Industrial Policy Committee Open Call for Researchers Support and Grants for FY2025 Applications for this fiscal year have been closed.

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Purpose】 【Selection

There is no doubt that living a long and healthy life is the desire of many people. People also hope that the economy of the country as a whole will grow stably, that a sustainable social security system will be ensured, and that concerns about illness and retirement will be eliminated.
The mission of R&D-oriented pharmaceutical companies is to contribute to "extending healthy life expectancy" and "driving economic growth" through continuous R&D and stable supply of innovative pharmaceutical products.
However, there are still many social issues related to "health" and "economy." In the medical field, in particular, there are various challenges such as the increasing demand for medical care due to the aging of the population, problems in the medical care delivery system due to the declining population, and financial concerns in the future.
The Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (JPMA) provides grants to support researchers with the aim of contributing to the development of research and the accumulation of evidence that will lead to the resolution of issues surrounding the medical, health and pharmaceutical industries in Japan in the future by promoting interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research and supporting young researchers, regardless of the field of pharmaceuticals. The purpose of this grant is to contribute to the development of research and the accumulation of evidence that will lead to the resolution of issues surrounding the medical, health and pharmaceutical industries in Japan.

Call for Proposals】 【Call for Proposals】 【Call for Proposals】 【Call for Proposals

This Call for Proposals is open to two categories: "Designated Research Projects" with three themes, and "Free Research Projects," which are open to a wide range of research themes in the social sciences such as economics, law, regulatory science, health economic evaluation, and political science that contribute to the promotion and development of medical care, health, social security systems, and the pharmaceutical industry, especially for young researchers. The "Free Research" category will accept applications for a wide range of research topics.
We envision research that is based on surveys, analyses, empirical studies, case studies, etc., and that provides a generalized discussion of the subject. Themes based on new ideas that are not bound by established concepts are also welcome.

(1) Designated research project

Theme 1: "Measurement of Healthy Life Expectancy and Analysis of Factors Affecting Healthy Life Expectancy

Factors that influence healthy life expectancy are not limited to pharmaceuticals.
For example, we are looking for research that analyzes a wide range of "factors that influence/improve healthy life expectancy" that are not limited to life sciences, such as medical technologies, procedures, access to medical care, individual lifestyle and health behaviors related to health promotion measures, and social and environmental factors such as those listed as social determinants of health. We are also looking for research that analyzes the definition of "health" in terms of social and environmental factors.
In addition, as the definition of "health" is becoming more multifaceted in society and the concept of "well-being" is becoming more widespread, we also invite research on how healthy life expectancy should be measured and how healthy life expectancy itself should be defined within the scope of this theme.

Theme 2 "Economic Impact of Health

While it is the desire of many people to live long and healthy lives, it is becoming increasingly important to accumulate multifaceted research on the various benefits of good health in Japan, where the population is aging.
In this context, the effects of people becoming healthier can be analyzed from various economic and sociological perspectives, including the effects on individual economic agents such as individual employment, social participation, and consumption activities, as well as changes in the aggregate volume of economic activities. For example, with regard to the relationship between health and production, research on the relationship between health status and labor productivity, employment rate, and wages, as represented by recent health management, etc., is now being accumulated.　
In addition, the "Study Group on Extending Healthy Life Expectancy and Driving Economic Growth" conducted in FY2022 analyzed the impact of morbidity and household consumption on a representative panel survey of the elderly in Japan and found that, on average, consumption declines by 10% when a person suffers from one of 14 common diseases (20% decline for two diseases*). (20% for two diseases).
Thus, we are looking for research related to the "economic" impact of health that goes beyond individual medical technologies and interventions.

Theme 3 "Strengthening the Competitiveness and Drug Discovery Capability of the Domestic Pharmaceutical Industry

