FY2024 Research Grant Application Guideline
1. Purpose of Research Grant
As society continues to age rapidly, it is becoming increasingly important to understand conditions
such as cancer, lifestyle diseases, and psychiatric and neurological diseases, so that we can develop
treatments that are more effective and have fewer side-effects while still being economically viable.
We aim to promote “research that benefits the understanding of disease conditions and developmentof revolutionary treatments” by providing support for “original, pioneering and groundbreaking research
proposals” and “research proposals that are likely to produce clinically meaningful results”.
The past achievements of applicants do not matter. We are looking for epoch-making research ideasthat will be the next science trends.
Although proposals don’t have to be in specific fields, potential areas of research include the following.
Selection will be conducted uniformly for all applications, and the selection will not be affected theselected research area.
(i) Basic life science research(ii) Scientific drug discovery research and research on medicinal resources(includes organic synthetic chemistry and natural product chemistry)(iii) Basic research into specific disease conditions(iv) Research that has to comply with “Ethical Guidelines for Medical and Health Research
Involving Human Subjects”.** For the details in Japanese, please refer to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's website:
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/001087864.pdf

1. Research applicable to these Guidelines
These Guidelines shall apply to any medical and health research involving human subjects which is carriedout by a Japanese research implementing entity or carried out in Japan. Of research which falls under thescope to which other guidelines are applicable, however, matters not set forth in such other guidelines shallbe carried out in accordance with these Guidelines.
Besides, these Guidelines shall not apply to research which corresponds to the following categories A to C:(A) Research carried out pursuant to the provisions of laws and ordinances;(B) Research included in scope of the code of conduct set forth by laws and ordinances; or(C) Research utilizing only the specimens and information listed in the following:(i) Specimens and information, the value of which has already been established academically, widely
utilized in research and generally available;(ii) Existing information which does not corresponds to personal information(iii) Anonymously processed information which has already been created.

We are keen to support researchers who are newly proposing research based on your own idea, female
researchers, researchers who have recently started your own laboratory, researchers who have recently
returned from studying overseas, and researchers who have balanced the research with life events suchas childbirth, childcare, caring parent(s)/parent(s)-in-law or a partner, etc. We will set a research grantframe for those who have received the Astellas Foundation for Research on Metabolic Disorders’(AFRMD) overseas study grant and will grant it to those who meet the same selection criteria as otherapplications.
2. Number of recipients of fiscal year 2023 Research Grant
We received 1,159 applications for fiscal year 2023 Research Grant (male:933, female:226). After indepth scientific review by Selection Committee members, 80 applications (male:64, female:16) havebeen selected to give Research Grant of ¥2 million per application. Therefore, in total, ¥160 million has
been given to the selected 80 applicants.
The results of the FY2023 selection of researchers that we especially would like to support are asfollows;
Research
proposal based onyour own idea

FemaleStarted yourresearchers

own laboratory

Returned fromBalanced thestudying overseas

research within 2 years

life events＊FY2023

75%

20%

43%

16%

25%

FY2022

70%

25%

41%

30%

14%

* Childbirth, childcare, caring parent(s)/parent(s)-in-law, etc.
3. Application period
From 9 AM, April 1 to 4 PM, May 31, 2024
Many applications may come together just before the application deadline, and it may take time toapply. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted, please prepare your application inwell advance of the deadline.

4.

Eligibility

Researchers conducting their proposed research in Japan.

1)

No references are required.

2)

There are no age limits.

3)

No research grant will be awarded if a researcher has already received funding exceeding ¥25
million per project for fiscal year 2024 (direct costs excluding overhead) as the project leader asof the time of application, i.e., dispatch of the application form. This involves grants for fiscal
2024 and for multiple fiscal years including 2024.

4)

If you are a researcher being dispatched to a public research institution from a profit-making
organization, you are not eligible to apply.

5.

Precautions
1)

A clinical study proposal to use products of Astellas Pharma in the market or under thedevelopment is not subject for funding of research.

2)

We will set the research grant frame for those who have received the AFRMD's overseas study
grant and are planning to return to Japan by December 2024, and those who have returned toJapan within two years. We will subsidize those who meet the selection criteria. If applicable,please fill in the application form.

