, there may be temporary inconveniences, and so we ask for your continued understanding, support and cooperation.

What will biotechnology be like in 100 years? Biotechnology is expected to be one of the key technologies that support Japan and the world to overcome various social challenges and global issues we are faced with today. In both fundamental and applied research, there is an ongoing fusion with various fields such as AI, information engineering, analytical sciences, nanotechnology, and robotics, crossing the boundaries of disciplines. Innovation is born and developed at the boundaries between fields. The source of this innovation lies within all of our members and in networking with other fields, both within and outside of society. I will strive to ensure that our Society remains a strong and dynamic biotechnology community. This will be only made possible through the cooperation and help of everyone in our community. I humbly appeal to all of you and request for your unwavering and strong support in all our endeavors.

May, 2025

 

Hiroshi Shimizu
President
The Society for Biotechnology, Japan

Messages from the past presidents