image: Innovation Gala Dinner
Credit: @ISM
Tokyo, Japan – October 8, 2025 – The International Society of Microbiota (ISM) and RIKEN will host the prestigious Innovation Awards Gala during the First Conjoint Meeting ISM × RIKEN, taking place at the iconic Happo-en in Tokyo. The event will convene leading researchers, clinicians, and industry innovators exploring how the human microbiota and its molecular signals impact immunity, metabolism, neurodegeneration, and longevity — and how these insights can be translated into novel therapies and health technologies.
The ISM - RIKEN Innovation Awards celebrate scientific excellence and translational breakthroughs at the forefront of microbiota medicine.
Three distinctions will be presented:
- Innovation Award 2025 – for disruptive concepts that transform microbiota research into practical clinical or technological applications
- Scientific Award 2025 – for outstanding fundamental or translational research uncovering mechanisms of host–microbe interaction and microbiome modulation
- Healthy Technology Award 2025 – for cutting-edge health solutions using microbiota science, from next-generation probiotics and synbiotics to bioactive postbiotics and precision nutrition tools
Nominations close Tuesday, October 7, 2025. Researchers, biotech start-ups, and companies are invited to submit their projects for the chance to be recognized by a global expert panel.
Scientific Frontiers at ISM Tokyo 2025
The meeting will highlight critical advances in microbiota research, including:
- Next-generation probiotics & postbiotics to influence systemic immunity and metabolic health
- Microbiota–brain axis mechanisms impacting neurodegeneration, mood, and cognition
- Precision nutrition and metabolomics to tailor diets and functional foods to the gut ecosystem
- Microbiome–mitochondria crosstalk and its impact on aging and chronic disease
- Translational platforms — from in vitro fermentation models and metagenomics to AI-driven therapeutic design
Leading Academic & Research Institutions joining the meeting:
RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) • National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition • National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center • A*STAR Skin Research Labs • Fudan University • National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine • Qingdao Institute of BioEnergy & Bioprocess Technology (CAS) • The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University • Institut Cochin (INSERM U1016, Université de Paris) • Helios Klinikum Krefeld • Leibniz-HKI • Heidelberg University Hospital • Aristotle University of Thessaloniki • Hong Kong Baptist University • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University • Hebrew University • Tel Aviv University • University of Naples Federico II • Gunma University • Hiroshima University • Juntendo University School of Medicine • Keio University • Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine • Kyushu University • Niigata University • Osaka University • University of the Ryukyus • University of Tokyo • Nazarbayev University • National University of Malaysia • Medical University of Warsaw • Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology • Nanyang Technological University • Ghent University Global Campus • Jeju National University • Seoul National University Hospital • Sungkyunkwan University • Dongshin University College of Korean Medicine • Asan Medical Center (University of Ulsan) • Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Girona • University of Girona • Academia Sinica • National Cheng Kung University • NTU Institute of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine • Kaohsiung Medical University • Mahidol University • Selcuk University • Ankara University • Georgetown University • University of Michigan • Weill Cornell Medicine • UT Southwestern Medical Center • McGill University • University of Melbourne • King Saud University