RIKEN-Tsinghua International Summer Program (RISP) 2025

The RIKEN–Tsinghua International Summer Program (RISP) is a collaborative educational initiative co-organized by the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) and the Institute for Immunology at Tsinghua University. Alternating annually between the two institutions, the program provides graduate students and young postdoctoral fellows with exposure to cutting-edge research and opportunities to present and discuss their own work.

In 2025, the program returned to Japan and was hosted by RIKEN IMS in Yokohama. The lecture course featured contributions from distinguished international scientists, including Dr. Hisashi Arase (Osaka University), Dr. Uttiya Basu (Columbia University), Dr. Cevayir Coban (The University of Tokyo), Dr. Xiaoyu Hu (Tsinghua University), Dr. Marcela V. Maus (Harvard University), Dr. Emmanuelle Passegué (Columbia University), Dr. Erika Pearce (Johns Hopkins University), Dr. Hai Qi (Tsinghua University), Dr. Francisco J. Quintana (Harvard University), and Dr. Gabriel D. Victora (The Rockefeller University). RIKEN IMS was represented by Dr. Masayuki Amagai and Dr. Yasuhiro Murakawa.

Approximately 40 early-career researchers from Asia, Europe, and North America participated, including a cohort of graduate students and young postdoctoral fellows from Tsinghua University. Participants attended the lecture course in Yokohama and subsequently joined the RIKEN IMS–JSI International Symposium on Immunology in Tokyo, where all presented posters or short talks.

RISP 2025 demonstrated the value of international cooperation in training future leaders in immunology and biomedical sciences, supporting scientific exchange and strengthening ties between RIKEN and Tsinghua University.