Strategic Japanese-UK Cooperative Program on
‘’Oxide electronics, organic electronics and spintronics’’
2nd Call for Proposals to be submitted by August 11, 2009
I. General Description
I-1. New Scheme for Joint Funding of Japanese-UK Research Cooperation
Based on the Memorandum of Understanding concluded between Japan Science and
Technology Agency (JST) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC) on 22 May, 2008, JST and EPSRC have initiated a program for joint funding
of Japanese-UK cooperative research projects. After consultation between JST and
EPSRC, “Oxide Electronics, Organic Electronics and Spintronics” has been selected as
the field of research to which the joint funding scheme will be applied.
I-2. Aim of Program and Research Field
The aim of the program is to strengthen collaboration between Japan and UK within
the field of “Oxide Electronics, Organic Electronics and Spintronics” to achieve
world-class scientific results, leading towards new innovative science and technology.
This specific area is currently undergoing remarkable development and is considered
important by both JST and EPSRC in order to achieve steady growth and sustainability
in the long term.
I-3. Prospective Applicants
JST and EPSRC invite Japanese and UK researchers to submit proposals for
cooperative research projects in the research areas described above. All applicants
must fulfill national eligibility rules for research grant application. An important
criterion of the proposed collaboration is that it should build on and reinforce already
on-going research activities in each research group and contribute significant added
value to these through international collaboration. Researchers from industry may
participate in the joint collaboration.
EPSRC resubmission policy requires that UK applicants who are applying to this call for
the second time should submit a substantially changed proposal.
I-4. Financial Support
JST and EPSRC plan to support cooperative research projects including exchange of
researchers to the counterpart country.
JST supports expenses for Japanese researchers, and EPSRC supports expenses for
UK researchers.
II. Support by JST/ EPSRC
It is envisioned to fund a total number of about 5 bilateral projects for the second call
depending on the number of proposals.
II-1. Budget for a Cooperative Research Project
II-1.1 JST
Budget of a project may differ in each year, depending on the content of activities, but
the total budget for the Japanese researcher over a full 3-year period (i.e., 36 months)
should not exceed 15 million yen in principle. (Example: a proposal may envisage a budget of 4 million yen for the first year, 6 million yen for the second year and 5 million
yen for the final year.)
Due to budget limitations of this program, amounts will be adjusted each year.
Expenses for facilities and equipments may be requested, in principle, only for the first
fiscal year.
II-1.2 EPSRC
Budget of a project may differ in each year, depending on the content of activities, but
the total budget from the UK is expected to fund five projects of approximately ?60K
each. Expenses for facilities and small equipment may be requested.
II-2. Cooperative Research Period
The cooperative research period shall be 3-years (i.e., 36 months) in total, counting
from the start date, likely in December, 2009.
II-3. Details of Support
This program is designed to support additional expenses related to cooperation with a
UK counterpart for a Japanese researcher or with a Japanese counterpart for a UK
researcher, such as expenses for travel and/or conducting seminars/symposiums,
with the precondition that the main research infrastructure is already ensured by each
research group.
II-3.1 Contract between Applicant and JST/EPSRC
II-3.1.1 JST
Support will be implemented according to a contract for commissioned research
entered between JST and a university or research institute, etc. (hereinafter referred
to as the “institution”).
The contract for commissioned research will be renewed each year over the
cooperative research period.
Since the contract is concluded on condition that all administrative procedures related
to this project should be handled within the institution, the research leader should
consult with the department in charge at his/her institution.
As for the contract between the Japanese institution and JST, it stipulates that Article
19 of the Industrial Technology Enhancement Act (Japanese version of the Bayh-Dole
Act) and the Article 25 of the Act on Protection of the Creation, Protection and
Exploitation of Content (tentative translation) shall be applied to all intellectual
property rights generated as a result of this project, and that these can be the
properties of the institution with which the research leader is affiliated.
II-3.1.2 EPSRC
UK researchers will be awarded grants under the standard EPSRC terms and
conditions. These can be viewed in EPSRC‟s funding guide at:
http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/ResearchFunding/HowToApply/FundingGuide.htm
II-3.2 Contract between Researchers
If a contract for cooperative research is necessary for implementing actual research
cooperation, such a contract should be concluded between the Japanese institutions
and the UK institutions. It is strongly advised, though not required, that appropriate
discussions of the issue of rights regarding intellectual properties with among the
concerned parties take place, in order to ensure good collaboration. If an agreement
is concluded, it should be reported in the application.
II-3.3 Funded expenses
Funding provided within this call is intended to enhance the capacity of the applicants
to collaborate. Funding will therefore be provided mainly in support of the
collaboration vectors and of the local research that is necessary for the collaboration.
