Call for Proposals: Ensemble Grants for Early Career Researchers 2024

Hiroo Yugami
Professor
Chairperson of Tohoku University Research Institutes’ Director Meeting
Director of New Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku University
Yuki Kanda
Assistant Professor
Leader of Tohoku University Research Institutes' Ensemble Project Working Group
Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University

The Ensemble Project for Early Career Researchers in Tohoku University will fund joint
research groups consisting of researchers from several departments in order to promotecollaboration among early career researchers in Tohoku University. The grants are intended tosupport budding academic research projects that are created through interdepartmental
collaboration based on free individual ideas.
Proposals are invited to encourage new research start-ups or attempts at new developments thatbroaden the scope of existing research. Early career researchers are welcome to apply, but those
who participate in the research group as co-investigators are not required to have any status, aslong as they meet the requirements for affiliation described in the guidelines. We welcome
applications based on new ideas and perspectives (not only the content of research, but also theuse of facilities in other departments to improve research efficiency).

Application guidelines
1. Period of research
From June 1, 2024 (scheduled) to March 31, 2025.
2. What is funded
We will provide research funds up to 500,000 yen for about seventeen projects. After a certain
period, the grants will be distributed to the departments of the Alliance of Research Institutes andCenters, Tohoku University.
3. Eligible research projects
Collaborative research between multiple departments. The grants are open to research in all
fields. Interdisciplinary research is not a prerequisite.
4. Eligible applicantsApplicants (principal investigators) should be postdocs, research assistants, assistant professors,
lecturers, and associate professors (including special appointments) who belong to eachdepartment of the Alliance of Research Institutes and Centers, Tohoku University. We especiallywelcome applications from early career researchers. Co-investigators other than the principal
investigator are not subject to any restrictions on job title or status, but they are not eligible if it
is clear that the group in more than one department will no longer be included in the majority of
the research period due to graduation or completion of the course.
• Herein, the “Alliance of Research Institutes and Centers” refers to Institute for Materials
Research (IMR), Institute of Development, Aging, and Cancer (IDAC), Institute of Fluid
Science (IFS), Research Institute of Electrical Communication (RIEC), Institute ofMultidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials (IMRAM), International Research Instituteof Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Center for Northeast Asian Studies (CNEAS), Frontier Research
for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS), Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR),
Research Center for Accelerator and Radioisotope Science(RARIS), and New Industry
Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), International Center for Synchrotron Radiation Innovation
Smart (hereinafter the same).
• In the case of concurrently serving or concurrently serving (including the mentoring system of
the Interdisciplinary Research Institute), it is not considered to be more than one department
by itself, even if you are a member of a group with researchers belonging to a department of
the Alliance of Research Institutes and Centers, Tohoku University, which is your main activity
base. Please refer to “Supplementary material 1 Details of Research Group” and carefullyensure your research members.
• The applicant (principal investigator) must be able to use the university's budget management
system at one of the above departments.
• When students are selected as joint researchers, even if the student's affiliation is different fromthat of the principal investigator, if the main activity base (e.g. laboratory) is in the samedepartment, it will not be considered as multiple departments.
• Only one application per person (including the principal investigator and co-investigator) isallowed.
• As a new rule, the principal investigator and co-investigator who were selected for this orcontinuing grants last year will be excluded from the selection process.
• In principle, amendments to the application form after submission are not permitted. Please be
careful not to make any typos.
• If your application contains false information, you will be excluded from the random selection
and no further applications will be accepted.
• If it is difficult to determine whether the composition of the members of the applicant's
representative/associate is eligible for the application, please check with the Young Ensemble
Project Working Group (WG) well in advance of the deadline.
5. Selection process
In order to discover budding research and support various researches, we will screen the content
of researches as a working group, and about 15 research projects will be randomly selected. Afterthe random selection, the decision will be officially approved by the Tohoku University ResearchInstitutes’ Director Meeting. Applications that fall under any of the following categories will not
be accepted for screening.
• Applications that do not meet the eligibility and requirement in this guideline.
 The member composition does not correspond to multiple departments. If the applicant isunable to make a clear judgment by himself/herself, please check with the WG well inadvance of the deadline.
 The applicant is not a postdoctoral researcher, assistant professor, assistant professor, lecturer,or associate professor (including specially-appointed/specified professor) belonging to oneof the departments of the Alliance of Research Institutes and Centers.
 The application is more than two pages long.
 Applications that are identical or very similar to previously awarded proposals. If you are
applying for a research proposal that may be judged to be similar to your own previously
accepted research, please indicate the differences from your previous proposal in the"Research period and outline/differences of past selected proposal " section of the application

