IFOM's extra mural research is carried out through the establishment of Joint Research Laboratories (JRLs) in partnership with world-class research institutions. JRLs are located in the partner's premises but managed from IFOM headquarters in Milan (Italy).
Executed prior to the appointment of the Principal Investigator at the partner institution, the collaboration agreement regulates how IFOM and the partner institution conduct their collaborative research efforts.
The collaboration agreement addresses issues such as:
Financial resources for JRLs day-to-day activities are directly managed from IFOM headquarters in Milan (Italy). For a matter of transparency and accountability, all costs incurred by IFOM for these JRLs must be clearly documented and tracked. For example, IFOM researchers working at JRLs receive their salary directly from IFOM just like any other IFOM employee and no transfer of funds between institutions or organizations occur. All expenses are regularly reported in IFOM's audited balance sheet.
While investigators remain physically based at the partner institution and continue to serve as faculty members (or the equivalent), investigators are IFOM employees. IFOM laboratories typically include a mix of staff employed by IFOM (Principal Investigators, postdocs), and staff employed by or otherwise affiliated with the host institution (technicians, research officers, students, etc). It is expected that IFOM investigators and their IFOM staff will have the same access to partner institution resources as partner institution faculty and staff.
IFOM conducts periodic and rigorous reviews through a panel of international scientists appointed by IFOM and the partner institution. The scientific review takes into account publications on international peer-reviewed journals and the contribution of the JRL to the advancement of the frontier in cancer research.
The current JRL (Joint Research Lab) projects in Japan include collaborations with two Junior Principal Investigators, Makoto Hayashi at Kyoto University and Yasuhiro Murakawa at RIKEN Yokohama Institute, whose research focuses on critical aspects of cancer biology: the first on chromosome instability and the second on cancer genomics. Both research areas are considered foundational hallmarks of cancer, providing critical insights into its biology and potential therapeutic strategies.