Year: 2025
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Toward a shared research ecosystemEven when countries, languages, and academic cultures differ, scientific research often forms connections far more naturally than one might expect.My experience conducting research while moving between Korea and Japan for more than two decades has repeatedly affirmed this simple truth.After graduating from Kobe University and beginning my research career at the Korea Basic Science Institute, I moved to the National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS) under the National Institutes of Natural Sciences in Japan, where I spent approximately eight years carrying out Cryo-EM-based structural biology.During this period, I collaborated with Japanese researchers in diverse ways and experienced firsthand how readily scientific networks can develop.Continuous participation in academic activities such as the meetings of the Biophysical Society of Japan (BSJ) and the Japanese Society for Microscopy (JSM) helped these interactions grow gradually over time, and they continue to inform and support my current efforts to operate a Cryo-EM Research Center at Pusan National University School of Medicine and to contribute to the development of Korea's structural biology and cryo-electron microscopy ecosystem.Among the insights gained through these experiences, the one that has remained most profound is that differences in research culture between the two countries do not hinder collaboration; rather, they serve as complementary strengths and act as an important driving force for joint progress.For this reason, the announcement that the 2026 Annual Meeting of the BSJ would be held in Busan carried significance far beyond that of a typical academic event.It represents, in my view, a historic turning point-an opportunity for Korea and Japan to co-design a new collaborative model for biophysics in Asia.The meeting will be organized as the International Conference on Biophysics and Biomedical Science 2026 (ICBBS 2026), jointly led by the BSJ and Korean Societies for Biomolecular and Biophysical Sciences.This will mark the first time the two societies share a single international platform and co-develop an academic program, giving the conference added symbolic value.Unlike continental Europe, where geographical continuity fosters long-term regional integration, Japan and Korea are separated by sea and must carefully navigate their shared historical and cultural contexts.In this regard, the decision to co-host the meeting in Busan embodies a meaningful step toward substantive bilateral cooperation.Japan's biophysics community has grown steadily on the foundation of world-class research infrastructure, highly trained personnel, and a long-standing academic tradition.Decades of accumulated expertise in structural biology, singlemolecule physics, membrane-protein biochemistry, and biomolecular engineering have provided Japan with a particularly
Source: Biophysics and Physicobiology
Author: Chihong Song
Institution: Pusan National University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $301
Award: G728105117
OpenAlex ID: W4417257130