The Toyota Foundation Research Grant Program Exploring New Values for Society. Project Proposal Guidelines

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1 Eligibility: No limitations are placed on proposals with regard to the nationality or place of residence of the project representative or participants; nor is there any restriction with regard to the candidate s affiliation (or lack thereof) with a university, research institute, NPO/NGO, or other organization. Grant uses: Grants received may not be used to pay the personnel or living expenses of the project representative or participants. (It is possible for grants to be used for remuneration of outside specialists providing advice or lectures and for those engaged in assisting project work.) The Toyota Foundation Research Grant Program 2015 Exploring New Values for Society Project Proposal Guidelines (A) Joint Research Grants (B) Individual Research Grants Public Notification Period: Monday, May 11 to Friday, September 4, 2015 Proposal Submission Period: Monday, August 24 to Friday, September 4, 2015 (until 3:00 p.m. Japan Standard Time)* * Submission via uploading application forms on Webpage for Applicants About the Toyota Foundation The Toyota Foundation is a grant-making foundation whose goal is to contribute toward the realization of a more people-oriented society and a resulting increase in human happiness. We provide grants in support of research and operations in order to respond to a diverse array of social issues, with a focus on areas of human and natural environment, social welfare, and education and culture. From the outset, the Toyota Foundation has provided grants with an eye to supporting projects based on foresight, a participatory orientation, and an international perspective. 1

2 I. Program Objectives The w orld in w hich w e live tod ay is u nd ergoing d ram atic ch anges am id social an d econom ic d evelop m ent, the su rge of globalization, and rap id ad vances in science and technology. While these changes have broad ened horizons and enhanced afflu ence, at the sam e tim e they have generated a com p lex array of social p roblem s. Living as w e d o in this era of historical change, w e need to p recisely d eterm ine th e essen ce of these p roblem s and search for solu tions as w e p ave the w ay for the fu tu re. The variou s issu es th at need to be ad d ressed inclu d e those that are on a global scale and those that transcend generations, as w ell as nascent p roblem s that w ill only fu lly m anifest them selves in the fu tu re. This m ean s that it w ill be d ifficu lt to find clu es and solu tions that help to bring abou t a new society on the basis of existing valu es or com p artm entalized exp ertise. Rather, in seeking to clarify w hat valu es w e shou ld p u rsu e, it is n ecessary to fu nd am entally reevalu ate ou r w ay of thinking and the state of society from a w id er p ersp ective that ad op ts a p anoram ic view of the w orld and looks d ecad es into the fu tu re, w hile m aintaining a firm grasp on th e p roblem s that are occu rring right in front of ou r eyes. Taking into consid eration the existing valu es, w e need to stand ou tsid e them to bu ild new view p oints that can be shared w ith others. In this w ay, w e can erect the signp osts that w ill gu id e u s to p ersp ectives on a broad er w orld and the fu tu re w e have yet to p erceive. In this p rogram, the Toyota Fou nd ation p rovid es grants to research p rojects that exp lore basic id eas and m ethod ology on w hat ap p roach w e shou ld take to ad d ress d ifficu lt issu es to be faced in the fu tu re and on w hat society w e shou ld aim to reach and d issem inate their find ings so that they can be shared as new valu es for society. The p rogram has established tw o grant categories resp ectively for joint research p rojects and ind ivid u al research p rojects, both of w hich p laces no restrictions on the areas of research or the m ethod s em p loyed. For both categories, w e solicit am bitiou s p rojects that are fou nd ed on creative concep ts that reflect a you thfu l p ersp ective and w hose end eavor can help change p eop le s w ay of thinkin g regard less of their cou ntry or region of origin or their so cial p osition an d circu m stances. 2

