Grants

Spring 2025 21JPSI Research Travel Award - Call for Applications

The Hamilton Lugar School’s 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative (21JPSI) is excited to announce its latest “Call for Applications” for travel awards to support social scientific/policy-relevant research in Japanduring summer 2025. Funding is available this grant cycle for two separate awards of up to US$5000* each—one for an IU faculty member and one for a currently enrolled IU graduate student.

Please submit all required materials (detailed below) to JPSI@iu.edu no later than March 15, 2025. Please use the email subject heading “21JPSI research travel award application.”

*Up to US$5000 per grant is intended to facilitate 2 weeks (13 nights/14 days) of research fieldwork in Japan. Please note that, as an externally-supported grant, the reimbursable expense categories and caps listed below are determined by the external funder and non-negotiable. In other words, this award cannot be used to reimburse any expenses incurred in categories not listed below and/or in eligible categories that exceed the category-specific caps delineated below.

Required Application Materials

  1. A 1-page research statement/proposal containing a project abstract and a scope of the work that briefly describes the following: 1) the proposed research project’s focus and core research question, 2) its scholarly significance; 3) its relevance for a contemporary real-world domestic or foreign policy challenge, and 4) how it moves beyond the applicant’s previous research. Be sure to clearly explain the necessity of research travel to Japan (as well as the specific research site(s) within Japan), your specific plans (and timeline) for research while in Japan, and a timeline and description for how your research findings will be disseminated after project completion. If you plan to conduct research in more than one location, please explain why.
  2. A budget proposal that clearly identifies concrete USD estimates and sources for airfare, hotel, and transportation. Please also identify any other funding applied for and/or received to support the project.
  3. A curriculum vitae
  4. (Grad students only) Recommendation letter from your main advisor

  • roundtrip economy airfare between IND and Japan (up to US$2059)
  • up to 13 nights’ hotel accommodations in Japan (up to US$131/night, inclusive of all taxes/fees)
  • up to 14 days of meals (up to US$32/day)
  • ground transportation between Bloomington and Indianapolis Airport (up to US$160 roundtrip)
  • ground transportation between airport in destination Japanese city and research site (up to $39 roundtrip)
  • up to 14 days of subway/bus fare in destination city (up to US$6/day)
  • inter-city travel within Japan (up to US$328 total), only if necessary for research purposes

(As noted above, the grant terms are such that (1) expenses incurred for budget items not mentioned in the list above, or for amounts exceeding the hard $ caps noted above, will be the grantee’s responsibility. (2) These caps are set by the funder each fiscal year, and—for better or worse—will not change regardless of USD:JPY exchange rate fluctuations. So please plan accordingly)

Eligibility Criteria

  • Awardee selection will be based on the proposed research project's relevance to 21JPSI's mission, the importance to the project of travel to Japan, and the originality and significance of the proposed research. Competitive research proposals will focus on topics compatible with the research component of 21JPSI’s mission: supporting social scientific/policy-relevant academic scholarship on important issues related to contemporary Japanese politics and society, U.S.-Japan relations, and/or Japanese foreign policy. (Please review the 21JPSI website for details on the Initiative’s mission and scope)
  • Japanese-language proficiency and/or previous experience conducting research in Japan are NOT conditions for a proposal to be competitive. When circumstances allow, 21JPSI is eager to support both Japan experts and non-Japan experts who wish to engage Japan in their academic research.
  • All Indiana University faculty and graduate students employed/enrolled in both Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 are eligible to apply; however, no individual may receive this grant two years in-a-row.
  • Successful applicants must commit to:
    • complete all travel by August 31, 2025
    • submit within two weeks of their return (a) a detailed reimbursement request; (b) a one-page report summarizing their research activities in Japan (please note: all this information will be shared with the Japan Foundation)
    • acknowledging financial support from 21JPSI and the Japan Foundation in all papers/publications benefitting from the award-supported research

Please send any questions or concerns to jpsi@iu.edu.

Other Opportunities

For additional grant and funding opportunities visit the East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC) grant page.