form.
 Applications that do not show the minimum research content.
 Applications without justification in the necessary expense breakdown
6. Continuation of research in the next fiscal year
We will conduct a peer review at a symposium to be held around February 2024 by allparticipants and invited faculty members, and select two or three proposals for continuation in thenext fiscal year (April 2024-March 2025, with a maximum research grant of 1,000,000 yen) in
April 2023. The same proposal can be continued for up to one year (one year of new proposal
plus one year of continuation).
7. Application form and submission
Please prepare the application form using the distributed application form, convert it to PDF,
and the prepared application should be submitted by the principal investigator using the web form
below by the deadline. Submissions in a different format or overdue will not be accepted.
https://forms.gle/VkNcBCnV9JSt6udd7
Deadline: Tuesday, June 4, 2024
8. Reporting
At the end of the research period, the grant awardees are required to submit a report of theirresearch results in the prescribed format (the contents of the report are available on the websiteof the Ensemble Project for internal use only). They are also invited to present their research ideas
and results at a symposium to be held during this fiscal year. When you publish your results,
please indicate that they were supported by this program.
Please note that if you do not submit an achievement report or make a presentation at theworkshop, you will have a disadvantage in judging continuing research and next grants.
9. Change affiliated institution of the representative or co-researchers
If the affiliation of the representative or co-researchers changes during the research period,
please contact Tohoku University Research Institutes' Ensemble Project Working Group as soon
as possible. Please hesitate to apply if you have already known that the affiliation of therepresentative or co-researchers will change during the research period before the application.

10. Changes research period
Extensions of the research period due to the principal investigator's overseas assignment or
vacation etc. are not permitted. However, we will respond flexibly, such as by changing theprincipal investigator, please contact the Young Ensemble Project Working Group (WG).
11. Management
You are expected to conduct your research in accordance with all the rules and instructions of
the university and your department regarding safety and health management, network
management, prevention of research fraud, and legal compliance. Please note that we will
discontinue the support if it is judged that you have deviated from the above.
12. Notes
In the event of discrepancy between the English version and the Japanese version of theapplication guidelines, the Japanese version shall prevail.
If you have any questions about the application guidelines, please contact us.
Tohoku University Research Institutes' Ensemble Project Working Group
ensemble_secretariat [at] grp.tohoku.ac.jp

(Supplementary material 1) Details of research group
The research group must consist of the researcher affiliated with the departments of “Alliance of

Research Institutes and Centers, Tohoku University” as the principal investigator and theresearcher(s) from multiple departments within Tohoku University. If the principal activity
departments of all members are same, it is not considered as a multi-departmental group. If they meet
the above criteria, members from other universities may be included. There is no limit to the numberof members.

・ Examples of research groupe.g.

Reason

e.g.

NG

OK

Principal investigator

Principal investigator(RIEC)(RIEC)

Co-investigator1

Co-investigator1(RIEC)(IMR)

The group is not composed of

The group is composed ofmultiple departments.

multiple departments.

NG

OK

Principal investigator

Principal investigator(RIEC)(RIEC)

Co-investigator1

Co-investigator1(RIEC)(Graduate School of Engineering)Reasone.g.

ReasonCo-investigator2

Co-investigator2(Other university)(Other university)

The group is not composed of

The group is composed ofmultiple departments in

multiple departments in

Tohoku University.

Tohoku University.

NG

OK

Principal investigator

Principal investigator(RIEC)(RIEC)

Co-investigator (including students)

Co-investigator (including students)(Graduate School of Engineering(Graduate School of Engineering/RIEC)/IFS)

The group is not composed of

The group is composed ofmultiple departments in

multiple departments in

Tohoku University.

Tohoku University.

e.g.

NG

OK

Principal investigator

Principal investigator(RIEC, XX lab.)(RIEC, XX lab.)

Co-investigator (including students)

Co-investigator (including students)(Graduate School of Engineering(Graduate School of Engineering/XX lab.)/YY lab.)

The principal activity departments

Reasonof all members are same, and thegroup is not composed of multiple
departments in Tohoku University.

The group is composed ofmultiple departments in
Tohoku University.

NG
Principal investigator(RIEC)
Co-investigator1 (IMR, RIEC)
e.g.

※The principal activity departments is RIEC
Co-investigator2 (AIMR, RIEC)※The principal activity departments is RIEC

ReasonThe principal activity departments of all members are same, and the group is notcomposed of multiple departments in Tohoku University.

・ The case of research group members affiliated with FRIS
The project working group consider that the “mentor department” of researchers affiliatedwith FRIS is as principal activity departments. Please note that even if their mentor departments
are different, groups consisting of researchers belonging to only FRIS are not eligible.

NG
Principal investigator (FRIS)
e.g.

※The mentor department is Graduate School of Engineering
Co-investigator1 (Graduate School of Engineering)

ReasonThe group is not composed of multiple departments.

NG
Principal investigator (FRIS)

e.g.

※The mentor department is Graduate School of Engineering
Co-investigator1 (FRIS)※The mentor department is Graduate School of Science

ReasonThe group is not composed of multiple departments.

How to prepare the application
The application form should be one or two pages.
1. Research group• The research group should be composed of faculty, researchers, and technical staff members
belonging to multiple departments of Tohoku University (research institutes, centers,laboratory, graduate schools, etc.). In addition to the above, external members may be
included as co-investigators. Please add ◎ in front of the principal investigator's name.