3 II. Targeted Projects In line w ith the p rogram objectives ou tlined above, w e p rovid e grants to p rojects that are exp ected to m ake contribu tions to the creation of n ew valu es for society u nd er tw o categories: Joint Research Grants (Category A) in volving p roject team s and Ind ivid u al Research Grants (Category B) for research p rojects carried ou t by ind ivid u als.* N either category is su bject to any restrictions w ith regard to age, affiliation, or p osition. * Please be aw are th at there is a d ifferen ce in the p roject p rop osal form betw een Category A and Category B. We w elcom e p rop osals for interd iscip linary and cross-sectional p rojects that involve the p articip ation or coop eration of those w ith d iverse backgrou nd s from the grant recip ient s cou ntry and elsew here, esp ecially of those active in civil society m ovem ents. N ot only for Category A bu t also for Category B targeting ind ivid u al research, w e recom m end that the p rojects involve collaboration w ith variou s other p eop le in the cou rse of the research. We exp ect the p articip ants of the p rojects w e fu nd w ill strive to create new valu es for society, d issem in ating their resu lts in m any d irections and sp ringing u p a range of lively d iscu ssion s. The follow ing are som e exam p les of p roject aim s that m ight be p u rsu ed in either category. - Establishing a cross-generational ethics to consider how natural resources, energy sources, and a rich natural environment can be passed down to future generations; anticipating the environmental problems of the future, as well as developing a methodology for solutions; designing social and economic systems for sustainable development within the limits of natural resources and the environment, and formulating indices to gauge human welfare as the basis for those systems 3

4 - Disclosing ideas of how to appropriately share the burdens resulting from natural and manmade disasters; assembling a methodology on how to minimize and disperse the risks associated with future disasters - Elucidating the principles of distributive justice to address the expansion of social disparities and inequality, as well as the increasing disequilibrium between localities; building basic perspective on how to revive the functioning of communities and alleviate social isolation - Seeking an overarching conceptual framework regarding human rights, equality, and justice that encompasses people of different standpoints and cultures; formulating a concept for the formation of new communities in which a diverse range of people can live in harmony; establishing new ideas on conflict resolution and prevention and peace building - Proposing new ideas on how to preserve native cultures and histories and pass them on to future generations; alternatively, reevaluating cultures and histories to enhance consideration of issues society is likely to face in the future The Toyota Fou nd ation Research Grant Program su p p orts research on p roject form ats. Projects targeted are those that p u rsu e their research in a p lanned m an n er and can be exp ected to achieve a certain level of resu lts regard ing the goals set w ithin the p rescribed tim e. We w elcom e p rojects that can generate su ch resu lts, even throu gh a p rocess of trial and error, and that can be exp ected to have p ositive rip p le effects. III. Grant Periods and Grant Amounts Grant Periods - Grant p eriod 1 year: May 1, 2016, to Ap ril 30, Grant p eriod 2 years: May 1, 2016, to Ap ril 30,

5 Grant Amounts Total am ou nt of grants: 100 m illion yen Category A: Joint Research Grants (Total allocated grant am ou nts: Ap p rox. 80 m illion yen ) - Grant p eriod 1 year: Up to arou nd 4 m illion yen - Grant p eriod 2 years: Up to arou nd 8 m illion yen Category B: Individual Research Grants (Total allocated grant am ou nts: Ap p rox. 20 m illion yen ) - Grant p eriod 1 year: Up to arou nd 1 m illion yen - Grant p eriod 2 years: Up to arou nd 2 m illion yen Ap p rop riateness of the requ ested grant am ou nt and the p lanned p roject bu d get for the p rop osed research w ill also be consid ered u nd er the p rocess of selection. There is a p ossibility that, even for p rojects that d o receive gran ts, as a resu lt of th e selection p rocess, the actu al grant am ou nt w ill be red u ced com p ared to th e p rop osed am ou nt an d the su bm itted bu d get p lan w ill have to be revised. Grant Payment In p rincip le, the gran t p rocess is as follow s. Paym ents are sent to the sp ecified bank accou nt of th e p roject rep resentative. Th e in itial p aym ent is m ad e soon after the grant p eriod begins. Tw o p aym ents are m ad e for the one -year grant and fou r p aym ents for the tw o-year grant, all at rou ghly six-m onth in tervals. (The p aym ent m ad e each tim e is of an ap p rop riate am ou nt in line w ith the content of the p lanned p roject bu d get.) From the second p aym ent onw ard, the p roject rep resentative is requ ired to su bm it the p rescribed rep ort p rior to each p aym ent; p aym ent m ay be tem p orarily su sp end ed in a case w here the rep ort is not su bm itted or w here the Toyota Fou nd ation d eterm ines a need to confirm the content of the su bm itted rep ort. 5

