Korea and Japan’s leading research institutions have launched a 10-year “One Team” collaboration. The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and Japan’s RIKEN have announced the official start of the "Top-Tier Research Institution Collaboration Platform and Joint Research Support Project" (hereafter referred to as the Top-Tier Project). To mark the occasion, the two organizations are co-hosting the "Korea-Japan International Symposium on Rare Isotope Science" on December 16–17 at the Hoam Faculty House, Seoul National University.

The Top-Tier Project is a Korean Ministry of Science and ICT initiative that supports sustained collaboration between world-class research institutions and leading domestic research organizations. Among the newly selected projects in July, IBS's initiative titled “International Collaboration Platform for Extreme Rare Isotope Science” was chosen as a key focus.

In Korea, IBS (specifically, the Institute for Rare Isotope Science and the Center for Exotic Nuclear Studies) is spearheading the project, with Seoul National University, Korea University, and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute participating. On the Japanese side, RIKEN is leading the effort with contributions from the KEK Wako Nuclear Science Center (WNSC) and the University of Tokyo's Center for Nuclear Study (CNS). IBS has established a new “Extreme Rare Isotope Science International Collaboration Group” within the Institute for Rare Isotope Science (IRIS) under Managing Director HONG Seung-Woo to oversee the project. SHIN Taeksu, Head of the Experimental Systems Division at IRIS, has been appointed as the collaboration group’s director.

The symposium aims to define specific joint research plans. Key attendees include HWANG Seong-Hoon, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Science and ICT; HONG Seung-Woo, IRIS Managing Director; HAHN Insik, Director of the IBS Center for Exotic Nuclear Studies; YOO Jae-Jun, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at Seoul National University; Kazuyoshi ONISHI, Economic Counselor at the Japanese Embassy in Korea; Reizo KATO, Advisor for Research Policy at RIKEN; and Takiko SANO, Director of RIKEN’s International Affairs Division. Researchers such as SHIN Taeksu and Hiroyoshi SAKURAI, Director of RIKEN’s Nishina Center, shared updates on recent trends in rare isotope research and discussed strategies for collaboration hubs and future research directions.

Rare isotope science involves generating isotopes that are scarce or nonexistent in nature using heavy-ion accelerators and investigating their properties. This emerging field holds promise for studying the origins of cosmic elements and for applications in new materials, semiconductors, and nuclear medicine using novel radioactive isotopes.

The project will proceed in three phases over a decade (3–4–3 years):

• Phase 1: Production of rare isotopes using ISOL (Isotope Separation On-Line) technology with uranium carbide (UCx) targets, the first of its kind in Asia.
• Phase 2: Development of the world’s first ISOL-IF (In-Flight Fragmentation) hybrid rare isotope production method using RAON, Korea’s heavy-ion accelerator.
• Phase 3: Discovery of new extreme rare isotopes.

RIKEN President Makoto GONOKAMI remarked, “This event represents a milestone in building a sustainable science and technology collaboration model between our institutions.”

IBS President NOH Do Young stated, “This international joint research project with RIKEN marks the first step for Korea’s rare isotope science, initiated with RAON and the Center for Exotic Nuclear Studies, to reach the global stage. It is a proud achievement that Korea’s RAON accelerator will stand alongside Japan’s RIBF accelerator as a platform for collaborative research in rare isotope science, bringing together the best scientists from both nations.”