On November 25-28, the 11th meeting of the RIKEN Advisory Council (RAC) was held in Tokyo. During the three days, experts from around the world representing different scientific fields came together to evaluate RIKEN’s various initiatives and centers, and presented a set of evaluations and recommendations. The panel, consisting of 19 members, was chaired by Sir Colin Blakemore, who is Yeung Kin Man Chair Professor of Neuroscience and Senior Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study, City University of Hong Kong. The advisory council system is a unique experiment in Japan, pioneered by RIKEN. Prior to the meeting of the full council, individual centers held their own advisory councils, and their reports were considered by the RAC in their discussions.