6 Grant Uses Please con firm the range of exp end itu res for the p roject, referring to the List of Exp enses at the end of these gu id elines. Please note that the grant fu nd s cannot be u sed for the p u rp oses listed below. - Personnel or living exp enses of the p roject rep resentative or p articip ants* - Op erational overhead of the organization to w hich the p roject rep resentative or p articip ants belong or are related (ind irect exp enses) * It is p ossible for grants to be u sed for rem u neration of ou tsid e sp ecialists p rovid ing ad vice or lectu res and for those engaged in assisting p roject w ork. In a case w here grant m oney is u sed to p u rchase equ ip m ent, m achinery, d ocu m ents, etc. w ith a tax-inclu sive p rice of 200,000 or m ore, the p u rchased item (s), at the end of the grant p eriod, shou ld be d onated to the organization to w hich the p roject m em bers belong or are related, rather than rem aining in their p riva te ow nership. In p rincip le, grant exp end itu res shou ld be m ad e in line w ith the p lanned p roject bu d get su bm itted at the tim e the grant w as ap p roved. If circu m stances arise that w ill resu lt in a m ajor change in the bu d get p lan, p lease consu lt in ad vance w it h the p rogram officer of the Toyota Fou nd ation. Any grant fu nd s rem aining after the end of the grant p eriod shou ld be p rom p tly retu rned. Accounting of Grant In p rincip le, the grant recip ients are not allow ed to entru st accou nting of the gran t received to the organization to w hich th ey belong or are related. In a case w here, ow ing to circu m stan ces, com m issioning su ch an organization is u navoid able, th e Toyota Fou nd ation w ill requ ire su bm ission of the p rescribed form com m issioning accou nting services after the grant is ap p roved. Even w hen accou nting is ou tsou rced in this w ay, w e requ est that the p roject rep resentative be aw are of the d etails regard ing the receip t and exp end itu re of grant fu nd s. (Grants are p aid to the rep resentative, never to the organization entru sted w ith the accou nting.) 6

7 IV. Communication with the Toyota Foundation Grant Initiation (Concluding Memorandum) For both the Joint Research Grants (Category A) and the Ind ivid u al Research Grants (Category B), each p roject rep resentative for w hich a grant is aw ard ed w ill conclu d e a m em orand u m w ith the Toyota Fou nd ation and then be ind ivid u ally resp onsible for carrying ou t the p roject in accord ance w ith the agreem ent. (In the case w here a m inor is the p roject rep resentative, a p erson of legal a ge shou ld serve as the contact p erson and hand le the p roced u res as the m inor s p roxy.) Project Progress In carrying ou t the grant p roject, the rep resentative or contact p erson shou ld rem ain in close con tact w ith p rogram officers from the Toyota Fou nd ati on. If a change in the original p roject p lan becom es necessary d u e to circu m stances, p lease first contact the Toyota Fou nd ation ; in su ch a case, w e m ay also requ est that you su bm it the Requ est for Change in Plan form along w ith su p p lem entary m aterials. Also, p lease p rovid e p rior notification if you p lan to hold a p resentation or sym p osiu m on the p roject or cond u ct m ed iu m - to long-term field research related to it. Submission of Reports Each project rep resentative w ill be obliged to p rep are and su bm it d ocu m entation, inclu d ing a w ritten interim rep ort, a final rep ort, and a finan cial statem ent, p rior to the stip u lated d ead lines. The financial statem ent shou ld be su bm itted along w ith original receip ts as attachm ents. (If accou nting of the grant fu nd s is ou tsou rced, receip ts need not be inclu d ed, bu t the Toyota Fou nd ation m ay ask for su ch record s to be d isclosed for the sake of confirm ation after the content of the d ocu m ents has been exam ined.) 7

