Final Report Released: Emergency Survey on Impact of COVID-19 on Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

September 11, 2020

The Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA) here at TUFS conducted a survey among researchers who are facing difficulties in utilizing this year's Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) due to the impact of COVID-19.

Every year, we have invited those in charge of KAKENHI from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and provided a forum to exchange views with researchers subject to these grants. This year in particular, in response to the spread of COVID-19, which has left the outlook for the use of KAKENHI uncertain, and given the many requests we have received regarding this issue, we decided to conduct a survey among representatives of research institutes involved in overseas research, and summarize the results in a report to JSPS. Although this survey is not intended as an immediate request for specific measures such as the establishment of a new Grant-in-Aid Fund, it is designed to gather the voices of researchers involved in overseas research in various fields, which are essential for the consideration of such policies.

The respondents of the survey were representatives of newly adopted research projects in FY2019 and FY2020 under KAKENHI A/B programs, as well as representatives of ongoing research under the former KAKENHI A/B programs (overseas research), and representatives of research projects in FY2019 and FY2020 under the KAKENHI joint international research program (B), which have also been the main targets of past forums (especially those in the field of overseas research). The deadline was June 27, 2020.

For more information, please visit the following URL.
https://gisr-forum.aa-ken.jp/survey.html