AstraZeneca highly values the discovery research and drug development activities based on the advanced science and technology in Japan to generate innovative drugs. Through collaborations with academia and strategic alliances & licensing with companies in Japan, we believe it is very important to develop innovative drugs originated from Japan, thereby helping to improve people's lives globally.

AstraZeneca has its own major research facilities for drug discovery in Sweden, the UK, and the US, but we do not have our own research centers in Japan.

Instead, we established the concept of “Virtual Research Institute (VRI)”in 2000. As for its core activity, we started a research grant programme at the same time.

“Research Grant” and VRI activities allow us not only to support research activities by excellent researchers in Japan, but we promote research collaborations between them and scientists of AstraZeneca R&D sites abroad, aiming to contribute to development of innovative new drugs.

Since it was first launched in 2000, the number of grant applications has been rising steadily each year. Until 2009, the AstraZeneca Research Grant programme has funded the work of 177 scientists, from a cumulative total of 2,080 applications. This year we received 562 applications and the 24 awardees of 2010 will be officially announced in September to be fund 2 million yen per grant.