• If the department to which you belong and the department in which you are mainly active
are different (e.g., if you hold concurrent positions in multiple departments), please list both
the department to which you belong and the department in which you are mainly active.
2. Research expenses breakdown• Research expenses are limited to equipment, supplies, travel expenses, honoraria, andpersonnel expenses necessary to carry out this research. (Expenditures that are consideredappropriate for running a laboratory or for other research projects are not allowed.
• Regarding expenses related to construction costs for research equipment, etc., we will ask
you to submit a statement of reasons in advance to the Young Ensemble Project Working
Group (WG).
3. Plan of research• If you are applying for a research proposal that may be judged to be similar to your own
previously accepted research, please indicate the differences from your previous proposal in
the "Research period and outline/differences of past selected proposal" section of theapplication form.
• Please describe the plan for one year, not assuming continuation.
4. Other research grant applications• This grant does not restrict duplicate applications with other research funds, but if there are
restrictions on other research funds, please apply with consideration.

Procedures for random selection of proposals
1. All applications will be assigned entry numbers 1, 2, 3, ..., N, starting from 1 and increasing by 1,
in the order in which the applications are received.
• The entry number will be assigned at the time the application is first submitted, even if theapplication is resubmitted within the period or withdrawn after submission.
• The entry number will be notified to the applicant at the time of acceptance or closing of the call.
2. Screening of applications will be done by the WG based on the application guidelines. The WG
determines M, the number of proposals to be adopted (M ~15). If the number of proposals that pass
the screening does not significantly exceed 15, all proposals may be accepted after adjusting theamount. The screening and the decision on the number of proposals to be adopted will be made byJune 10, 2024.
3. The entry numbers of the applications that passed the screening will be randomly ranked using theattached Python script (Python 3.7), and the top M applications will be accepted.
3.1.

Let the sum of the block hashes of the first five blocks in the Bitcoin blockchain after 8:00
a.m. (Japan time) on June 11, 2024, be the random seed S. Initialize the random number withrandom.seed(S).

3.2.

Prepare a list ENTRIES with the entry numbers in ascending order.

3.3.

Shuffle the order of the presentation numbers ENTRIES by number_order=

random.sample(ENTRIES, len(ENTRIES)).
3.4.

In the order of number_order, M proposals will be accepted.

4. The list of entry numbers that have passed the screening in 2. and the random number seed used in
3.1 will be made public when the approved proposals are decided and notified.

Notes
1. A new Bitcoin block is created approximately every 10 minutes. Each time a block is created, theblock height is increased by one, and the block-specific hash value (a 32-byte number) is determined.
The block hash value is suitable as a random seed for random selection because it has the following
properties• It is very difficult to know the block hash to be generated in the future and to set it to the desired
value (virtually impossible due to the cost of tens of millions of yen). Therefore, it is (virtually)
impossible to predict or manipulate the results of random selection before the deadline.
• Once the block hash is determined, its value can be obtained by anyone. Therefore, anyone canverify later that the random selection process is not fraudulent or erroneous by using a random
seed calculated from the block hash value.
2. The attached Python script shows an example of using "the sum of five block hashes of bitcoin
block height 629530-629534" as a random seed.
• The block hash value can be obtained from https://explorer.btc.com/btc/block/[block height] (e.g.,
for block height 629530, see https://explorer.btc.com/btc/block/629530).
• When you run the Python script, you will get the following results. As long as the random number
seed is the same, the same result is obtained no matter how many times the script is run.
Entries: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,
18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 28, 29, 31, 33] (26 in total)
Random seed:3328922384685780924223003444097241387041554684534517140
ResultSelected entries: [1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 21, 23,
25]

Python script for random selection：https://ideone.com/IrZVK5
import random
import platform
assert platform.python_version()[0:3] == "3.7", "Python version 3.7 must be used."# The number of selections
NUM_SELECTED = 15
# Entry numbers that passed the screening process (example is shown)
ENTRIES = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 28, 29, 31, 33]
assert NUM_SELECTED < len(ENTRIES), "Selection must happen"# Block hashes from certain block heights that were previously announced:# Below is the example by block heights 629530-629534.
hashes = [0x00000000000000000006F349AA480F67A2B603496DA07FD0F566680293B2D3E4,0x0000000000000000000E4BF1CA971D88B29D31B84751AE6BDF8F2F5F25E5D99E,
0x00000000000000000003A91B8D6D37940269AE8DE9219176DCD6BA448CE0AC75,0x0000000000000000000137A2AC232E19D2163A4A28B2F1F49CCD35052579451E,
0x00000000000000000008A17371C0F62112227C28B83DD88C5218CAD648484E7F,]
seed = sum(hashes)
random.seed(seed)print("Entries:", ENTRIES, "(%d in total)" % len(ENTRIES)) print("Random seed: %d" % seed)print()
number_order = sorted(random.sample(ENTRIES, len(ENTRIES))[0:NUM_SELECTED])
print("Result")
print("Selected entries:", number_order)