3)

Applicants cannot apply for the research grant and the overseas study grant at the same time.
You can apply for both of the research grant and the step-up research grant, however, you
cannot receive them at the same time.

4)

Researchers may be awarded Research Grants on no more than two separate occasions* perperson, dating back to the AFRMD’s activities from fiscal 2007 onwards. A third Research
Grant may be awarded however in the following circumstances:-If the research proposal is original and challenging, and relates to an entirely different subject
and has entirely different contents from the researcher’s previous two grant proposals; or if theresearch proposal is a continuation of a subject from the researcher’s previous two proposals
but includes new and original ideas which would be likely to produce significant results. The
overseas study grant, COVID-19 overseas study abroad support, Emergency Research Grant
related to East Japan great earthquake disaster or Kumamoto earthquake disaster, and COVID19 research grant are not counted as research grant history.

5)

Research to aim to gain personal or corporate profits is not subject of funding of AFRMD.

6)

We will not support those who have received overseas study grant or research grant from
AFRMD and have not complied with the recipient's obligations, such as submission of various
report documents.

7)

Research grants are issued for the purpose of purchasing goods and consumables related to thepromotion of adopted research, and are not intended to be used for research support expenses(so-called overhead expenses) for the affiliated institution. We accept applications fromapplicants who agree with our policy.

8)

Use of our designated donation application and overhead exemption request forms is acondition for research grant funding. We appreciate your cooperation in simplifying theprocedures.

6.

Subject

Research that benefits understanding of specific disease conditions anddevelopment of breakthrough treatments

7.

Funding¥2 million per Grant (80 in total);
Total available:¥160 million

We will set a research grant frame for those who have received the AFRMD's
overseas study grant and are planning to return to Japan by December 2024, andthose who have returned to Japan within two years. We will subsidize those whomeet the selection criteria.

8.

Duration to use Research Grant
January 2025 to December 2026

9.

Selection

Recipients will be selected by the Selection Committee and finalized by
the Board of Directors

10.

Notify of the result

With regard to pass/fail, applicants will be notified via email during theperiod from the end of October to early November 2024.

11.

Issuance

12.

Obligations as a Research Grant recipient1)

January 2025

Submission of Financial Statement
Recipients will be required to submit a Financial Statement (January 2025 - December 2026) toAFRMD by the end of January 2027.

2)

Submission of Research Report
Recipients will be required to write up the results of their research in the form of a Research
Report and submit it to AFRMD by the end of January 2027. Research Reports will be publishedin March 2028 at AFRMD website. Please bear that date to publish in mind when writing yourreport.

3)

Acknowledgement in scientific/medical journals or other publications
When recipients will publish results of the study which is supported by Research Grant, recipientsare requested to list the name of Astellas Foundation for Research on Metabolic Disorders in thesection of Acknowledgement of scientific/medical journals or other publications and submit acopy of the article or summary of the article to AFRMD. Submission of electronic version of thearticle to AFRMD is accepted.

4)Attendance at Research Conference
Recipients will be required to give a presentation on progress or the results of their funded
research at Research Conference organized by AFRMD (scheduled on October 10th in 2026).
Presentation by someone on behalf of a recipient will not be accepted.
Based on voting by Selection Committee members who attend the Research Conference,researchers who have presented outstanding research results at the Research Conference will
receive the Astellas Award for Best Biomedical Research (certificate) and an additional prize of¥1 million per person. Meanwhile, based on the same procedure, one young and promisingresearcher who has presented outstanding results will receive the Takenaka Young Scientist
Award (certificate) and an additional prize of ¥500,000.
Based on mutual voting by researchers who have presented the research results at ResearchConference, three researchers will receive Best Presentation Certificate. It is allowed that one canobtain simultaneously all three certificates mentioned above.
13.

