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Comments by Selection Committee Chair

Shiro Kuniya

1. Overview

The main theme ("The Search for the Richness of Human Life") and subtheme ("Revitalizing Local Communities under Globalization") of the Research Grant program for fiscal 2009 were the same as in fiscal 2008. This year, however, we tried to simplify and clarify the concepts behind the program, emphasizing basic as well as applied research in the hope of attracting a wider range of proposals. We aimed to give appropriate, but not excessive, consideration to pragmatic, solution-oriented projects. We made it clear in the Information for Applicants that in order to be considered for a grant, projects in this program must be the sort for which public funding is not readily available.

This fiscal year, we simplified the categories in which grants would be made to just four: (1) Transmission and Formation of Culture (Culture), (2) Society's Frameworks (Society), (3) Individual and Interpersonal Development (People), and (4) Other. We also included a simple explanation of each category. We received 734 applications, an increase of 68% from the 437 applications received in the previous year. Applications this fiscal year were roughly back to the same levels as in fiscal 2006 (795 applications) and 2007 (751 applications). The distribution of the 734 applications across the four categories was as follows: (1) Culture, 236 (32%); (2) Society, 230 (31%); (3) People, 178 (24%); and (4) Other, 90 (12%).

The selection committee evaluated applications that had passed preliminary screening on a five-point scale according to the following criteria: methodological soundness, the probability of tangible results and ripple effects, and innovativeness (aspects of the project likely to contribute to the development of the program, inherent interest of the subject matter, originality and creativity, etc., irrespective of whether the project met the two previous criteria). Each of the five committee members drew up a list of recommendations, and the selection committee then met to assess the projects. Forty-four projects were selected for grants, an overall selection rate of 6.0%. The number of selected projects increased by 69% compared to the previous year, from 26 to 44. But since the number of applications was also up by 68% (from 437 to 734), the selection rate remained more or less unchanged from the previous year (5.9%). By category, the selected projects broke down as follows: (1) Culture, 10 (23%); (2) Society, 19 (43%); (3) People, 8 (18%); and Other, 7 (16%). As these figures show, the Society category had the highest number of successful applications. The value of the grants ranged from ¥2 million to ¥6.5 million for joint research (31 projects), for an average of ¥4.05 million, and from ¥900,000 to ¥2 million for individual research (13 projects), for an average of ¥1.5 million. The Information for Applicants specified a range between ¥1 million and ¥2 million for individual research and between ¥2 million and ¥8 million for joint projects, and the amounts allocated to selected projects by and large fell within these guidelines.

2. Trends in Selected Projects

There were a large number of joint research projects from professors, associate professors, and other researchers connected to a university. For individual research projects, many applications came from PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows, though considerable numbers of successful applications also came from people involved in local community projects. We feel the pool of selected projects maintains a good level of diversity.
Some of the characteristics of this year's application pool are noted below.

(a) Applications from Overseas and Regional Characteristics

We received 298 applications from non-Japanese applicants (41% of the total), of which 12 were successful, out of a total of 44 (27%). These figures represented a major increase from last year, when we received 136 applications (32%), of which 4 were selected for a grant (15%). There were two successful applications each from Indonesia, South Korea, Bangladesh, and the Philippines; and one each from the United States, Sri Lanka, China, and Brazil. As well as an increase in the volume of overseas applications, there was also greater regional diversity than last year, when there were two successful applications from South Korea and one each from Cambodia and China. This was probably due to the fact that we made it clear in the Information for Applicants that there were no restrictions based on nationality, affiliation, or location of residence, and the fact that program officers made active efforts to publicize the program's activities overseas. The committee agreed that the standard of overseas applications was much higher this fiscal year than last.

(b) Examples of Selected Projects

Although several projects were recommended by more than one of the five members of the selection committee, there was often considerable variation among the projects selected by each member, owing to difference of background and expertise. A brief description follows of one individual and one joint research project that received high evaluations and were recommended by multiple members of the selection committee.

[Joint Research Project]: Promoting Agricultural Careers for City-Born People: A Case Study in Narita and the Surrounding Area (¥3.9 million, 2 years)
Yoichi Aikawa
PhD Candidate, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Hitotsubashi University; This project, based in and around the city of Narita in Chiba Prefecture, involves a study of young farmers who have recently moved to the area and embarked on new careers in agriculture. Involving joint efforts between the young newcomers and farmers and researchers born and raised in the area, the study aims to develop a model that will help newcomers adjust to life in the agricultural sector. The project will undertake a systematic study of the things newcomers need to know and will outline the various types of support necessary to help a person from a nonfarming background become established. By issuing policy recommendations to local authorities, the project will help to encourage greater involvement in agriculture. It is hoped that the project will produce concrete results, leading to the revitalization of agriculture and an improvement in food self-sufficiency.

[Individual Project]: Environmental Preservation and Low-Input Sustainable Grassland Management in the Konsen District of Hokkaido (¥2 million, 2 years)
Akiharu Sasaki
Teacher, Agricultural Department, Hokkaido Tobetsu High School; This project studies the postwar impact of dairy farming on the plants, rivers, fishing industry, and wildlife (birds) of the Konsen area of eastern Hokkaido. The project will suggest ways of improving coexistence between dairy farming, fishing, and the natural environment, and aims to find new directions for sustainable development in the region.

3. Suggestions for the Future

Based on the screening of this year's applications, we would like to offer the following suggestions for the future.

The overall standard of applications was higher this year than last. In particular, we received a large number of applications from overseas, an increased number of which were selected for a grant. This increase was the result of publicity activities carried out by program officers overseas. We would like to see continued efforts in this direction in the future.
Unique regional characteristics deserve to be given due consideration, but fixating too much on this aspect of a project can hinder further developments. It is important to look at projects in terms of how they might be developed in a wider context, without restricting their relevance to a single region.
When compiling databases or preserving documents to support the "transmission of culture," follow-up studies should be carried out to determine the extent to which the data obtained is being put to practical use. At the same time, it is important not to sacrifice diversity by assigning too much importance to immediate results.
The selection committee benefited again this year from the results of preliminary studies carried out by the secretariat and program officers. This was extremely useful during the selection process. We would like program officers to provide even more thorough information obtained from preliminary and follow-up studies. Particularly with respect to applicants from overseas, there were several cases in which not enough information was provided about the applicant. It would be helpful to have access to as much data as possible about the applicant's background and status. A good grasp of previous research and the current state of the field is essential for assessing the merits of an application, and this is another area in which it would be helpful for program officers to compile as much information as possible.