Support Programs

The applicant must meet either of the following conditions:

1. He/she is a current or past recipient of a Sylff fellowship.
2. He/she is currently enrolled in a doctoral program at any institution of higher learning or received a doctorate on or after April 1, 2019.

The following persons are NOT eligible:

• Master’s degree students.
• Those who acquired their doctorate before April 1, 2019.

1. SRG supports research activities whose primary objective falls into one or several of the following categories:
   • Data collection for use in a dissertation or database
   • Document collection and research
   • Meetings with experts or subjects/collaborators of research (interviews, discussions, etc.)
   • Domestic fieldwork conducted by the applicant
   • Fieldwork in a foreign country conducted by local assistants hired by the applicant
2. It does NOT cover expenses in “preparation” for research (auditing of courses, attendance at seminars and academic conferences, etc.) or for the “publication” of outcomes (holding conferences, delivering presentations at academic conferences, writing papers, publishing books, etc.).
3. In view of the remaining COVID-related restrictions and to ensure safety and fairness, SRG may NOT be used to cover expenses for travel to a foreign country under any circumstances.
4. This grant supports research activities conducted during the period between October 15, 2022, and September 30, 2023.
5. Although SRG is designed to support rigorous academic research, applicants are encouraged to utilize the outcomes from such activities to bring about positive social change.

An award of up to US$5,000 is provided per successful applicant.

1. Eligible expenses:
   

   Category (A): Travel expenses

   • Domestic transportation and accommodation expenses for the applicant
   • Transportation and accommodation expenses for locally hired research assistant(s)

   Category (B): Personnel costs

   • Honoraria paid to research assistant(s) in the country of research
   • Honoraria paid to expert(s)

   Category (C): Outsourcing fees

   • Outsourcing costs for professional data collection conducted on a large-scale or in foreign countries and requiring technical skills the applicant may not possess or for statistical data analysis/calculation requiring the use of sophisticated software that the applicant may not have the capacity to use.
     ※In the case of the above, applicants should specify the professional entity to which they wish to outsource these tasks and the reasons why outsourcing is necessary. The Sylff Association secretariat retains the right to reject any requests it deems inappropriate.

   Category (D): Research material costs

   • Access to archives, databases, corpora, and other information sources (no more than for one year in case of license subscriptions)
   • Purchase of documents and books (no more than 10% of the total budget)

   Category (E): Equipment rental fees

   • Rental and leasing costs for research equipment to be used specifically for the proposed research period

   Category (F): Miscellaneous expenses

   • Photocopy costs (no more than 5% of the total budget)
   • Communication costs for online interview(s) (paid accounts/memberships, wi-fi, etc.)
2. The following expenses may not be paid for with an SRG award:
   • Honoraria and per diem payments for the applicant himself/herself
   • Book publication fees
   • Database construction and online resource development
   • Proofreading and translation fees to publish papers and books
   • Purchase of equipment and consumables
   • Participation fees for academic conferences and academic societies
   • Fees for the auditing of courses and seminars

Applications should be completed in English.

In principle, applications must be submitted via the online system, which can be accessed only during the application period. Please be sure to submit all required information by the respective deadlines, which are indicated in Japan Standard Time (JST). Applications sent by email or those that are either incomplete or late will not be considered. All applicants are required to read “5. Screening and Evaluation Criteria” carefully prior to submitting their applications.

There are two steps in completing the application process.

FIRST STEP: Preliminary registration

The first step is preliminary registration. The applicant should provide the following basic information about himself/herself via the online form between June 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022, 11:59 p.m. JST.

[Required Information]

• Applicant’s name (first name, family name)
• Regularly used email address
• Name of applicant’s home Sylff institution
• The first year of applicant’s Sylff fellowship period
• Applicant’s status (A. enrolled in a doctoral program; B. received doctoral degree within past 3 years)
• If B, date the degree was conferred
• Applicant’s current affiliation and title

SECOND STEP: Application submission

After screening the basic information provided in the first step, eligible applicants will be informed of a web link enabling them to proceed to the second step to submit their formal applications via an electronic application system.

The system will be open from mid-July 2022 to August 19, 2022, 11:59 p.m. JST

[Applicants Must Submit the Following]

1. Research proposal (prescribed form containing the following information)
   • Research orientation category: “academic contribution” or “social contribution”
   • Title of research project (max. 30 words)
   • Total research period (must be between October 15, 2022, and September 30, 2023)
   • Research questions and research objectives (max. 100 words)
   • Applicants are required to state:
     • Key scientific question(s) to be addressed, along with relevant context
     • Significance of the proposed research and its position in the relevant field
   • Research plan and implementation period

     Category	Research plan (max. 100 words per category)	Implementation period (MM/YYYY)
     (1) Documentary research
     (2) Data collection and analysis
     (3) Fieldwork
     (4) Online activities
     (5) Others

   • Expected research outcomes (max. 100 words)
     Applicants should state the expected research results and outputs in line with the research objective and research plan.
   • Social engagement activities or nonacademic achievements, if any (max. 100 words)
     Please describe applicant’s involvement in social engagement activities or nonacademic achievements related to his/her field of specialization.
2. Proposed budget (prescribed form)
3. A letter of recommendation from an academic authority with a good understanding of applicant’s research proposal (academic supervisor, expert, etc.) (prescribed form)
   
   The letter should be scanned and submitted in PDF or JPEG format. It should have a digital or physical signature of the recommender and refer to the significance of the applicant’s research project. References other than the above will not be relevant to the evaluation.

The Sylff Association secretariat will first screen applicant’s eligibility following preliminary registration. Only those who are eligible for the program will be invited to submit their formal applications.

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Applications and all required information are provided by the deadline.
• Applications are completed in the requested format.
• Applications adhere to the word limit.
• Application questions are answered in a logical, reasonable manner.
• Applications are written in a manner that can be understood by nonspecialists.
• The proposal is intended to address clear research questions.
• The research objective is stated clearly and logically.
• The research plan is feasible.
• The proposed research has academic and/or social significance.
• The proposed budget is appropriate and in accordance with the research plan.
• The applicant is socially engaged and has leadership potential.

The Sylff Association secretariat will not consider applications if they are:

• Turned in late
• Not accompanied by required documents
• Raise ethical concerns (use of slurs or other inappropriate expressions)

• Announcement of the Call for Applications: June 1, 2022
• Preliminary registration: June 1, 2022 – June 30, 2022, 11:59 p.m. JST
• Eligibility notification: mid-July 2022
• Application submission: mid-July 2022 – August 19, 2022, 11:59 p.m. JST
• Notification of selection outcomes: early October 2022
  (Successful applicants may start their proposed research after receiving this notification.)
• Disbursement of funds: End of November 2022
  • An agreement shall be signed between the awardee and the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research (Sylff Association secretariat) for award disbursement.
  • The award will be remitted by the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research to the bank account designated by the awardee.
    
    *DocuSign User's Manual

1. All awardees must submit narrative and financial reports along with associated receipts within 30 days after the completion of the proposed research.
2. Recipients are asked to cooperate with the Sylff Association’s public relations activities, agreeing to have their name, photo, and program report (either in full or in part) published on the Sylff website and/or in print publications.
3. Recipients are expected to actively cooperate with Sylff Association activities, such as by participating in surveys and follow-up activities. They are also encouraged to post their profiles on the Sylff website at https://www.sylff.org/fellows/.