Reviewers of KAKENHI grant proposals may not be familiar with the narrow topic or field covered in the proposal. A successful proposal must be very clear (especially for non-specialist reviewers) about how the proposed research topic fits into a broader context, what the limits of knowledge concerning this topic are, how the proposed research will advance knowledge beyond these limits, and why the proposed research is of theoretical, practical, or even commercial importance. Furthermore, a successful proposal must convince reviewers that the research has a good chance of success and that the amount of public funding requested is necessary for the research. Very worthwhile proposals may fail if they do not adequately address these issues.

In “KAKENHI-Seminar in English”, the speakers, having experience of execution of KAKENHI grants of various categories, will provide practical tips for writing good proposals. In addition, some simple ways to strengthen proposals in terms of reviewers’ perception that the research is interesting, valuable, and will likely be successful will be discussed.

The recording of the seminar will be available here shortly.

Date and Time

Tuesday, July 6, 2021, 5:00pm – 6:30pm

Venue

Online (Zoom) :

Program and Speakers

Part 1. An Overview of the KAKENHI Research Grants

A short description of what KAKENHI is, including its types, duration, and proposal submission procedures (including the electronic part) with highlights on latest changes. Presented by Dr. Pitambar Gautam (Creative Research Institution) and Ms. Fumi Ishimura (University Research Administrator).

• Presentation materials for Part 1. are available here.

Part 2. Writing a Good, Strong, and Successful KAKENHI Proposal

Two guest speakers will provide practical tips for writing good proposals and some simple ways to strengthen proposals in terms of reviewers’ perception that the research is interesting, valuable, and will likely be successful. Presented by Dr. Akira Kakugo (Associate Professor, Faculty of Science) and Dr. Kevin Wakeman (Assistant Professor, Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education).

• Presentation materials from Dr. Wakeman are available here.
• Presentation materials from Dr. Kakugo are available here.

Part 3. Q&A session

Unanswered questions are answered and posted here.