U.S. – Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program Collaborative Awards 2024

CRDF Global is accepting proposals from joint teams of U.S., Japan, and other regional Asian-Pacific (APac based outside of Japan) researchers for the 2024 U.S.-Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program Collaborative Awards. This initiative is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).

The USJCMSP, one of the oldest bilateral programs in the history of NIH, was established in 1965 (under a U.S. Presidential-Japan Prime Ministerial level agreement) to strengthen Japanese research capacity and address issues of public health importance in the APac region. The program continues to maintain its value as a unique tool to foster U.S., Japan, and APac region research collaboration. The program has nine Joint Panels: AIDS; Acute Respiratory Infections; Cholera and other Bacterial Enteric Diseases; Hepatitis; Parasitic Diseases; Cancer (previously the Genes, Environment, and Diseases Panel); Nutrition and Metabolism (inactive on the U.S. side); Mycobacterial Diseases; Viral Diseases and one cross-cutting Joint Immunology Board.

Click here to download the Request for Proposals

The purpose of the USJCMSP collaborative awards is to foster new or expanded infectious disease and immunology focused biomedical research collaborations between researchers in Japan, the APac region, and U.S. investigators and institutions. It is expected that proposals will focus on questions of direct relevance to the APac region that will add to global knowledge about infectious diseases. The USJCMSP continues to promote collaborations, especially to include early-stage3 and female investigators from around the region.

Investigators from the United States, Japan, and other APac countries are invited to jointly apply for funding for collaborative research projects focused on the areas of research listed below and other related topics. Basic and clinical immunology and endemic and emerging infectious diseases relevant to the APac region eligible for this competition are the following:

• Acute Respiratory Infections
• Cholera and other Bacterial Enteric Diseases
• Hepatitis
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS)
• Immunology related to Infectious Diseases
• Nutrition and Metabolism (related to Infectious Diseases and/or Immunology)
• Parasitic Diseases
• Resistance against Anti-Microbial/Viral Agents
• Tuberculosis, Leprosy, and other Mycobacteria
• Other Viral Diseases
• Other Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases

Four to six awards, each up to $60,000 USD, will be made in support of two-year projects. Each proposal must have a budget submitted clearly outlining all expected costs, in accordance with U.S. government grant regulations. The budget may not exceed $60,000USD total cost.

Eligibility

The application will be peer-reviewed by a panel of experts administered by CRDF Global.

All proposals must meet each of the following eligibility criteria:

Individuals who serve as PIs on currently active USJCMSP collaborative awards cannot apply as PIs in this competition.

All proposals must meet each of the following eligibility criteria:

• Each proposal must include one PI from each sub-team (U.S., Japan and/or APac team) who will serve together as Co-PIs of the collaborative team. Co-PIs will share overall responsibility for the project and coordinating all project participants and institutions. The institution at which each PI is employed will serve as the individual team’s Principal Institution[1] designated on the proposal. Additional Investigators and institutions may be included as secondary collaborators to each individual team at the discretion of the co-PIs.
• Each PI must:
  • Possess the degree of Ph.D., M.D., or the equivalent research experience.
  • Demonstrate scientific capacity and research experience.
  • Be employed at an institution that can serve as the Principal Institution on the award.
  • On each application, both the Japanese sub-team and the U.S. sub-team must include as a PI an early-stage[2] or female investigator. In applications that include a collaborating APac sub-team, the APac sub-team must include at least ONE early-stage or female investigator, preferably as the APac sub-team PI.  If senior investigators (i.e., non-early-stage) are included as members of the proposed Japanese, U.S. or APac sub-teams, at least one senior investigator involved in each project must be identified as a mentor and trainer who will work with the early-stage investigator(s) involved in each project.
  • Sub-team budget allocation percentages must total 100% for the collaborative team and may not exceed $60,000 USD.
  • All projects must focus on basic, clinical or translational research targeting one or more of the following fields of topical areas listed in Section III.
  • Each proposal is evaluated independently and therefore should not be part of, nor depend on the success of other proposals submitted to this program.
  • Each collaborative team can submit only one proposal for this competition. Individuals serving as PIs are NOT permitted to serve as team members on other submitted proposals. Interested applicants are advised to submit the strongest application they can for this program. For research ideas that require resources not provided by this program or in areas outside the scope of this program, interested applicants are encouraged to review other NIAID/NIH, AMED, and CRDF Global funding opportunities. Specific funding opportunities are available at:
  • NIAID: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/opportunities
  • AMED: https://www.amed.go.jp/koubo/20/01/2001B_00085.html (Japanese);

• CRDF Global: http://www.crdfglobal.org/grants/funding-opportunities
• S. SUB-TEAM ONLY: The U.S. PI and participants on the U.S. team may be foreign nationals (U.S. permanent residents or visa holders) but must reside in the U.S. for at least 50% of the award period. This residency requirement does not apply to U.S. government employees. Graduate students on the U.S. team may be foreign nationals, but they must be enrolled in an accredited degree program at a U.S. institution during the period of their participation in the project.
• Scientists and other personnel employed by the U.S. federal government, whose salaries are paid using direct federal funding, or personnel working under a contract supported by the U.S. federal government, may apply for this program; however, the U.S. PI and affiliated federal agency are not permitted to receive funding under this Program. Instead all award funds are to support the APac sub-team and/or Japanese sub-team or collaborating non-federal U.S. institutions and investigators.

CRDF Global reserves the right to restrict the participation of any individual or institution in its programs. CRDF Global complies with all U.S. laws and regulations pertaining to export control and the participation of foreign nationals or institutions in its activities. It is the policy of CRDF Global not to conduct any transactions with U.S.-restricted entities without the appropriate authorization from the U.S. Government.

Application Materials

Title and Abstracts must be submitted via email to health@crdfglobal.org no later than Monday, May 20, 2024 (23:59) U.S. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Further instruction to submit proposals through CRDF Global’s grant management system by Monday, June 3, 2024:   https://crdfglobal.fluxx.io/dashboard/index instructions to follow.

Japanese sub-teams are also required to complete e-Rad[3]submission no later than Wednesday, June 5, 2024 (13:00) JST, UTC+9

https://www.amed.go.jp/koubo/20/01/2001B_00085.html (Japanese)

https://www.amed.go.jp/en/news/program/0301B_00033.html (English)

E-mail attachments and hard copies will NOT be accepted. For more information and instructions, please refer to Section VI. A.

E-mail attachments and hard copies will NOT be accepted. For more information and instructions, please refer to Section VI. A.

Program Point of Contact:

• Annie King, CRDF Global | aking@crdfglobal.org

[1] “Principal Institution” is a corporation, partnership, association, institution or other organization that receives assistance under the award Agreement and is responsible for carrying out the Project as specified in the approved proposal.

[2] An early-stage investigator (ESI) is a scientist who has completed a terminal research degree or end of post-graduate clinical training, whichever date is later, within the past 10 years. This program will consider request to extend the ESI status period for reasons that can include: medical concerns, disability, family care responsibilities, extended periods of clinical training, natural disasters, and active duty military service, determined on a case by case basis at the discussion among NIAID, AMED and CRDF.

[3] Cross-ministerial Research and Development Management System (e-Rad) is a system in Japan that makes available online the series of processes relating to management of solicitation-based research funding programs at individual ministries and agencies (receipt of application => selection => management of selected projects => application to register accomplishments and accounting reports).