79th ISTC SAC Meeting Highlights New Chair and MEXT Engagement

Almaty, Kazakhstan — 16–17 October 2025

The 79th meeting of the ISTC Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) was held in Almaty in a hybrid format alongside the BACAC activities.

This session marked the first meeting chaired by Dr. Kenya Suyama, who assumed his mandate as SAC Chairman.

ISTC was also honored to welcome a delegation from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) — Mr. Takashi Toyota (Director) and Ms. Mai Kanjo (Unit Chief) — who joined discussions on strengthening future cooperation in science and technology.

SAC members exchanged views on ongoing activities, including the Open Call for Proposals (OCP), and reflected on SAC’s evolving contribution to the ISTC Strategic Roadmap 2024–2030. Preparations for future programming and upcoming meetings were also discussed.

SAC Agenda

The mission of the SAC is to guide ISTC in identifying scientific priorities and supporting high-quality regional cooperation.