Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI)

KAKENHI Scientific Research (A/B/C), Challenging Research, Early-Career Scientists

Funds Japanese scientific research groups in investigator-led, challenging, and early-career domains.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The FY2026 KAKENHI call for Scientific Research (A/B/C), Challenging Research (Pioneering and Exploratory), and Early-Career Scientists is administered by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and covers creative and pioneering investigator-led research across all fields of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Award scales differ substantially by category: Scientific Research (S) funds JPY 50–200 million over five years; (A) JPY 20–50 million over three to five years; (B) JPY 5–20 million over three to five years; (C) up to JPY 5 million over three to five years. Challenging Research (Pioneering) funds JPY 5–20 million over three to six years; Challenging Research (Exploratory) funds up to JPY 5 million over two to three years. Early-Career Scientists awards are capped at JPY 5 million and restricted to researchers within eight years of PhD acquisition.

All applicants must hold an affiliation with a Japanese university, inter-university research institute, college of technology, MEXT-affiliated research institution, or other MEXT-designated institution, and must be eligible to apply for KAKENHI through their host institution. Applications are submitted exclusively through the JSPS Electronic Application System via the applicant's host institution; the institution's authorised representative transmits the final application to JSPS. For the FY2026 cycle, the application window opened on 14 July 2025 and closed at 4:30 p.m. JST on 17 September 2025. No changes are permitted once the host institution has confirmed and transmitted the submission to JSPS. Application forms and procedures are published in both Japanese and English, but the working submission language is Japanese.

Peer review is conducted by specialist review panels in JSPS's cross-ministerial R&D management system (e-Rad). Reviewers assess the scientific creativity, feasibility, and potential contribution of each proposal to their respective review section. Results are announced by JSPS following the review cycle; successful applicants receive multi-year fund allocations (or single-year grants for certain categories) paid through their host institutions. The page for the FY2026 cycle is preserved as a reference for future applicants; the FY2027 call is expected to follow the same annual pattern.