Calls for Proposals FY 2021 Japan-Nordic Joint Call for Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (SICORP)

Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) is pleased to launch the Joint Call with the Nordic partners; Academy of Finland, Research Council of Norway, Swedish Research Council, and NordForsk.

The thematic framework includes fundamental, translational/basic clinical and epidemiological research on populations in the Nordic countries and Japan. Utilisation of existing high-quality health data sources in a Nordic-Japanese context is central to the research to be funded under this call.
Examples of such utilisation include, but are not limited to:

1. Health data being utilised in order to add value to, support or follow up already ongoing research at the Nordic and Japanese level.
2. Data being used to follow up individuals with the aim of improving healthy longevity in terms of e.g. disease outcome, care, rehabilitation, side effects and quality of life. 
3. Determination of risk factors for severe medical complications (analysis of epidemiological, clinical, immunological, genetic markers) in the elderly population.

We welcome proposals that include innovative approach and methodology in analysis.
For further information, please refer to the Call text: Japan-Nordic Frontier Research Projects for Healthy Longevity and the Supplemental guidelines for Japan-based applicants (Annex1 to the call text).

SICORP provides support for international joint research projects on the basis of equal partnership in countries, regions, and fields of cooperation that have been designated as particularly important by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) on the basis of intergovernmental agreements，in collaboration with funding agencies in the countries concerned.

The aim of this program is to contribute solutions to challenges facing world today and to bolster Japan’s scientific and technological capabilities through collaboration with a broad range of countries.
This program, with a view to disseminating excellent research results of our country to the world, expects to achieve synergies and develop mutually by collaborating with foreign countries and regions in science and technology that can be a source of our competitiveness.

The call for proposals seeking funding of Japan-Nordic collaboration is announced as a collaborative effort between the Academy of Finland, Research Council of Norway, Swedish Research Council, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), and NordForsk. The projects funded within this call should include partners from Finland, Norway, Sweden and Japan. Researchers from other countries may participate in the projects at their own costs.

Each joint research team is required to develop a single application and project leaders will submit applications via NordForsk Application Portal by 13:00 (CEST) on October 7, 2021. Please access to the Application Portal to enter the information and upload required documents directly. Late submission will not be accepted.

In addition to the application via NordForsk Application Portal, Japan-based applicants are required to submit a supplemental application form to AMED via e-Rad by 17:00 (JST) on October 7, 2021.

For more details, please refer to the Call Text and the Supplemental guidelines for Japan-based applicants (Annex1).

* Each team should include partners from all 4 countries: Finland, Norway, Sweden and Japan. Research teams with partners from only two or three countries are not eligible.
* Project leader, who is a leader of their research team, will submit applications on behalf of the team through NordForsk Application Portal. No need to apply from each country.
Apart from the application above, Japan-based applicants should submit an additional application form to AMED.