It is widely said that the core of 21st-century science will be "life". The Japanese Association for Animal Cell Technology (JAACT) is an arena for the exchange of academic information by researchers and engineers specializing in science and technology concerning animal cells, which is the basic unit of this "life". The academic field covered by JAACT centers around animal cells, ranging from cell cultivation and analysis of cell characteristics to production and control of useful materials, cell therapy and the creation of artificial cells. In other words, it covers all the areas, applied and basic, for making animal cells contribute to supporting a healthy, normal life. For the development of these areas, JAACT is involved in various activities by indicating 1) state-of-the-art and industry-academia cooperation and 2) "international" and "interdisciplinary" as the basic principles behind the management of JAACT. Above all, the annual international meeting is the main feature of our activities. It greatly contributes to the development of animal cell technology, which has been given considerable hope from the world as the core of life science and technology. JAACT eagerly hopes to have the participation of researchers and engineers from the fields of science, engineering, agriculture, medicine and pharmacology, who are interested in animal cells.