Apr 6, 2020
The Sylff Association Secretariat is deeply concerned about the alarming spread of COVID-19, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. We are also concerned about fellows who are engaged in or have been selected for funding to undertake activities under a Sylff Support Program, as well as those planning to apply in fiscal 2020 (April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021). We intend to minimize the potential impact of the coronavirus to Support Program participants and candidates by adopting a flexible approach, as outlined below.
Current Participants of a Support Program
If the current situation prevents you from completing your activities as proposed under any Support Program, either partially or entirely, please contact sylff[at]tkfd.or.jp (replace [at] with @) to share details and discuss ways to deal with the situation.
If You Are Thinking of Applying
We plan to conduct two selections rounds in fiscal 2020, but we are postponing our announcement due to uncertainty caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Please check our website and our Sylff News updates for announcements on when we will begin accepting SRA applications.
If you submit an SLI application after April 1, 2020, and are selected for a grant but cannot complete your project, either partially or entirely, please consult with the Sylff Association Secretariat. Projects may be postponed for up to one year from the original implementation date. If this deadline cannot be met, we will ask the SLI fellow to terminate the project for the time being and settle the project budget. If an opportunity to carry out the original plan appears at a later date, we will, as an exception, accept a reapplication and consider funding the project under a new plan.
Screening of SPG applications after April 1, 2020, may be delayed due to factors that could make implementation of the SPG proposal impossible. If the review is cancelled, applicants will be asked to submit a new application with a reorganized plan and schedule when the COVID-19 situation stabilizes.
A LANS application submitted after April 1, 2020, will be duly reviewed and accepted if it meets LANS requirements. However, LANS organizers may need to reschedule or cancel their plans during fiscal 2020. We will accommodate postponements of events up to March 31, 2022 (end of fiscal 2021). LANS organizers may retain the budget disbursed by the Secretariat up to this date, but we may need to reexamine the amount awarded to account for any changes in the number and locations of participants.
We want to help fellows make the most of the Support Programs even at this difficult time. Please note, though, that there may be delays in reviewing your applications, including for Support Programs not cited above. We ask for your understanding and hope you’ll keep posted of updates.
Contact sylff[at]tkfd.or.jp (replace [at] by @) if you have any questions or concerns.