Research Grant Program
Research Grant Program 2023
Grants for the 2023 determined!
"Interlinkages and Innovation for Future Societies"
Program Objectives
Since 2021, the Toyota Foundation Research Grant Program has invited proposals for research projects that ambitiously address the challenges of issues focused on diverse connections (interlinkages), including those of people with people, people with nature, and people with things/technology to design a new future, based on the theme “Interlinkages and Innovation for Future Societies.” This is based on the belief that in order to realize an affluent and harmonious world, we need to fundamentally reexamine our existing social systems and how human beings relate to the natural environment, things, and technology and envisage the future from the perspective of interlinkages.
While there have been no changes to the basic approach this year, the Research Grant Program will provide greater-than-ever support for research projects that have an impact on society and attempt to create waves of changes to face these turbulent and difficult times. In evaluating research project proposals, the program will emphasize factors including the interdisciplinary nature of the research, the diversity of the research participants, and how the research results will give back and apply to society. The program invites proposals for bold and ambitious research projects that transcend conventional research activities, which often only contribute to the academic world, to address social issues with a robust approach that encourages the transformation of social systems and envisage the future with free-thinking perspectives unconstrained by existing values.
* “Researchers” in the grant program are defined as various individuals engaged in research activities, without being limited to researchers affiliated with a university or research institution. In addition, although our Research Grant Program encourages research projects that incorporate practice going beyond the academic framework, it asks them to raise issues, propose solutions, develop theories on phenomena with an eye on the future, rather than being for the purpose of practice itself. Please consider applying to the Grant Program for Community Activities in Japan for projects that are aimed at practice or implementation. For more details, please contact the Toyota Foundation staff.
Comments by Selection Committee Chair
・Comments by the Selection Committee Chair on the Research Grant Program 2023
・Previous comments are available in the Annual Report.
TYTID | Project Title | Project Leader | Position, Organization | Grant Amount (yen) |
D23-R-0024 | New Approaches and Concepts in University English Education Revolutionized by Generative AI: Implementing a System for Learning English without Teachers and Designing Classroom Environments | Tsukasa Yamanaka | Professor, College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University | 5,000,000 |
D23-R-0026 | A Study on "Workplace that Truly Promotes Diverse Work Styles": Creating with Robots in the Field of Employment of People with Disabilities | Mimiko Nakazawa | Associate Professor, Yamagata University Academic Research Institute | 6,800,000 |
D23-R-0028 | Reconsidering the Relationship Between Human and Animals in Zoos: Animal Welfare Assessment and Practice | Yumi Yamanashi | Principal Researcher, Center for Research and Education of Wildlife, Kyoto City Zoo | 6,700,000 |
D23-R-0036 | Effects of Introducing Developmental Support Apps in Schools: A Case Study on “P-LIN” | Masayasu Ishikawa | Associate Professor, Faculty of Child Studies Department of Child Psychology, Kamakura Women's University | 6,800,000 |
D23-R-0043 | Establishment of a Support System for Drivers who Cease Driving After Injury or Illness | Satonori Nasu | Chief, Division of Occupational Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation, Noukyoukyousai Nakaizu Rehabilitation Center | 6,000,000 |
D23-R-0045 | Creating New Values and Social System Based on Collaboration Between Socially-withdrawn People and Regional Platforms | Reeya Komoda | Full-time lecturer, Faculty of Regional Sciences Department of Regional Development Studies, Tottori University | 5,000,000 |
D23-R-0055 | Establishing a School-Centered "Systemic Change Approach" to Improve Children's and Community Well-being | Eri Shimomukai | CEO, roku you, inc | 6,500,000 |
D23-R-0057 | Building Ethnic Coexistence and Market Opportunities for High-Risk Populations | Tomohiro Hara | Lecturer, Faculty of Economics, Musashi University | 4,000,000 |
D23-R-0085 | Reparative Design for Creating the Future from the Present of Post-war Society: Towards Transformative Justice Linking the Global and the Local | Hiroko Kawaguchi | Research Fellow, Graduate School of Human Science, Osaka University | 5,600,000 |
D23-R-0088 | Supporting Community Health in Aging Rural Communities by Building Social Bonds (“Tsunagari”) Between Elderly Residents and Local University Students: A “Health Supporter” System by University Students Utilizing Digital Technologies | Yoshifumi Nin | President, Non-Profit Organization ASHA/Researcher, Institute for Promotion of Applied International Liberal Arts, Akita International University | 6,600,000 |
Grant Fremework
Program Theme | Interlinkages and Innovation for Future Societies |
Grant Amount (Total) | 50 million yen (per project, up to around 8 million yen/two years) |
Grant Periods | Two years (Nov 1, 2023 to Oct 31, 2025) |
Requirements | Project representatives must be 45 years old or under on the day of the beginning of the grant. |
Project representatives must have a contact address in Japan. | |
Projects must be Joint research conducted by two persons or more. | |
No limitations are placed on proposals with regard to the nationality of the project representative or participants; nor is there any restriction with regard to the their affiliation (or lack thereof) with a university, research institute, NPO/NGO, or other organization. | |
Proposal Submission Period | On April 7 to June 9, 2023, 15:00 Japan Standard Time |
Grant Selection | Formal decisions on the awarding of grants will be made at the Toyota Foundation Board of Directors meetings scheduled to be held in September 2023, based on the deliberations of a selection committee composed of outside |
Outline of the Grant Selection Schedule in 2023
Program Guidelines and Application Form
Online Briefing Sessions (not compulsory)
・April 13, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM (JST) session ended
・April 21, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM (JST) session ended
・May 9, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM (JST) session ended
Apply for participation
* The maximum participants is 100 for each session.
* The online briefing sessions will be held in Japanese only.
* Registration deadlines for each briefing settion is set at noon of the preceding day. Therefore, the Zoom information will be sent to the registered emails on the preceding day.
Aside from the briefing session, applicants can make an appointment of consultation with the program officers of the Toyota Foundation. Please refer to the program guidelines for the details. consultation ended
Proposal Guidelines and Project Proposal Form Samples
※The application closed on June 9, 2023. Thank you for your interest.
・Proposal Guidelines 2023(2945KB)
・Basic Information 2023(Sample)(110KB)
・Project Proposal Form 2023(sample)(201KB)
*The blank word file is available after registering applicant information.
Recommended Workshop Films
We held a grantee's workshop on August 21, 2022. You can watch the whole program of the workshop on YouTube Toyota Foundation Channel. * The workshop is in Japanese.
Recommended Documents
We have invited three grant projects and the selection committee chair to discuss the new theme of the Research Grant Program and motives for applying to the grant (held on March 10, 2022). The article of the online roundtable discussion is here
Click here for a printable PDF (layout version).(1195KB)