The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) selected 11 projects for subsidies under the FY 2010 Human Resource Development and Employment Support Program for Next-Generation Advanced Technologies in Small and Medium Enterprises.

This program supports efforts to develop, retrain, and employ human resources in the areas of research, research assistance, and engineering who are capable of shouldering next-generation industries. The program is founded on integrated collaboration between public sector research institutions, universities, private enterprises, and local authorities in regions where creation of next-generation industries (those involving the fields of low-carbon and the environment, health and longevity, etc.) are being contemplated.

List of Selected Projects
Proposals were accepted from February 5 to March 15, 2010, and 16 applications were received. The list below shows the 11 projects selected after the examination process.

Selected entities	Project themes
Evec, Incorporated	Program to develop human resources with the engineering, marketing, and intellectual property management skills required in antibody medicine development.
Hokkaido University	Program to develop human resources with a broad range of skills in the glycoanalysis field.
Huens Co., Ltd.	Program to develop human resources with the ability to immediately and proactively contribute to the environmental technology business, starting in local communities and reaching out to Asia and the rest of the world.
Shibaura Institute of Technology	Program to develop innovative human resources to be engaged in new material processing technology (human resources with sigma-type integrative abilities).
Mie Industry Enterprise Support Center	Program to support development and employment of human resources for research in small and medium enterprises to promote cluster formation in the advanced materials industry.
Nagoya Institute of Technology	Development of human resources in advanced technologies so as to create next-generation industries through employment of postdoctoral fellows.
Osaka University	Program to support human resource development and employment in next-generation industries via industry-academia-government collaboration in Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe areas.
Fukui Industrial Support Center	Program to develop human resources for research and development in next-generation technology industries.
Photon Production Laboratory, Ltd.	Development of an advanced analysis service network with the small synchrotron at its core.
Yamaguchi University	Formation of human resource development platform for small and medium enterprises through feedback circulation of local wisdom.
Kumamoto Prefecture	Program to support development and employment of human resources for advanced technology in the organic thin film area.

Summary of Human Resource Development and Employment Support Program for Next-Generation Advanced Technologies at Small and Medium Enterprises

1. Summary of the program

This program targets regions where the creation and integration of next-generation industries (those involving the fields of low-carbon and the environment, health and longevity, etc.) are being contemplated. In this program, public sector research institutions, universities, private enterprises, and local governments support efforts to develop, retrain, and employ researchers, research assistants, and engineers who will shoulder next-generation industries through their integrated collaboration. A new mechanism for supporting human capital development and employment should be established so that human resources researching advanced technology and possessing know-how can obtain practical skills, and are also provided with new and increased employment opportunities at local small and medium enterprises. The program will also foster employment and long-term establishment of research-focused human resources by local small and medium R&D enterprises. The purpose of this program is to energize the local economy through these measures.

2. Projects to be subsidized

Subsidies will be granted to projects where an organization that coordinates joint research through industry-academia-government collaboration employs postdoctoral fellows and enterprise engineers currently not employed as research or engineering human resources (for advanced research and development) and research assistance human resources (for advanced experiments and machine operations). It is expected that these human resources will be engaged in joint research or otherwise given practical training so that they will be immediately effective in enterprise research and development; they will be supported in finding employment after training. Subsidized projects should be carried out to address these measures as a mechanism for supporting the development and employment of human resources required in the local area.

3. Subsidy ratio

Two-thirds of the approved costs of each program will be subsidized.

4. System chart of the subsidy program

5. Second request for proposals

METI will, in order to develop research-focused human capital that will contribute to the creation and development of next-generation industries, and in order to support local employment of this capital, hereby announces a second request for proposals under the FY 2010 "Human Resource Development and Employment Support Program for Next-Generation Advanced Technologies in Small and Medium Enterprises."

>Summary of second request for proposal

- Proposal submission period (scheduled)
Phase 1: May 20 (Thursday) to June 22 (Tuesday), 2010
Phase 2: June 28 (Monday) to July 30 (Friday), 2010
Note: Depending on the status of applications received in Phase 1, Phase 2 may not be implemented.

- Where to submit proposals
The Regional Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry, or Okinawa General Bureau, with jurisdiction over the location where the project will principally be conducted. - Documents to be submitted
Application form designated in the RFP and supplementary materials.

Release Date

May 14, 2010

Division in Charge

Academia-Industry Cooperation Promotion Division, Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau

• Page top

• Back Issues

• Statistics
• White Papers & Reports
• Press Releases
• METI related Laws