Overview of the Evaluation

1. Aims of the Program

This program (designed by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: MEXT) aims to promote Japan’s identifiable and continuous support in seeking long-term collaboration by developing international collaboration hubs with ASEAN countries and India, for the purpose of cooperative open-innovation that is accessible to industries and aims to provide direct solutions to locally and globally shared challenges.

2. Field of collaboration

for ASEAN:	“Environment/Energy”, “Bioresources” and “Disaster Prevention”
for India:	“Biotechnology”, “Information and Communication Technology(ICT)” and “Environment/Energy”

3. Prospective Applicants

Researchers at Japanese universities, research institutes or companies were invited to submit proposals for cooperative research projects in the research fields described above.

4. Period of Research

Five years

5. Amount of Funding

500 million yen (maximum) from JST to the Japanese researchers, per project over five years, inclusive of indirect costs which should be no more than 30 percent of direct costs.

6. Funded Expenses

Funding provided within this call is intended to enhance the capacity of the applicants to collaborate. Funding will therefore be provided mainly in support of collaborative activities such as for travel and holding symposia/seminars, to enable access to industrial application and may also support local research expenses such as in the provision of facilities, equipment and consumables that are necessary for the collaboration.

7. Evaluation Process

The Program Officer and 4 Advisors evaluated and ranked proposals according to the criteria below. Based on the results of their evaluation, JST exchanged views and decided on the selected project.

8. Evaluation Criteria

The following general evaluation criteria were applied in assessment of each application:

1. 1) Conformity with program aims and designated research fields, including project integration;
2. 2) Scientific quality, innovativeness, social impact of the joint research outcomes;
3. 3) Leadership and performance track-record in joint-research of the representative Japanese researcher, and potential to successfully manage international collaborative hubs;
4. 4) Appropriate research collaboration and necessary support to the collaborative research hub from the institutes in ASEAN countries / and India who will commit to set up it inside;
5. 5) Appropriateness of resources and funding requested;
6. 6) Global impact: scientific, technical, industrial, societal;
7. 7) Synergistic effects from collaborative research to be expected from the Japan-ASEAN / Japan-India cooperation;
8. 8) Solution-oriented and independently sustainable nature of research on crucial issues of contemporary ASEAN and India, including social application of innovative outcomes.