Japan is one of the world's leading countries in the creation of new drugs, along with the United States, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, etc. The "Grand Design for a New Capitalism and Action Plan 2025" also positions the pharmaceutical industry as a "core industry" in Japan. The Pharmaceutical Industry is positioned as one of Japan's "core industries" in the "Grand Design of New Capitalism and Action Plan 2025 Revision.
On the other hand, according to a report by the Pharmaceutical and Industrial Policy Research Institute, the number of Japanese companies that create pharmaceutical products in the top 100 products in terms of global sales peaked in 2017 and has been decreasing every year, reaching a minimum of 7 in 2022. In 2023, the number of ranked products increased for the first time in eight years to eight.
In addition, while biopharmaceuticals such as antibody drugs account for 48 of the top 100 drugs in terms of global sales, Japanese companies have created only 3 drugs, leaving them far behind the U.S. and Europe in the creation of new drugs using new modalities.
In the development of new modalities, which have become increasingly complex and sophisticated, it is difficult for a single company to complete the development by itself through the vertical division of labor as in the past. In addition, efforts are required to link the seeds of drug discovery, including those from academia and venture companies, to social implementation.
Under these circumstances, we are calling for research projects that address the urgent issues of strengthening the competitiveness and drug discovery capabilities of the domestic pharmaceutical industry, building a drug discovery ecosystem, and social implementation of the seeds of drug discovery.

(2) Free research

Example of theme:

To assist young researchers in selecting research themes, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PMAJ) has published "Accumulation of Domestic and Foreign Research on Disease Prevention for Extending Healthy Life Span - Map of Prior Research by Disease Category and Prevention Stage", which counts the number of prior studies on two axes (disease x 0 to 3 prevention) and maps the extent of prior research for each disease and function to comprehensively identify whether the needs are being met. This map provides a comprehensive overview of the availability of research on disease prevention for extending healthy life expectancy in Japan and overseas. We welcome research that will develop the map itself as well as use it as a reference.

Subjects】 【Targets】 【Deadline

Individuals or groups of individuals who aim to conduct excellent, original research on healthcare economics, healthcare systems, healthcare policy, social security policy, healthcare-related industrial policy, and other broadly related issues of medicine and health are eligible to apply. The main investigators for designated research projects must be researchers working at domestic research institutes, and the main investigators for open research projects must be young researchers, including graduate students and doctoral students, affiliated with domestic research institutes.

Research Period

Research Method

General Call for Proposals

Target number of grant recipients and grant amount

Total amount: 10 million yen or less

[Deadline] [Deadline] [Deadline] [Deadline] [Deadline] [Deadline] [Deadline

Monday, November 10, 2025 *Must arrive no later than Monday, November 10, 2025

Application Procedure

（１）必要事項を記入し、記入済の「研究助成申請書」、「研究計画書」等必要書式一式をPDF形式とし事務局まで電子メールでご提出ください。

（２）研究助成に必要な申請様式は、以下よりダウンロードしてご入力ください。

Selection】 【Selection

The selection committee will decide whether to accept or reject the application.

(Titles omitted, in alphabetical order)

Notification of Acceptance/Rejection

All applicants will be notified of acceptance or rejection by the end of December 2025.
The names and affiliations of the research grant recipients and their research topics will be posted on the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PMAJ) website.

Contract】 【Purpose】 【Deadline

Please use the attached contract form provided by the Association for the conclusion of the contract. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any doubts about the content of the agreement. Please also note that the contract is with the organization to which the grantee belongs, not with the individual grantee.

Model Agreement for Research Grant (PDF version)

Grant Presentation

Grants will be awarded by the end of March 2026.
Remittance must be made to a bank or credit union account in Japan.

Use of grant funds

You are required to conduct the research and use the grant funds as you have applied for in your research plan. However, the following expenditures will not be covered by the grant

Travel expenses are limited to 60% of the total amount of the application, and outsourcing expenses (including expenses for obtaining patents, etc.) are limited to 50% of the total amount of the application; if the amount exceeds this limit, a statement of reasons must be submitted.

Handling of deliverables

The research results report and financial report must be submitted to the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PMAJ) by the end of the specified research period. Although the copyright of the submitted report belongs to the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PMAJ), we will not prevent you from presenting your research or submitting papers related to the report during or after the research period. However, this does not preclude you from presenting your research or submitting papers on the contents of the report during or after the research period, and it does not preclude you from transferring the copyright of the relevant sections of the report to academic societies or publishing companies if necessary. We look forward to your active presentation of your research and submission of papers.

Reporting and publication of research results

Researchers are required to report their research results at the results reporting meeting to be held at the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (if possible, prior to the submission of the paper).
Research results must be submitted to an academic or conference journal or equivalent within the research term. In addition, you are required to report your research results to the Pharmaceutical Cooperative Association (PPCA) prior to submission or publication, if possible, of the designated proposal (there is no specific destination for submission). (There is no particular destination for submissions, and submissions and conference presentations may be made in Japanese or any other language.)
When publishing your paper, please state that the research is "funded by the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association" and submit a reprint of the paper or abstract at a later date.

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