Reform of KAKENHI aims to improve Japan's research capabilities ― Reinforcement of international joint research from multiple angles

The Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research program (KAKENHI) is the largest competitive fund in Japan and supports approximately 80,000 academic research projects each year. Recently, Japan's research capability has been reported to be declining. What role should KAKENHI play in reversing this situation? The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) KAKENHI subcommittee has compiled a list of measures and approaches for improving and strengthening the program. The subcommittee is chaired by Project Professor Sawako Shirahase, who is based at the Endowed Research Unit on Inclusive Global Future Society, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Tokyo. Some of the subcommittee's ideas are reflected in the fiscal year (FY) 2025 KAKENHI budget, which is currently under review. The ideas include the evaluation of international involvement in the Scientific Research categories.

The number of internationally coauthored academic papers is increasing globally. However, the growth rate of such papers in Japan is relatively low. Japan's ranking as an international coauthor partner among major countries is also on a downward trend. A related issue is that forming an international network of researchers requires long-term research exchanges. Therefore, researchers must engage in international joint research from the early stages of their careers.

Various frameworks already exist to encourage young researchers to participate in international joint research. Such frameworks include Overseas Research Fellowships run by the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS). There are also frameworks supported by KAKENHI: Fostering Joint International Research and International Leading Research. The former subsidizes international joint research by researchers under 45 years that is selected for a research category with relatively small budget. The latter requires the involvement of postdoctoral fellows and doctoral students. Furthermore, the KAKENHI program now features an evaluation factor for international involvement in research projects. The factor was added when applications were publicly solicited for the FY2025 KAKENHI Scientific Research A, B, and C categories. The FY2024 supplementary budget and the FY2025 initial budget proposal prioritize funds for research projects that score well in terms of international involvement (This factor had previously been ranked equally for all research categories but has now been given extra weighting in this category). In the aforementioned budget and budget proposal, funds are allocated to establish a framework for strengthening support for international and young researchers to additionally select research projects that involve young researchers and score well for international involvement.

To strengthen international involvement and support for young researchers under KAKENHI, the Fostering Joint International Research scheme is to be integrated into the Scientific Research Category. The degree of international involvement in programs of the research categories with a small budget which are selected for young researchers must thereby be fundamentally improved. After the aforementioned integration, it is necessary to examine the method of integrating expenses specific to Fostering Joint International Research, such as "travel and accommodation expenses" and "expenses for securing substitute personnel." Specifically, the method of integration must address how to authorize the use of such expenses.

To avoid an increase in the cost of the administration work for screening projects due to the aforementioned integration, efficient screening procedures should be created. When researchers apply for funding for international joint research involving international travel under Scientific Research B or C or Young Scientists', it is necessary to consider a method of examining whether such expenses should be authorized together with assignment assessment.

The "Repatriate Research Promotion" is intended for requesting excellent Japanese researchers having secured a certain post at overseas research institutes to come back. To increase the effectiveness of the system, the eligibility to apply for the Overseas Research Fellowships is newly granted, and the grace period between project selection and application for grant funding should also be extended. Additionally, the JSPS should consider measures that prioritize other targets than consolidating and integrating existing research categories. For example, Japanese researchers living abroad should be allowed to apply for KAKENHI grants under certain conditions. The JSPS's Overseas Offices can be used as hubs to form communities of Japanese researchers living abroad. Furthermore, the effectiveness of research funds should be maximized. For this purpose, large-scale research grants under Scientific Research A and above should be converted into funds.

It is also necessary to create an environment in which more researchers can access basic research infrastructure. One helpful step would be to promote shared use of research facilities and equipment purchased with KAKENHI funding. Therefore, the rules applied to the use of facilities and equipment for research projects in FY2025 should address a broader range of efforts. When research facilities and equipment meet specific requirements, such as minimum purchase prices, their shared use both within and outside the research institution should be required within a scope that does not interfere with the subsidized project.

The acceptance rate for projects should be targeted at 30%, as in the Sixth Basic Plan period. The fulfillment rate for all research categories should be approximately 80% for the time being. Measures should therefore be considered to increase the number of allocations, including raising the upper limit of that amount.

The MEXT funding proposals further state that it is necessary to review the nature of scientific research, such as integrating Scientific Research B and C, and examine the Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas.