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Nagoya University Collaborative Seed Grants

The partnership between North Carolina State University (NC State) and Nagoya University (NU) began with the signing of the first academic exchange agreement in 1985, and the two institutions celebrated the 40th anniversary of partnership in 2025. Over the past four decades, this partnership has grown into a comprehensive, university-wide relationship encompassing education, research and institutional engagement across a broad range of disciplines.

The NC State-Nagoya University Collaborative Seed Grant program is designed to catalyze new research collaborations, with the expectation that funded projects will lead to more substantive engagement beyond the initial funding period.

Key objectives for the Seed Grant program include:

  • Fostering sustainable collaborations between NC State and NU researchers
  • Facilitating peer-reviewed and/or open source publications stemming from the project.
  • Leveraging seed grant projects for future external funding applications, academic-industry collaborations and/or opportunities for student and postdoctoral scholar support. Examples include: Outline of Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE), Strategic International Collaborative Research Program (SICORP), and Fulbright student and scholar programs.  

Research Priorities

Based on the strategic discussion between NC State and NU, the 2026 application cycle welcomes proposals that examine how people, institutions, and societies experience and build resilience during periods of significant change.

  • Shaping and Adapting to New Technologies, Data, and Materials: Projects may include interdisciplinary collaborations that explore how to respond to and shape rapid innovation across critical and emerging technologies, data, and materials.uting, statistics, management, behavioral sciences, linguistics, or data governance. Examples of research areas include artificial intelligence; advanced materials quantum technologies; biotechnology, robotics and automation; clean energy technologies; next-generation communication systems; and advanced computing.
  • Adapting to Climate Transitions: Research may explore issues associated with climate transitions and resilience in communities, infrastructure, and resource systems. Examples of research areas include astro/space science; earth science; public policy; future of food and agriculture.
  • Navigating Evolving Cultures and Societal Landscapes: Projects could examine changes in cultures or social institutions and the way people and communities respond to, negotiate, and regulate these changes. Examples of research areas include media ecosystems; digital humanities and social resilience; crisis and risk communication; and public knowledge infrastructures.

We encourage interdisciplinary collaborations spanning natural science, humanities, and social science disciplines, and we welcome applicants working across all geographic regions and time periods.

Project Period

Projects should be completed by June 30, 2027, and a joint final report should be submitted within one month after the formal completion date. Please note that the funds must be spent by the end of the fiscal year of each institution: March 31, 2027, for NU and June 30, 2027, for NC State.

Eligibility

For NC State University Applicants:

Applicants must be permanent, full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty and research professionals (those who comply with Sponsored Programs eligibility requirements) at NC State University.

For Nagoya University Applicants:

  • Applicants must be full-time faculty members at Nagoya University
  • Faculty members holding cross-appointments are also eligible if Nagoya University is their primary institution
  • Visiting faculty and other part-time faculty members at Nagoya University are not eligible to apply

Funding

Up to two collaborative projects will be selected for this program. Funding up to $7,000 USD by NC State and 1,000,000 JPY by NU will be made available to each project. Planned expenditures should be in line with the financial policies of each institution.

Funding may support travel and subsistence costs associated with researchers spending time at the partner institution, as well as related workshops, guest lectures, and/or seminars. While funds are intended to be used primarily for these purposes, a portion may also be used for purchasing consumables. Funds may not be used for staff salaries or the laboratory/research facilities of the partner institutions.

Application Process

Application Deadline: 17:00 EDT on Thursday May 21, 2026

Proposals will be reviewed at NC State and NU with notification of award decision around early July 2026.

Proposal Content:

  • Research Focus. What is the focus of the proposed project? How does it align with the seed grant program’s research priorities?
  • Project Description. Please provide a description of the project, including the primary objectives of the collaboration and the roles and strengths of each collaborator. If applicable, elaborate on the interdisciplinary components of your project.
  • Implementation Plan. Please outline your plan for implementing the proposed project, including an estimated timeline for key steps within the plan. 
  • Budget Justification. Briefly describe how the requested funds will be used to implement your project.
  • Expected Impact. What deliverables or outcomes do you envision for this project? What impact would these outcomes have within the research community? How might they strengthen capacity at NU and/or NC State? If applicable, please describe any practical applications you might foresee in the future.
  • Sustainability. Describe any plans to sustain the project beyond the grant period, including ideas for additional funding or support.

Supporting Documents (Application Attachments)

  • Budget sheet that includes estimated expenditures at each institution (1 page)
  • CVs of each project team member

Contacts

For questions regarding this funding, please contact: