The Toyota Foundation

Grants for the 2023 determined!

"Interlinkages and Innovation for Future Societies"

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 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 from the Zoo: 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

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

・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

※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.

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.