Title:  NSF/Tokyo Report:   1998 NEDO Grants for International Joint Research
Date:   February 2, 1998


The National Science Foundation's offices in Tokyo and in Paris periodically
report on developments abroad that are related to the Foundation's mission.
These documents present facts for the use of NSF program managers and policy
makers; they are not statements of NSF policy.

Report Memorandum #98-03                 February 2,  1998

        1998 NEDO GRANTS FOR INTERNATIONAL JOINT RESEARCH

               Proposal deadline:  March 25, 1998

The International Joint Research Program of the New Energy and Industrial
Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a quasi-governmental organization
under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) of Japan,
announced on January 22, 1998 that this year again the program will provide
grants to international joint research teams to support original and
innovative basic research in the areas of "materials," "energy," "efficient
energy use,"  and the "global environment."  Annual grants can be up to
30,000,000 yen (about $240,000 at $1=125yen), and are renewable up to a
maximum duration of 3 years.

Proposals are being solicited in the following sub-areas:

- Materials

     1) Basic research concerning the investigation and elucidation of
     materials, and 2) basic research on the practical use of materials;

- Energy

     Practical research on electric power generation technologies using
     oil-alternative energy, on load leveling technologies and on global
     environment conservation related to those technologies;

- Efficient Energy Use

     Practical research on technologies concerning the efficient use of energy
     (excluding electric power generation technologies):

- Global environment

       1) Practical research on conservation and improvement of  the global
       environment, and 2) practical research on the production, generation
       and use of oil-alternative energy (excluding electric power generation
       technologies) which contributes to the conservation and improvement of
       the global environment.

To be eligible to apply for a research grant, international joint research
teams must fulfill the following main requirements:

  1. Each team, in principle, must be composed of four or more researchers;

  2. Each team must consist of researchers of two or more different
  nationalities;

  3. The research organizations where the team members' major activities take
  place must be located in two or more countries;

  4. Each team must appoint a research coordinator and an accounting
  coordinator.  The accounting coordinator must be responsible for accounting
  matters and function as the liaison between the team and NEDO.  The
  accounting coordinator's organization and research site must be located in
  Japan, and he/she must be able to communicate with NEDO in Japanese about
  all accounting matters.  The research coordinator can also hold the post of
  accounting coordinator.

Application deadline:

The deadline for NEDO to receive proposals is March 25, 1998.

Additional information on the program can be obtained from  NEDO's Internet
WWW Homepage at:

     http://www.nedo.go.jp/itd/grant-e/gr103.html

Or, write to NEDO at the addresses noted below:

1.  For Materials, Energy, and Efficient Energy Use areas:

     International Joint Research Division
     New Energy and Industrial Technology
     Development Organization (NEDO)
     PO Box 1151, 29F, Sunshine 60 Bldg.,
     3-1-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshioma-ku,
     Tokyo 170, Japan
     Phone: +81-3-3987-9357
     FAX:   +81-3-3981-1536
     E-mail:  nedogrant@nedo.go.jp
     Homepae: http://www.nedo.go.jp

2.  For Global Environment area:

     Research Proposals Reception Section
     Research Planning Department,
     Research Institute of Innovative Technology
     for the Earth (RITE)
     9-2 Kizugawadai, Kizu-cho,
     Soraku-gun, Kyoto, Japan 619-02
     Phone: +81-774-75-2302
     FAX: +81-774-75-2314
     Homepage: http://www.rite.or.jp