The 4th Marie Sklodowska Curie Award

Purpose

JST recognizes the importance of initiatives to promote the activities of female researchers in science, technology, and innovation. In 2021,we established the “Marie Sklodowska Curie Award”, together with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, for awarding young female researchers who are expected to flourish across the world. The award’s namesake, Dr. Marie Sklodowska Curie*, was recognized for her achievements in her early thirties and won two Nobel Prizes. The award honors her great contribution and achievements to the development of science and technology, and we hope her example will inspire the ambitions of Japanese female researchers.
While the latter half of the doctoral program and the first few years after obtaining doctoral degrees are the most promising period for female researchers to make great strides as independent researchers, it is also true that they often face various life events during this period. By honoring the achievements of the winners and making them widely recognized, we hope that this award will support them to take a leap forward with their passion and flexibility as well as to foster the next generation of female researchers.
The Grand Prize winner will be offered an opportunity to visit research institutions in Poland, where Maria was born and raised, by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Japan and the Polish Academy of Sciences. In addition, JEOL Ltd. will present a cash prize of 1M Japanese Yen for the Grand Prize winner and 500K Japanese Yen for each Inspiration Prize winner.
For the 4th Marie Sklodowska Curie Award, we will accept applications on behalf of researchers or by the researchers themselves from October 1 –December 10, 2024. The awardees will be selected through a document screening and interview process carried out by the Selection Committee, and the results are scheduled to be announced in June 2025 along with the award ceremony. We welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds: not just researchers doing basic research projects in universities and research institutes, but also researchers active in engineering, industry, product development, and R&D involving large numbers of people.

*Marie Sklodowska Curie: A world-renowned researcher from Poland who discovered two novel elements, "polonium" (at age 31) and "radium" (at age 32). She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and remains the only person to have won a Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields, Chemistry and Physics.

Flyer
PDF画像Flyer (PDF：301KB)

Eligibility

  • Early career female researchers who have obtained a PhD within the last five* years including postdoc (as of April 1, 2025), PhD students, and those who are equivalent to them.
    * Periods away from research due to life events, such as maternity leave, are excluded from this total.
  • Any research discipline related to science and technology.
  • Holding Japanese citizenship. Does not need to reside in Japan

Awards

Grand Prize（one person)

  • Main Prize: A statue of Marie Sklodowska Curie from the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and a certificate from JST.
  • Prize pot: 1M yen
  • Sub Prize: Travel expenses (transportation and accommodation) to visit research institutes in Poland (Autumn of 2025).

Inspiration Prize（two people)

  • Main Prize: Certificate from JST
  • Prize Money: 500K yen (each)

Selection Process

Awardees will be selected by a committee of external experts.
1) Document screening
　*Two recommendation letters are required.
　*Recommendation letters from overseas are welcome, too.

2) Online interviews in English
　*Only those who have passed the document screening will be notified of the interview schedule.

Selection criteria

  • The Committee will evaluate the applicant's achievements to date, their potential (room for growth) as a researcher, and future expectations
  • The Committee will evaluate the applicant's desire to engage in joint research with foreign researchers (European, etc.) and international cooperation
  • In light of the great accomplishments of Marie Sklodowska Curie, the applicant's will to contribute to humanity will also be considered

Application Period

Tuesday, October 1 – 12:00 Tuesday, December 10 2024 (Japan Time)

Application Guidelines(the 4th)

Call for application in 2024 is now closed.

Co-Organizers

  • Japan Science and Technology Agency（JST）
    Japan Science and Technology Agency（JST）
  • Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Japan
    Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Japan

Supporters

  • JEOL Ltd.
    JEOL Ltd.
  • Polish Academy of Sciences
    Polish Academy of Sciences

Cooperators

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)
Ministry of Education and Science (the Republic of Poland)

List of the Selection Committee Members

Name Title and Institution

HIBIYA Junko
（Committee Chair）

 Professor Emerita, International Christian University

IWAO Emma Haruka

 Software Engineer, Google

EBISUYA Miki

 Professor, Physics of Life, Dresden University of Technology
Alexander von Humboldt Professor

OOGURI Hirosi

 University Professor, University of Tokyo
Fred Kavli Professor and Director of the Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology

GODA Yukiko

 Professor, Synapse Biology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

KOTANI Motoko

 Executive Vice President for Research, Tohoku University / Professor, Mathematical Institute, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University

SAITOH Eiji

 Professor, Department of Physics and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo

NUMATA Keiji

 Professor, Department of Material Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University / Team Leader, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science

Tomasz M. RUTKOWSKI

 RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP), - Research Scientist/The University of Tokyo, - Research Fellow
（As of October 1, 2025）

Announcement of Award Ceremony

The Award Ceremony is scheduled for June 5 2025, at the Embassy of Republic of Poland in Japan. Details will be made available on our website.

Contact

Japan Science and Technology Agency
Office for Diversity and Inclusiveness, Department of Personnel
5-3, Yonbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8666
TEL: +81-3-5214-8443
E-mail: diversity[at]jst.go.jp