8 Meeting with Program Officers If necessary, the Toyota Fou n d ation p rogram officers w ill visit the p roject rep resentative or m ain p articip ants to gather inform ation on the p roject s p rogress and its resu lts. Presentations, Symposiums, etc. Events su ch as p resentations or sym p osiu m s m ay be held by the Toyota Fou n d ation at w hich the p roject rep resentative or p articip ants w ill be asked to rep ort on the p rogress and resu lts of their p rojects. Continued Funding The p roject rep resentative or p articip ants w ho d evise a p lan for a new p roject after the end of the gran t p eriod m ay su bm it a p rop osal for continu ed fu nd ing in th e follow ing fiscal year or thereafter, either u nd er this p rogram or u nd er another Toyota Fou nd ation program. The d ecision to ap p rove or d ecline the p rop osal w ill be based on a com p rehensive review o f the statu s and resu lts of the original p roject as set forth in the interim and final rep orts and in the above-m entioned p resentations and sym p osiu m s. V. Proposal Procedures and Screening Public Notification and Proposal Periods and Procedures Public N otification Period: Mond ay, May 11 to Frid ay, Sep tem ber 4,

9 Proposal Submission Period: Mond ay, Au gu st 24 (10:00 a.m. Jap an Stand ard Tim e) to Frid ay, Sep tem ber 4, 2015 (u ntil 3:00 p.m. Jap an Stand ard Tim e) Proposal Procedures: To su bm it a grant p rop osal, p lease visit the p age for Research Grant Program on th e Toyota Fou nd ation w ebsite (http :/ / w w w.toyotafou nd.or.jp / english/ p rogram / research.htm l) and register you r entry. After the com p letion of registration, ap p lication form s can be d ow nload ed. The p roject p rop osal p roced u res are d iagram ed below. (Project Proposal Procedures) Registration of entry on the Toyota Foundation website Receive notifying completion of entry and log in to Webpage for Applicants Download, complete and submit (upload) the basic information registration form Download, complete and submit (upload) the project proposal form* Proposal submission period: Monday, August 24 (10:00 a.m. Japan Standard Time) to Friday, September 4, 2015 (until 3:00 p.m. Japan Standard Time) * Project proposal forms Submission completed! submitted by post will not be accepted. 9

10 Submission Confirmation After the p roject p rop osal form has been su bm itted from the Webp age for Ap p licants, an em ail notifying a registration ID w ill be sent to the registered em ail ad d ress of the contact p erson. Selection Process Form al d ecision s on the selection of p rojects to be aw ard ed grants w ill be m ad e at the Toyota Fou nd ation Board of Directors m eetings sched u led to be held in March 2016, based on the d eliberations of the Toyota Fou nd ation Research Grant Program Selection Com m ittee, w hich is com p osed of ou tsid e exp erts (chaired by Professor Toshio Ku w ako of th e Grad u ate School of Decision Science an d Tech nology, Tokyo Institu te of Technology). Please be aw are that w hen necessary the com m ittee m ay ask to interview you abou t you r p roject p rop osal.* Selection Results The contact p erson for the p roject w ill be inform ed of the selection resu lts by em ail by arou nd m id d le of Ap ril 2016.* If the em ail notification sent to the contact p erson has not arrived by that tim e, p lease contact the Toyota Fou nd ation. * Please in form the Toyota Fou nd ation p rom p tly if the contact p erson s em ail ad d ress or p hone nu m ber has changed since you su bm itted you r p roject p rop osal. Other The Toyota Fou nd ation seeks p rojects that are nonp rofit and op en in their ou tlook, w ithou t any p olitical, religiou s, id eological, or other bias. N o restrictions are p laced on the p roject rep resentative or p articip ants in term s of nationality, p lace of resid ence, acad em ic backgrou nd, organizational affiliation, etc. 10

