International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage
in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI)

Asia-Pacific Research Forum for ICH Safeguarding
Publication Programme for Early Career Researchers(2024–2025)

General Information
Objectives:
The Asia-Pacific Research Forum for ICH Safeguarding (the Forum) is a platformthat has been established by the International Research Centre for Intangible
Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) to promote research andinternational cooperation in the region. It has been providing various activities
such as online seminars and international conferences by inviting a wide rangeof participants, including researchers, government officials, museum staff andpractitioners of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) within the region. This year, theForum is offering a new programme for promoting early career researchers onICH.
The programme aims to encourage early career researchers to become moreinterested and engaged in research for safeguarding ICH at the international level.
The programme will be an opportunity for them to receive guidance and support
from experienced ICH scholars and researchers in writing and presenting papers,with the goal of publishing a professional research paper to ensure that theirwork is more widely recognized.
Programme overview:
This programme is designed for early career researchers to develop, present andpublish a research paper. It runs over a two-year period and has two phases(Figure 1).
Phase 1 is for the writing sessions with mentors, including the presentation of apaper at the international conference entitled ‘New Frontiers of Research forSafeguarding ICH’ to be organized by IRCI in 13–15 February 2025 as one of theactivities of the Forum. Participants in the programme have the privilege ofattending the conference without applying.
Figure 1. Major programme components and timeline
Phase 1: Writing Sessions(October 2024 – March 2025)

1 October 2024
Kick-off Workshop(Online)

Phase 2: Publication Process(April 2025 – March 2026)

13-15 February 2025
Face to Face Workshop &International Conference in Japan

March 2026
Release ofPublication

International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage
in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI)

Phase 2 is for the publication of the paper, where participants will go through theprocesses of finalizing the paper for publication, such as peer review andproofreading. The goal is to have the papers published by March 2026.
Participants can be paired with (an) ICH bearer/practitioner(s) with whom theywork closely and co-author a paper.
Provisional programme outlines and timeframe:
PHASE 1
1 October 2024

Kick-off Workshop (online)・Half Day

Several sessions to discuss writing a research paper on ICH

Writing Phase I (individual and online sessions)・October 2024–
Early February
2025

A mentor will be assigned to each participant to develop apaper within the following 4 months.
・ Participants will work individually under the supervision of amentor to:A) develop a paper outline (with an online session to discuss
it among participants),
B) draft a paper,C) have it reviewed, andD) revise it for presentation at the international conference tobe organized by IRCI.
Face-to-Face Workshop &3 Days
Presentation at International Conference・

13–15 February
2025

・
・

A face-to-face workshop will be held in Japan in conjunction
with a 3-day international conference to be organized by IRCI.
Participants will present a paper and participate in discussion
at the conference.
Provisional schedule for the workshop and the conference isas below:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Forum International Conference
Forum International Conference
Forum International Conference & Workshop

Writing Phase II (individual)
February–

・

March 2025

Participants will revise a paper based on the feedback they
have received during the conference and prepare a manuscript
to be submitted for the publication process.

PHASE 2April 2025–
March 2026

Publication Process・Participants will submit the final draft and go through thepublication process, including peer review, proofreading, etc.

International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage
in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI)・

Detailed publication schedule will be announced by the end of
March 2025.

Eligible Applicants:
Early career researchers (no age limit) who have been working on or have done
research on ICH in the Asia-Pacific region and have little or no experience ofwriting a paper, such as:-Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers (not undergraduates)
Researchers who have recently started working on ICH-related topics in
the Asia-Pacific region
Researchers working for NGOs, government agencies, museums, etc.
ICH practitioners who have been involved in research

Early career researchers who plan to co-author a paper with ICH
practitioners/bearers with whom they work closely in research are also
welcome.
Obligations of Participants:⚫
⚫
⚫

Participants should attend all scheduled activities and commit to the entire
programme.
Participants should adhere to deadlines during the writing sessions.
Please note that failure to fulfil the obligations will result in the denial of
financial support for participating in the face-to-face workshop and theinternational conference in Japan.

Mentors:
A team of mentors consists primarily of experienced university professors andleading researchers who have been teaching and writing about ICH for journals
and other publications. A mentor will be nominated and assigned to eachparticipant based on the research topic.
Participation Fee:
Participation in the programme is free of charge.
International travel expenses (round-trip, economy class airfare and visa fees, ifapplicable) and local expenses in Japan (airport transfer, accommodation, andper diem) for the period of the face-to-face workshop and the conference will bealso covered by IRCI, according to the rules of the National Institutes for CulturalHeritage, Japan.