KAKENHI Fostering Joint International Research
Funds Japanese researchers with international collaborations for overseas joint studies.
⚠This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The KAKENHI Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (Fostering Joint International Research) is a JSPS sub-category that enables a researcher holding an active KAKENHI grant at a Japanese university or research institution to conduct extended joint research with collaborators at a foreign university or research institution. The programme's explicit aims are to markedly advance the research agenda of the root KAKENHI project and to foster internationally competitive independent researchers. Eligible research spans all fields of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, identical to the parent KAKENHI system.
The joint research period must run for six to twelve months at the overseas institution, and the total budget is capped at JPY 12 million per grant. The award is classified as a Multi-year Fund, meaning unspent funds can carry over between fiscal years within the grant term. Eligibility is restricted to researchers who already hold a live KAKENHI grant — this programme funds an international extension of that existing work, not a standalone new research project. Applicants submit using Form S-61 (Research Proposal Document) through the JSPS Electronic Application System via the head of their Japanese host institution. The FY2025 call closed at 4:30 p.m. JST on 17 September 2025. A FAQ covering common application questions exists in Japanese only.
The Fostering Joint International Research category sits alongside three related sub-categories in the Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research: International Leading Research (up to JPY 500 million over seven to ten years for globally prominent research groups), International Collaborative Research (up to JPY 20 million over three to six years for multi-PI international consortia), and Home-Returning Researcher Development Research (up to JPY 50 million over up to three years for Japanese researchers transitioning back from overseas positions). Peer review and award decisions follow the standard JSPS review-panel process, with results communicated through the host institution. The FY2026 call for this category is expected to follow the same annual schedule.
Joint international research conducted by an existing KAKENHI grantee with overseas collaborators.
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