Open day/Academic conference

In 2025, IMS actively engaged with both the general public and the scientific community through participation in a major open day event and a national academic conference, contributing to science communication, research outreach, and recruitment activities.

The RIKEN and Yokohama City University Open Day 2025: The Colourful World of Science Shaping the Futurewas held on 15 November 2025 at the RIKEN Yokohama Campus and Yokohama City University Tsurumi Campus. The event aimed to introduce cutting-edge research activities and achievements to the public while promoting understanding of scientific research. Approximately 1,900 people attended the event. IMS organized 12 exhibits as part of a total of 23 participating teams. As in the previous year, the traditional poster session was replaced by a stamp rally, encouraging visitors to engage directly with researchers and poster presentations. More than 800 participants joined the rally, with 589 completing all required activities. Participation levels at individual exhibits exceeded half of the pre-registered attendees, demonstrating strong public interest in IMS research and outreach activities.

IMS also participated in the 48th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan (MBSJ), held at Pacifico Yokohama from 3–5 December 2025. The exhibition booth was designed under a unified “Life Science (LS) Area” concept, featuring posters introducing IMS, BDR, BRC/CBS, and RIKEN’s career development and recruitment programs, from graduate school collaborations to ECL positions. The booth also highlighted presentations and sessions by IMS and BDR researchers during the conference. To attract visitors and increase engagement, IMS and BDR jointly organized a popular capsule-toy (“gacha”) event for participants who followed their social media accounts. This initiative successfully encouraged booth visits, allowing staff to actively introduce research activities, seminars, and recruitment opportunities. The booth recorded 1,034 visitors over the three-day conference, and 681 prizes were distributed. The campaign also generated substantial growth in social media engagement, including an increase of 226 followers on IMS X accounts and notable growth across BDR’s X, Instagram, and LINE platforms.

Together, these activities strengthened IMS’s visibility among both the public and the scientific community, enhanced outreach efforts, and contributed to the promotion of research achievements, collaboration opportunities, and future recruitment.