Projects will be funded for up to three years. Expenses covered in the program include
the following items.
(1) Expenses for research exchanges
1) Travel expenses
In principle, travel expenses should be based on the rules of the institution to
which the research leader belongs.
JST provides travel expenses only for the Japanese researchers and EPSRC
provides them only for the UK researchers.
2) Expenses for holding symposiums, seminars and meetings
(2) Expenses for research activities
1) Expenses for facilities and equipment (only for the first fiscal year for Japanese
researchers)
2) Expenses for consumables
3) Expenses for personnel
? Expenses for a PhD student, or expenses for a post-doctoral research fellow
to participate in the program. (for UK researchers)
? Stipend or salary for a PhD student, or salary for a post-doctoral fellow. (for
Japanese researchers) 4) Others
Expenses for creating software, renting or leasing equipment, transporting
equipment, etc.
(3) Overhead expenses
Overhead expenses as per JST/EPSRC norms
(4) Expenses not covered/funded in the program
No expenses stated below shall be covered under this program: 1) Expenses related to acquiring real estate or constructing buildings or other
facilities
2) Expenses related to procurement of major equipment
3) Expenses related to dealing with accidents or disasters occurring during
cooperative research periods
4) Other expenses unrelated to implementation of this cooperative research project
III. Application
The Japanese and UK applicants shall write a common application that shall be
submitted to both JST and EPSRC in parallel. The application shall be written in English.
For the Japanese applicants a Japanese version of the application is also required.
The application shall include:
a) Project description including how collaboration will be carried out, with clear
statements of what roles Japanese and UK researchers will play respectively in the
project;
b) Description on the expected outcome of the proposed project, scientifically as well
as in terms of its relevance for industry and society;
c) Description on the ongoing activities and specific advantages of the Japanese and
UK groups respectively, which form the basis for the proposed joint project;
d) Description on the expected added value from the proposed joint project, including
how the competence, technology and other resources in each group complement each
other;
e) Description of how the project is expected to help strengthen research cooperation
between Japan and the United Kingdom over the longer term; and
f) Discussion on how the proposed joint project compares with other comparable
activities worldwide.
III -1. Application Forms
The following application forms have been prepared, in English (E) and Japanese (J,
for Japanese applicants only).
Form 1J/E Application outline (title of cooperative research project, names of
research leaders, cooperative research period)
Form 2J/E Summary
Form 3J/E Information on research leaders (their CVs*)
Form 4J/E Name list of individuals committed to the cooperative
research project in Japan and UK
Form 5J/E Description of the cooperative research project including the points
stated above -maximum of 10 pages-
Form 6J/E Plan for the cooperative project
Form 7 E Papers and other publications by the Japanese-side research leader in
the past 5 years
Form 8 E Papers and other publications by the UK-side research leader in the
past 5 years
Form 9J/E Budget plan for the project
* The description shall include short Curriculum Vitae (CV) from both Japanese and
UK research leaders, which include basic information on education, past and present
positions and membership of relevant organizations/associations. Each description
should not be more than 1/2 page A4.
III-2. Preparation of Application Forms
Applicants should fill in the particulars in all the application forms listed in above III-1.
The application forms shall be written in English. For Japanese applicants, a Japanese
version is also required.
III-3. Submittal of Application Forms for Japanese and UK Applicants
Applicants for the first call for proposals should send the applications by August 11
2009.
Japanese applicants shall send their application forms to JST by 17:00
(Japanese Standard Time) on August 11, 2009, through online application
system (http://www.e-rad.go.jp/index.html) that has been newly
established by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology as of January 2008.
UK applicants shall send their application forms by Je-S by 4pm on August 11,
2009. Form 5 should be submitted as the Case for Support (maximum 10 pages).
Forms 1, 2 and 4 will be captured through the standard Je-S form. Forms 6 and 9 can
be attached as the „Diagrammatic Work Plan‟ and „Justification of Resources‟
respectively. Forms 3, 7 and 8 are additional to standard EPSRC applications, and
should be attached as „Other Attachments‟. UK applicants should include an Impact Plan as part of the application.
IV.Evaluation of Project Proposals
IV-1. Evaluation Procedure
Committees consisting of experts selected by JST and EPSRC respectively will
evaluate all proposals. Based on the results of the evaluation, JST and EPSRC will
make a common decision regarding funding of selected proposals.
IV-2. Evaluation Criteria
The following general evaluation criteria will apply to each proposed project:
1) Conformity with Program Aims and Designated Research Fields
The proposed activity shall conform to the aims of the program and the research
fields that the program designates. In addition, the proposed activities shall be
supported by the applicants‟ utilizing their resources available.
