Earth–Life Science Institute

Earth-Life Science Institute

ELSI
Type	Academic_department
Established	2012
Affiliation	Tokyo Institute of Technology
Director	Kei Hirose
Location	Meguro-ku , Tokyo , Japan
Website	http://www.elsi.jp/en/

Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) is an established independent permanent scientific research institute based at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. ELSI employs more than 70 scientists in disciplines ranging from astrophysics to biology, who perform collaborative research on the broad connections between the origin and evolution of planets and life.

History

ELSI was established in 2012 with a charter to build a bridge between the Earth and Life sciences by rallying researchers around questions concerning the link between the origins of planets and life. ELSI has satellite-institutes at Ehime University, Harvard University, and the Institute for Advanced Study, and is currently led by Director Kei Hirose and Vice Directors Shigeru Ida and John Hernlund.

Funding sources

Funding sources for the institute include a combination of support from Japan's World Premiere International Research Center Initiative (approximately $7M/year), a grant from the John Templeton Foundation to establish the ELSI Origins Network (EON, $5.6M for 3 years), a variety of project grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and anonymous private donations.

External links

• Earth-Life Science Institute [1]
• World Premiere International [2]
• World Premiere International Research Centers institutions
• Scharf, C., A New Era for Origins of Life Science? Scientific American, August 7, 2015 [3]
• "Tokyo Tech Leads New Global Effort into Origins of Life" [4]
• Kaufman, M., "Research Center a Hub for Origins of Life Studies" [5]