Calls for Proposals FY 2024 [Call] Interstellar Initiative Beyond

Outline

Status of Grants/Funding Opportunities Grants/Funding Opportunities
R&D phase Basic Study
Key Fields Project for Seeds Development and Research Base
Submission Deadline May 10, 2024 – July 5, 2024 (1:00 pm Japan Standard Time)
Contact
Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Division of Strategic Planning, Department of International Strategy
E-mail: interstellar“AT”amed.go.jp (Replace “AT” with “@”)

Public offering content

AMED invites applications from teams of Interstellar Initiative alumni: anyone who has ever participated in the Interstellar Initiative, presented by AMED. Teams should be composed of two to four* alumni members and include a single Japan-based Principal Investigator (PI). The PI must work together with their alumni team members to complete the “Joint Application Form” in English.

Research fields Project size
(Excluding indirect costs)
Research period Expected number of project to be selected
Frontier Science to tackle the most critical biomedical challenges. 2.0 million yen per year for each project (maximum)
 
September 2024 (plan) - the end of March 2025 0-5 project(s)

(*) Notes:If strongly needed, it is acceptable to recruit a researcher from outside the alumni community as the fourth member. That personnel must meet the eligibility for the application to the interstellar initiative. If you have any question, please contact AMED before you apply.

For details, please refer to the Application Guidelines (公募要領) and the Supplementary Application Guidelines.

Program summary

Collaboration is key to truly innovative scientific discoveries and advancement. There is a critical need to support the intersection of ideas across international boundaries and disciplines, in particular among early career investigators (ECIs). The Interstellar Initiative has connected more than 300 ECIs from 35 countries including Japan with peers in related but distinct disciplines, under the guidance of Mentors who are established scientists at the forefront of their respective academic fields.

This call aims to strengthen collaborations among Interstellar Initiative alumni with an ambition to support them towards securing international grants to further develop their innovative work. It is AMED’s sincere hope that the partnerships established through Interstellar Initiative Beyond will lead to the development of long-term collaborative research programs that will be successful in competing for international funding.

Eligibility

Applications are invited from teams of Interstellar Initiative alumni (researchers who have previously participated in the Interstellar Initiative, co-presented by AMED and the New York Academy of Sciences until FY2023), each of which must hold an independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty position at a non-profit academic institution: a university, private research institution or national government laboratory.

  • Teams with 2 members from the same institution are not eligible to apply: different branches or campuses of the same university or organization are counted as the same affiliation.
  • PIs belonging to Japanese institutions who have been awarded in the past Interstellar Initiative Beyond cannot apply for the 2024 round.
  • Interstellar Initiative Beyond requires that teams further develop their research proposals for application to larger grants offered for international, multidisciplinary team research (see Joint Application Form). Applications without future plans for submission to such international grants are not eligible.
  • Successful applicants may receive mentoring with mentors a specified number of times during the contract period and submit progress reports.

Please also refer to the Application Guidelines (公募要領)「第3章 応募要件」.

Solicitation Period

May 10, 2024 – July 5, 2024 (1:00 pm Japan Standard Time)

How to Apply

Please fill out the Joint Application Form with your team members. Japan-based researcher must submit the completed form on behalf of the team to AMED through e-Rad portal.

Please see the following guideline.

Reference

05/10/24

Last updated 05/10/24