11 The p ersonal in form ation you p rovid e on the ap p lication form s w ill be u sed for p roject selection, statistical analysis, and ad m inistrative p u rp oses, su ch a s contacting those w h o su bm itted a p rop osal. The inform ation w ill not be u sed for any other p u rp ose w ithou t you r consent, excep t in cases p rovid ed for by law. Grants m ay be cancelled if any statem ent in you r p roject p rop osal is fou nd to be u ntru e, even after a grant has been ap p roved. 11

12 Basic Information Registration & Project Proposal Format Requirements Special Points of Consideration - Please u se the p rescribed basic inform ation registration form and the p roject p rop osal form (11-page form at for the Joint Research Grants (Category A) or the 9-p age form at for the Ind ivid u al Research Grants (Category B)). N o ad d itional d ocu m ents shou ld be inclu d ed w ith you r p roject p rop osal. (If the sp ace on the list of Particip ants for the Joint Research Grants is insu fficient, p lease cop y that p age to insert the ad d itional inform ation.) - For the p arts of th e form s listed below, w e ask that those su bm itting an ap p lication set font size and line sp acing as sp ecified. Forms Section Font Size Line Spacing Basic Information Registration Form Abstract 14 points or larger Career History and Achievements (A) Joint Research Grants Proposal Form Information about Project Team Targeted Social Issues and Project Objectives Project Implementation and Methods Results and Effects Career History and Achievements 12 points or larger 18 points or larger (B) Individual Targeted Social Issues and Project Research Grants Objectives Proposal Form Project Implementation and Methods Results and Effects 12

13 - Photograp hs and charts can be inserted into the project p rop osal form (bu t p lease note that the p roject p rop osal form file shou ld not exceed 500 KB). - Please only su bm it the basic in form ation registration form and the p roject p rop osal form ; no ad d itional related d ocu m ents are necessary. - Do not p ersonally d eliver the p roject p rop osal form to the Toyota Fou nd ation or send it by fax, p ostal m ail, or em ail. - Traffic on the Toyota Fou nd ation w ebsite m ay intensify in the hou rs p rior to the final d ead line, m aking it im p ossible in som e cases to su bm it a p roject p rop osal. We recom m end that you su bm it a p roject p rop osal as early as p ossible. - Project p rop osals can not be rep laced or u p d ated after they have been su bm itted. - Please be su re to keep a cop y of the p roject p rop osal d ata su bm itted u ntil the selection resu lts are m ad e know n. Basic Information Registration Form Representative Contact Person Abstract Input the person who will be primarily in charge of running the project. - Correspondence from the Toyota Foundation will be sent to the contact person. In principle, the contact person and the representative should be the same person. - Please include contact information where you can be easily reached by the Toyota Foundation in the time between the submission of the project proposal and the announcement of the results. Inform the Toyota Foundation if any change is made to your address or phone number. Please clearly describe the project (maximum length: 200 words). Please be aware that if your project is selected for a grant, this description will be made available to outside parties together with the name, affiliation, and position of the representative and the project title. 13

14 Project Proposal Form Project Outline Please su m m arize the inform ation listed in the Targeted Social Issu es and Project Objectives, Project Im p lem entation and Method s, and Resu lts and Effects sections of the p roject p rop osal form. (Bu llet-p oint form at is accep table.) Participants (Joint Research Grants only) Please in clu d e in form ation on the p roject p articip ants. It is not necessary to inclu d e the nam es of sp ecialists relied on ju st for ad vice or to p rovid e lectu res or the nam es of p eop le hired to p rovid e tem p orary assistance. Career History and Achievements Inform ation regard ing career histories, p ast achievem ents in research and other activities, and p reviou s grants and su bsid ies received shou ld be inclu d ed for the p roject rep resentative and m ain p roject p articip ants. In the case of the Join t Research Grants (Category A), if there are cases of jointly cond u cted research or other activities involving all or som e of the p roject m em bers, this inform ation shou ld also be in clu d ed. Information about Project Team (Joint Research Grants only) Please in clu d e in form ation abou t the p roject team by exp laining the reason the p articip ants cam e together and the actions and resu lts that can be exp ected throu gh their collaboration. Also exp lain, as p roject rep resentative, w hat consid eration an d efforts you w ill show to ensu re that the d iverse p articip ants share the sam e goal and generate p ositive resu lts. 14