2) Capability of Research Leaders (one on each side)
The research leaders shall have the insight or experience necessary for pursuing
the activity and the ability to manage the cooperation and reach the project goals
during this program‟s period of support.
3) Appropriateness of Plan
The plan shall incorporate an appropriate system for implementing the activity and
be realistic in relation to the project budget.
4) Effect of the Activities
The proposed activities can be expected to achieve one of the following, through
the cooperation with researchers in the counterpart country:
- Opening up of a new field or new advances in science and technology through the
creation of new scientific knowledge in an existing research field.
- Nurturing of researchers able to play a central role in future research exchanges
with the counterpart country.
- Sustained development of research exchanges with the counterpart country
initiated by this activity.
5) On-going research activity
The proposed collaboration shall build on, reinforce and add significant value to
already on-going research activities in each research group.
IV-3. Announcement of Decision
The final decision regarding supported projects will be notified to the applicants
around the end of November, 2009.
V. Responsibilities of Research Leaders After Proposals are Approved
After the proposal has been approved, research leaders and their affiliated institutions
shall observe the following when carrying out the cooperative research and utilizing
supported expenses.
V-1. Annual Progress Report (JST)
At the end of each fiscal year, the Japanese research leader shall promptly submit a
progress report on the status of research exchange, and the institution with which the
research leader is affiliated shall promptly submit a financial report on supported
expenses.
V-2. Final Report
After completion of the period of international research exchange, research leaders
shall promptly submit to JST and EPSRC respectively a final report which may include
a financial report and the research exchange activities. The report shall include a
general summary (maximum five A4 pages) compiled jointly by both the Japanese
and the UK research groups.
If papers describing results of research exchange are presented to academic journals,
societies and so on, please attach copies of such papers to the final report.
VI. Responsibilities of Japanese Applicants
VI-1. Submitting a Report on the Implementation Status of Systems
Specified in the Guidelines for Managing and Auditing Public Research Funds
at Research Institutes
The contract for a project requires that each research institute submit a report based
on the reporting guidelines concerning the status of development, implementation,
and other aspects of management and audit systems for research funds. (Research
projects without a status report may not be approved.)
For the aforementioned reason a status report must be submitted by research
institutes to the Office of Research Funding Administration, Research and
Coordination Division, Science and Technology Policy Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) by the expected contractual date, following the procedures and using the format available in the website below:
URL: http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/02_b/08191222/001.htm
Concerning details as submission deadline, submission manners and so on, Research Institutes Inspection Division, Department of General Affairs of JST will send a letter to successful applicants after his/her proposal is approved. JST shall proceed to a contract only when it confirms that such a report has been submitted.
However, if a status report has already been submitted in conjunction with applications for other projects or with other instances in or after April 2009, there is no need to submit a new report. In this case, a letter (in any format) indicating the date of the prior submission of the status report must be enclosed with the application. If the project continues during and after fiscal year 2011, our plan is to request the submission of another report in the fall of 2010. Therefore, research institutes should heed announcements from MEXT and JST.
After the submission of a report, as the need arises, MEXT (as well as other fund distributing agencies) may request on-site investigations regarding the status of the development of management and audit systems. In addition, with regard to reported contents, research funds may not be delivered if it is judged that problems such as improper or insufficient compliance to the required items specified by the Notification of the Director-General of the Science and Technology Policy Bureau of May 31, 2007 are not resolved.
VI-2. Treatment of Information on Accepted Projects
The information regarding the individual accepted projects (program name, research title, name of representative researcher, budget size, and duration of the project) is treated as “information that is scheduled to be made public” defined by Article 5(1)(a)
of the Law Concerning Access to Information held by Incorporated Administrative Agencies, etc (Law No. 140 of 2001). The information will be made public via the website of appropriate agencies after project acceptance.
VI-3. Information Sharing from the Research and Development Management
System (e-Rad) to the Government Research and Development Database*
Various types of information may be provided to the database created by the Cabinet Office through the research and development management system (e-Rad) managed by MEXT.
* In order to appropriately evaluate research and development supported by public funds and to effectively and efficiently plan policies for general strategies and resource allocation, the Council for Science and Technology Policy of the Cabinet Office has constructed a unified, comprehensive database containing various categories of information that provides search and analysis capabilities for necessary information.
VI-4. Unreasonable Overlaps and Excessive Concentration
In order to eliminate unreasonable overlaps and excessive concentration of public funds, information regarding part of the content of the application (or accepted projects) may, to a necessary extent, be provided to offices in charge of managing competitive funds, including those of other Offices and Ministries, through the research and development management system (e-Rad) and other means. (In
addition, when information on applications overlapping in other competitive funding programs is requested, relevant information may similarly be made available.)