Compliance with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information
1) AFRMD will only use personal information obtained in relation to the above Research Grant
program for administrative purposes including the selection process, notification of pass/fail toapplications, requests to recipients to prepare essays to be listed in AFRMD website or to
respond to questionnaire prepared by AFRMD.
2) Once Research Grants have been finalized, AFRMD will publish details of recipients on its
website and in other publications, including recipients’ names, job titles and the nature of theirresearch.
3) Any inquiries regarding personal information should be directed as follows.
Personal information officer: Yoshito Abe, Secretary General, AFRMD

14.

Languages permitted on application form
Japanese or English

15.

Application steps
The application steps are as follows.
1)

Create My Page

2)

Submit application documents through “My Page”

16.

Application procedure
Application Form／English Version <Sample, For Viewing Purpose Only>※This is a sample for viewing purpose only. For application, please download the application form
from “MY PAGE”.
1)

Application procedure(1)

Creating “My Page”Create your account by clicking、"「基本情報登録（ID・パスワードの取得）」Registrationof basic information (acquisition of ID / password)" and fill out the form. You can continue
to use My Page from next year onwards.
※If you already have “My Page”, please proceed to (2).

(2)

Login to “My Page”
Please login to My Page using the ID and password you obtained.
Confirm your information by opening the "Confirm and Change" from My Page.

(3)

Fill out the research grant application form and submit the required documents

After logging in to your account：My page, click the red button: 「応募はこちら」
under the "Information" tab and select the program, "Research Grant" or "Overseas
Research Grant". Or, you can also select the program by opening the "SubmitApplication" tab.

Fill out the "Research Grant Application Form「助成申請受付フォーム」",
download the application format, and prepare the application documents.
(4)

Submit document
Click “「確認する」（Confirm）” after filling out all the forms and uploading the required
documents, then check the contents and click the "「応募する」(Apply)" button at the bottomof the page.
The contents cannot be modified after submission, so please check carefully beforesubmission.

2)

Preparation of application documents(1) Required documents for the application
The filled-in application formats（PDF）is required documents for application.
(2) Download the format
The format is available on the application form on "My Page".
(3) Points for the preparation of application documents(i) The Application Formats
Please check the followings when filling in the application format.
・Please enter your name in the upper right corner.
・Use 11 pt. font size or more (no specified font).
・You may change the size of the designated frame, but please briefly fill in the application
items from [I] to [Ⅷ] within 4 pages. Please do not change the left and right margins as it will
be printed. Applications that exceed 4 pages will not be accepted.
・Please include figures and tables such as preliminary data within the text, if necessary.
・Delete the ”Notes in the frame” in the format and increase entry fields. Please delete
the “Notes outside the frame” before submission.
・Please write in an easy-to-understand manner, as referees outside of your field may
review your proposal.
・Graphical Abstract
 Summarize your research concept, appeal points, and future vision in a single
conceptual diagram.
 Provide a simple conceptual diagram so that non-specialists can understand themain points easily. Please refer to the following links to create a conceptual
diagram; 「Cell Press Graphical Abstract Guidelines」(https://www.cell.com/pb/assets/raw/shared/figureguidelines/GA_guide.pdf) 、ACS Publications「Guidelines for Table of Contents / Abstract
Graphics」(https://pubsapp.acs.org/paragonplus/submission/toc_abstract_graphics_gu
idelines.pdf)、Royal Society of Chemistry Guideline(https://www.rsc.org/journals-books-databases/author-and-reviewerhub/authors-information/prepare-and-format/figures-graphics-images/) Please use a font size of 11pt or more and keep the number of characters small.
No font is specified. Japanese or English is acceptable as the language.
(ii) PDF conversion of application documents and total file size
・ The completed application formats must be converted to PDF.
・ Total file size of the application documents must be 3MB or less.
17.

Confidentiality
All the AFRMD officers, the selection committee members, and secretariat members signed the"Pledge for Confidentiality" and obliged to retain confidential information such as contents of anapplication form.

18.

Inquiries
Secretariat, Astellas Foundation for Research on Metabolic Disorders (AFRMD)#702 Nihonbashi Life Science Building 2
3-11-5, Nihonbashi-Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0023
Tel: 03-3244-3397
Email: byoutai@jp.astellas.com
Website: https://www.astellas-foundation.or.jp/