Call for Proposals: Ensemble Continuation Grants
for Early Career Researchers 2022
Ryuta Kawashima
Professor
Chairperson of Tohoku University Research Institutes’ Director Meeting
Director of Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University
Hiroyuki Kai
Assistant Professor
Leader of Tohoku University Research Institutes' Ensemble Project Working Group
Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University
In order to promote collaboration among early career researchers in Tohoku University,
the Ensemble Project for Early Career Researchers in Tohoku University will fund joint
research groups consisting of researchers from multiple departments. The "Continuation
Grants" are open to all research areas of ongoing research based on the budding academic
research topics in the Ensemble Project for Early Career Researchers, which havepotential for further development. We welcome applications from early career researchers,
but those who wish to join a research group as a co-investigator are welcome to apply,
regardless of their status, as long as they meet the requirements for affiliation as stated inthe guidelines. We look forward to receiving applications based on new ideas andperspectives.

1.

Period of grant

April 2022 - March 2023

2.

Number and amount of grants to be awarded

1,000,000 yen per grant, 2 grants

3.

Eligibility of the project

A continuation of a previous research project carried out by a research group of faculty and researchers
in multiple departments (research institutes, centers, graduate schools, etc.) of Tohoku University,
which is one of the following.

Research groups that applied for ensemble grant (1st stage) in FY2020 and FY2021.
•Groups that were rejected in the random selection are eligible to apply.

•Groups that did not pass the initial screening are NOT eligible to apply.

New members are welcome to join the group as the previous proposal progresses. It is also
acceptable for some members to leave the previous subject as long as there is overlap in key memberswith the previous research group.

4.

Eligibility of applicants and members
Research groups composed of faculty members and researchers belonging to multiple

departments of Tohoku University (research institutes, centers, graduate schools, etc.). Applicants(principal investigators) should be postdocs, research assistants, assistant professors, lecturers,and associate professors (including special appointments) who belong to each department of theAlliance of Research Institutes and Centers, Tohoku University. We especially welcome
applications from early career researchers. Co-investigators other than the principal investigatorare not subject to any restrictions on job title or status. However, the application will not be
accepted if it is clear that there will be no multi-departmental research groups for most of theresearch period due to graduation or completion of the course of the members.
lHerein, 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 ResearchInstitute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Center for Northeast Asian Studies (CNEAS),Frontier Research for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS), Advanced Institute for Materials
Research (AIMR), Research Center for Electron Photon Science (ELPH), New Industry
Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), and International Center for Synchrotron Radiation
Innovation Smart (SRIS) (hereinafter the same).

l

In the case of multiple affiliations (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 ofResearch Institutes and Centers, Tohoku University, which is the affiliation of your mainactivity. (If you are having difficulty determining if you can apply, please check with theEnsemble Project Working Group (WG) before you apply.)l

The applicant (principal investigator) must be able to use the university's budget
management system at one of the above departments.

l

Only one application per person (including the principal investigator and co-investigator)

is allowed.
l

If you have difficulty determining whether you are eligible, please check with the WG before theapplication deadline (January 28, 2022).

5.

February 7, 2022

Selection process

The "Ensemble Grant Review Meeting" will be held, and the teams that wish to apply for the grant
will make a presentation and answer questions from the other audience including other presenters andWG members. Afterwards, each participant (presenter, audience, and WG members) will have two
final votes. In addition, faculty mentors from each department of Alliance of Research Institutes andCenters will vote. Two projects will be selected in the order of their votes (see below for details onvoting).

6.
1.

Flow of the selection process

Application
Abstract submission
Deadline: Friday, January 28, 2022, noon (strictly enforced)

February 7, 2022

Please prepare your presentation abstract using the attached form, convert it to PDF, and submit it.
Submission URL： https://forms.gle/87gE783LJkJkNUT27
Upload of a poster or slides
Deadline: Friday, February 4, 2022, noon (strictly enforced)

February 10, 2022

Post your poster or slides online (see "2. Online Appeals and Interaction" below).
Registration for the Review Meeting
Deadline: Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
Presenters and audience members are required to register. All participants are eligible to vote.
https://forms.gle/h2hcUGEU9nSS9n3e82.

Online presentation and exchangelThe poster presentation will be held online from February 4 to 11, 2022.

l

Please prepare a poster (PDF, PNG, JPEG) or multi-page slides (PDF) describing theresearch team composition, conception, research plan, and progress.

l

In addition to the poster, you may upload a video presentation (up to 5 minutes in length).

l

During this period, you can exchange questions and comments via text chat.

l

You can replace your poster image and presentation video during the period from February
4 to February 11, 2022.

3.

Oral presentation (February 14, 2022, 10am - 12pm, 1:30pm-4:30pm, time may be changed)

Onlinel

Venue: Katahira Sakura Hall (broadcast online)lEach group will have 20-minute presentation (may be changed depending on the number ofpresenting groups) and 10-minute Q&A.

4.

On the day of the oral presentation, two proposals will be selected by online voting, in which eachparticipant has two votes, and the decision will be made later at the Director's Meeting. Two proposals
will be selected by online voting, with each participant having two votes. After listening to the oralresponses, two proposals will be selected by a signed ballot, with each participant entitled to two votes.
The final decision will be made at a later date at the Meeting of Directors of the Research Institutes.
The announcement of the selected proposals is scheduled for late April 2022.
l

The criterion for judging is "excellent research that can be accomplished by a team ".

lIn order to be eligible to vote, you must attend all presentations in the oral presentation.

l

You will be asked to add a comment to your ballot about why you chose the proposal.

l

You may not vote for your own team or for a team to which you belong in your researchgroup (such a vote will be invalid).

l

The vote will be shared only within the WG and will not be shared with otherparticipants or any other people.

l

If the number of votes is equal for competing proposals, the proposal will be randomlyselected.

7.

NoteIn the event of discrepancy between the English version and the Japanese version of the application
guidelines, the Japanese version shall prevail.