Our panel is seeking research proposals in a wide range of fields, with a primary focus on mechanical engineering and electrical/electronic engineering. Instead of targeting specific issues, this program supports research based on problems and objectives set individually by you (“Sohatsu” researchers) over a long-term period of 7 to 10 years. Through this support, we hope that you will achieve innovative research results that will pave the way for disruptive innovations. We also hope that you will make great strides as researchers during the next 7-10 years, a particularly important period in your careers.

We look forward to receiving research proposals that are truly pioneering with high-risk and high-return characteristics. This is not research that incrementally improves on existing research or research that you know is achievable, but cutting-edge and exciting research that goes far beyond your current technology. I am sure that many of you have ideas for something innovative that you would like to try if you could continue the research for 7 to 10 years. We would like you to take this opportunity to give shape to those ideas with a concrete research proposal. It can be fundamental research or applied research. To help you achieve such ambitious goals, the advisors of this panel, who are at the forefront of various fields, will support you with their wealth of knowledge, experience, and network.

Interaction with other young researchers is another major strength of this program. One of the most exciting aspects of academia is that multiple researchers can bring their respective technologies together and fuse them to produce research results that could not have been achieved by a single researcher. We provide opportunities and an environment where ”Sohatsu” researchers can stimulate each other and engage in cross-disciplinary discussions and collaborative research. The “Kizuna” among young researchers nurtured there will last a lifetime.

We sincerely look forward to receiving proposals from many of you! Do not at worry at all if you do not speak Japanese.