Title: NSF/Tokyo Report:  Nedo's Industrial Science and Technology Research
         and Development Projects for FY 1998
Date:  April 22, 1998

The National Science Foundation's offices in Tokyo and in Paris periodically
report on developments abroad that are related to the Foundation's mission.
These documents present facts for the use of NSF program managers and policy
makers; they are not statements of NSF policy.

Report Memorandum #98-07                                       April 14, 1998

NEDO's Industrial Science and Technology
Research and Development Projects
for FY1998

The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a
quasi-governmental organization under the direction of MITI's Agency of
Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), has recently launched nine research
projects in JFY1998 as outlined below.  NEDO invites applications from
research organizations interested in participating in the projects.  Details
of the projects can be obtained by visiting:

http://www.nedo.go.jp/itd/newprj/newproje.html

I.	Projects:

Basic Phase Program

(1) Genome Informatics Technology Development
(2) The Frontier Carbon Technology Project

Application Phase Program

(3) Nanometer-scale Optical High Density Disk Storage System
(4) Human Friendly and Supportive Robot Systems

Academic Institutions Program

(5) Smart Materials and Structural Systems
(6) Platform for Designing Highly Functional Materials
(7) CAT-CVD Fabrication Process for Semiconductor Devices
(8) Development of Technologies for Creating New Bioaffinity Molecules using
Submicron Beads

Compound Semiconductors for High-efficiency Electro-optic Conversion
Development Project

(9)	Compound Semiconductors for High-efficiency Electro-Optic Conversion

II. Duration of the projects: For this information, please visit the homepage
URL indicated above.

III. Budget Scale for JFY1998:

(1) Yen 1,391 million
(2) Yen 1,389 million
(3) Yen 1,179 million
(4) Yen    921 million
(5) Yen    890 million
(6) Yen    417 million
(7) Yen    421 million
(8) Yen    472 million
(9) Yen    550 million

IV.		Application Procedure:

Eligibility:  Research organizations including companies, research
associations, public corporations, or universities interested in participating
in a project independently or in the form of partnership are eligible, subject
to meeting the following qualification criteria.

- An applicant should have previous research and development experience in the
field or related fields of the project.  Also, the applicant should have
organizational structure and human resources required to carry out the
research and development.

- An applicant should possess a sound management system for controlling
finance and facilities so as to smoothly carry out the research and
development.

- An applicant should be willing to and able to comply with NEDO's guidelines
as needed, to execute all the provisions of the contract.

- If the applicant is a company, the company should have a plan for
industrializing the results obtained from the research and development and
also the capability to carry out such a plan.

Participation in a project is open to both Japanese and overseas research
organizations.  However, from the viewpoint of efficiency and flexibility, it
is best to carry out research and development at Japanese laboratories.  To be
specific, research overseas will be considered only when the research and
development cannot be conducted in Japan or is impossible to be carried out
without using special facilities located overseas.

For projects (2) and (4), central laboratories should be established in Japan
due to the nature of the research themes.   At least half of the total R&D
budget should be allocated to other sub-laboratories in Japan.

For projects (1) and (3), more than three-quarters of the total project budget
should be allocated to research in Japan.

For projects (5), (6), (7) and (8), central laboratories should be established
at universities in Japan.

Deadline:  May 11, 1998

Proposals can be obtained by visiting:  http://www.nedo.go.jp/index-e.html

For further information contact:

		New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
		Applied Technology Development Department
		29th Fl., Sunshine 60 Bldg.
		3-1-1, Higashi-Ikebukuro
		Toshima-ku, Tokyo  170-6028
		JAPAN

		TEL:  011-81-3-3987-9356
		FAX:  001-81-3-3987-9396
		http://www.nedo.go.jp/itd/newprj/newproje.htm