Programs

Junior Research Programs

What is a Junior Research Program?

One of the primary objectives of the TFC is to provide young researchers with new opportunities to pursue exciting and challenging research, with the aim of generating the next generation of global research leaders.

To achieve this aim, the TFC will host “Junior Research Programs”, which will give talented young researchers the opportunity to organize workshops and carry out collaborative research with distinguished international scientists. These programs will have ambitious, interdisciplinary, high–impact content with the potential to generate new research fields.

Each program will be held at Tohoku University for a period of about one month, and will include two core components: the visit of at least one long–term stay researcher, and the hosting of an academic event such as a workshop or conference.

What we offer

The TFC will provide a budget of up to ¥3 million with which to run the program. This money can be used to pay for the travel expenses of the researchers who will participate in the program.

The TFC will also help the organizers during the planning and preparation stages of the programs. In addition, the TFC staff will provide comprehensive logistic support to invite researchers to participate in the events, and provide advertisement for the programs.

How to Prepare a Junior Research Proposal

To prepare a proposal, potential organizers should first select an innovative, challenging and interdisciplinary research theme on which to base their program.

Once the theme has been selected, the organizers should then identify at least one world–leading researcher who will agree to participate in the program as a long–term stay visitor. These long–term stay researchers will spend a minimum of 1 month at Tohoku University, and will act as key contributors to the program.

During their stay, the long–term stay researchers will undertake collaborative research with the organizers and other Tohoku University staff. In addition, the long–term stay researchers can also engage in other activities, such as giving seminars or a lecture series, during their stay.

Finally, the organizers should decide what type of academic event, or events, would be most suitable for their program, and which international researchers they would like to invite for short–term visits to participate in the events.

Together, these components will contribute to the production of a successful Junior Research Program proposal.

Program outcomes

The Junior Research Programs should act as seeds from which new research ideas and international collaboration networks can develop as tangible outcomes for future academic endeavors. Therefore, the organizers should have a clear idea of how the Junior Research Program will help them reach their research goals, and how the progress made in the program will be continued in the future. Moreover, the organizers are expected to develop their research outside of Japan and to transmit new ideas internationally after their program has been completed.

Propose a Junior Research Program