15 Targeted Social Issues and Project Objectives Exp lain in concrete term s the social issu es ad d ressed by the p roject. Inclu d e inform ation on the backgrou nd lead ing u p to the p roject by m entioning the resu lts of you r p reviou s research and other activities, as w ell as the trend s of other related p reced ing research. Based on this, exp lain w hat sort of new valu es you are trying to clarify and d issem inate so that they can be shared and d iscu ssed w id ely. Project Implementation and Methods Please d escribe the content and m eth od s of the research you r p roject w ill im p lem ent in ord er to attain th e above-sp ecified objectives. Th e exp lanation shou ld inclu d e sp ecific d etails, su ch as w hat research w ill be cond u cted, how it w ill be carried ou t, and w hy it can be exp ected to m ake contribu tions to the creation of new valu es for society. Results and Effects Please d escribe in d etail the content of research resu lts and th e form in w hich they w ill be p resented, the m ethod s and targets for d iffu sing inform ation on th e p roject s resu lts, an d the rip p le effects that can be exp ected from the p roject. Schedule Please exp lain the sched u le for im p lem en ting the research for the p roject. Planned Project Budget (See the List of Expenses below.) (1) First-year Planned Bu d get Please p rovid e the bu d get p lan for the first year of the p roject. (2) Second -year Planned Bu d get (only for tw o-year grants) Please p rovid e the bu d get p lan for the second year of the p roject. Also in clu d e the total exp end itu res for both y ears in the colu m n on the far right. 15

16 Project Related Research Other Grants/Subsidies If you exp ect to u tilize other grants or su bsid ies for you r research p roject, or to carry ou t related research w ith other grants or su bsid ies, p lease list the relevant inform ation by follow ing the exam p le below. Example Other Grants/Subsidies Source of Grant/Subsidy Period Amount 1 m illion yen XX Un iversity Tech n ology Ad van cem en t Fou n d ation October 2015 to Sep tem ber 2016 (ap p lication u n d er con sid eration ; an n ou ncem en t in Sep tem ber) Research Title and Source of Grant/Subsidy Period Amount Com p reh en sive Research on XX XX Fou n d ation Research Gran t Ap ril 2015 to March m illion yen (confirm ed ) 16

17 List of Expenses 1 Honoraria Payments (including transportation and accommodation) made to outside experts as remuneration for advice or lectures provided or to others providing assistance (The grant does not cover the personnel expenses of the project representative and participants.) 2 Fees for Commissioned Work Expenses paid to businesses and organizations handling specialized work (e.g. surveys, calculations, and system construction) that the project representative and participants cannot easily accomplish on their own 3 Travel Expenses Domestic and overseas travel expenses of the project representative and participants (transportation and accommodation) 4 Communication and Delivery Bills for phone and Internet services, postage, delivery services, etc. 5 Equipment and Machinery Purchases of machinery, equipment, materials, and other items with tax-inclusive price of 200,000 or more a 6 Miscellaneous Items Expenses for purchasing supplies and other miscellaneous items with a tax-inclusive price of less than 200,000 7 Documents and Copying Expenses related to the purchase or copying of documents and other materials 8 Printing and Binding Printing, binding, and other expenses for pamphlets, flyers, booklets, etc. 9 Rent and Utilities Rent and utilities for properties (e.g. offices, conference rooms, and laboratories) and expenses for leasing movables (e.g. equipment for experiments, vehicles used for surveys) 10 Other Expenses Insurance, payment processing charges, etc. 17

18 Contact Details* Research Grant Program, The Toyota Fou nd ation Box 236, Shinju ku Mitsu i Bu ild ing 37F, N ishi-shinju ku, Shinju ku -ku, Tokyo, Jap an Phone: +81-(0) Fax: +81-(0) URL: http :/ / w w w.toyotafou nd.or.jp / english/ * Please d o n ot con tact u s to ask w h eth er w e have received you r ap p lication form s. * We are u n able to resp on d to inqu iries related to w h y a p roject w as n ot ap p roved. 18