Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT)
Advanced Insect Research Promotion Center (AIRPC)
Joint Research Program Application Guidelines (Fiscal 2020)
AIRPC is now seeking partners for joint research projects in health science which utilize
advanced insect science.
1. Outline
Japanese aged 65 and over now comprise 26.7 % of the population and their number is rising at
an unprecedented speed that we had never experienced before. As members of such asuper-aged society, we have to cope with the various elderly population issues. Among them,extending the healthy life expectancy (HLE) and then reducing the difference from the average
life expectancy are urgent. At the same time, seeking solutions for patients with rare
undiagnosed diseases is also highly demanded in today’s society because “rare” is notsynonymous with “not many affected” anymore. Indeed, there are 5,000 to 8,000 rare diseases
and more than 400 million people are affected by such a disease. Furthermore, amid thegrowing impact of human activity, we are facing the globally growing environmental and foodissues. All these issues should be solved right away.
At AIRPC, we are developing Drosophila and other disease models for the study of genetic andepigenetic factors of disease development and then to search for prognostic and preventive
methods as well as therapeutic strategies for alleviating various human diseases; we also growfood and non-food crops and study ecosystems with the aim of developing sustainable andenvironmentally friendly food systems. In sum, we are challenging ourselves to build asustainable society in the three areas of healthcare, food, and environment.
We are specifically looking for joint health science research promotion projects that utilizeadvanced insect science to upgrade current model insects, to elucidate life phenomenon, and toutilize insects in practical ways.

2. Capacity
We will accept approximately 10 projects.
3. Joint Research Program Proposal Requirements
All project proposals should relate to health science research promotion that utilizes
advanced insect science and involves AIRPC researchers.
4. Applicant Eligibility
Applicants (project leaders) should be researchers at a university or a national, public, or
Dokuritsu Gyosei Hojin (Administrative Agencies’ Institution) research institution.
Researchers at KIT are not eligible. Applicants may be from a private enterprise orinstitution if the non-AIRPC researcher is approved by the president of KIT. Both domestic
and foreign institutions are eligible.
Any joint research with private enterprise must practice open innovation.
5. Application Period
Applications will be accepted from December 2, 2019 to January 10, 2020.
No applications will be accepted after the deadline.
6. Application Procedure
Applicants should consult with a responsible AIRPC member about their proposed projectand obtain approval from the head of their institution (Form 2) before submitting a jointproject application.
Note: See attachment “Staff and Instrument List” for information concerning researchdivisions and staff.
After completing your Word file application form (Form 1), attach it to an e-mail with thesubject line, “Application for 2020 Joint research,” and send it to Joint Research Strategies,
Research Promotion, KIT (e-mail address: ken-senryaku @jim.kit.ac.jp).
We will send you a confirmation E-mail as within 3 days except holidays after receiving yourapplication form. If you do not receive an E-mail, please contact us through AIRPC members.
7. Project Funding and Research Period(1) The standard research period is from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.
(2) AIRPC will provide travel and lodging expenses according to KIT regulations.
Consumable supplies will also be provided. The total of these joint research project
expenses must not exceed 300,000 yen.
8. Instruments and Equipment Available for Joint Research Activities
Refer to the attachment “Staff and Instrument List.”
9. Selection Results
The AIRPC Promotion Committee will review all applications and allocate funding toselected applications. The director of AIRPC will give final approval. All applicants will
be notified of final selection decisions by Mid- February, 2020. Persons whose applications
have been selected will be required to submit a “ Consent for Participation in Joint
Research” (Form 2) immediately upon acceptance.
10. Report of Joint Research Project Findings
After the Joint Research Project is completed, participants are required to promptly submit
a report (Form 3) on their findings (approximately 1,000 words). They are also required tomake their findings public in journals and/or presentations at scientific or publicmeetings.
11. Attention(1) In principle, joint research projects utilize KIT research facilities.
(2) Research requiring certain safety precaution procedures, such as those involving
recombinant DNA experiments or experiments on animals or both, may require special
education and training or committee approval or both.
(3) When publishing project results in an academic paper, the researcher must clearlystate in that paper that his/her research activity was carried out in collaboration with
AIRPC and a copy of the paper must be sent to us in PDF format.
Sample Acknowledgement: This study was funded by a Joint Research Program Grant
from The Kyoto Institute of Technology Advanced Insect
Research Promotion Center.
In addition, rights to and interests in any patents resulting from AIRPC joint research,must be discussed by the parties concerned.

12. Contact
Joint Research Strategies, Research Promotion,
Kyoto Institute of Technology
Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
606-8585 JAPANTEL: 075-724-7209
FAX: 075-724-7030
e-mail: ken-senryaku@jim.kit.ac.jp
URL: http://research.jim.kit.ac.jp/nc/html/htdocs/?page_id=157