Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

Types of Grants Programs

Various grant programs are provided based on the objective and nature of the research.Grant administration under these categories is currently divided between MEXT and JSPS. In the future, all administrative functions will be transferred to JSPS.

CategoriesObjectiveFunction
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research    
  Specially Promoted Research Internationally appraised reseach expected to produce outstanding results
  • 3-5 years
  • 500 million yen or more per project
 JSPS
Scientific Research on Priority Areas Highly responsive research on issues of urgent societal needs that require global collaboration
  • 3-6 years
  • 20-600 million yen yearly per area
 MEXT
Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
Joint research in new disciplines that contributes to elevating Japan's scientific standard and fostering young researchers
  • 5 years
  • 10-300 million yen yearly per area
 MEXT
(Research under a proposed research project)
Innovative topical research with potential for scientific breakthroughs, without a guarantee of good results
  • 3 years
  • 10 million yen yearly
Scientific Research (S) Leading-edge research by a researcher or a small group of researchers
  • As a rule 5 years
  • 50-200 million yen per project
 JSPS
(A)
(B)
(C)		 Creative and pioneering research by a researcher or a group of researchers
  • 3-5 years
  • [A] 20-50 million yen per project
  • [B] 5-20 million yen per project
  • [C] Up to 5 million yen per project
Challenging Exploratory Research Research at an early stage with highly challenging goals based on unique concepts
  • 1-3 years
  • Up to 5 million yen per project
 JSPS
Grants-in-Aid for Young Scientists (S) Research carried out by an individual researcher of up to age 42
  • 5 years
  • 30-100 million yen per project
 JSPS
(A)
(B)		 Research carried out by an individual researcher of up to age 39
  • 2-4 years
  • [A] 5-30 million yen per project
  • [B] Up to 5 million yen per project
 JSPS
Research Activity Start-up Start-up research mainly conducted by a newly tenured researcher
  • Up to 2 years
  • Up to 1.5 million yen per year
 JSPS
Encouragement of Scientists Research carried out by an employee of an educational or reserch institution or a corporation or any other individual
  • 1 year
  • Up to 1 million yen
 JSPS
Grant-in-Aid for Special Purposes Urgent and critical research subjects MEXT
Grant-in-Aid for Publication of Scientific Research Results    
  Publication of Research Results Publishing scientific research results MEXT
Scientific Periodicals  Publication of International academic journals JSPS
Scientific Literature Books on research results JSPS
Databases Compiling and networking databases JSPS
Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows Research by JSPS pre-and postdoctoral fellows
(Japanese and overseas researchers)
  • Up to 3 years
 JSPS
Grant-in-Aid for Creative Scientific Research To futher advance selected components of highly creative research conducted under Grants-in-Aid
  • 5 years
 JSPS

Newly selected grants under the categories printed in blue (i.e., Scientific Research (C), Challenging Exploratory Research, Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)) are covered under the multi-year Fund from FY 2011.