The NEF Commemorative Grant Fund for Capacity Building of Young Scientists (CGF) Programme aims to support the development of young scientists in developing countries across the Asia-Pacific region, helping them become world-class researchers in the fields of wildlife and ecosystem conservation. Each project is to be led by a young researcher, serving as the Project Scientist (PS), under the mentorship and guidance of a Project Coordinator (PC) with a distinguished record of scientific achievement. Projects may be conducted either in the PS’s home country (or other target countries) or in Japan, particularly for those currently pursuing studies in Japan.

Funding Organization: Nagao Natural Environment Foundation (NEF)

Research Scope: Nature conservation

Eligibility:

The target countries in the Asia-Pacific region include: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.

The Project Scientist (PS) must:

• be a national of target countries, under 40 years olf, and fall under any of the following conditions:
• (Qualification A) a researcher who works in a university or research institution in one of the target countries and has a PhD or Doctor’s degree (or having at least 3 years of research experience and corresponding research achievements).
• (Qualification B) a student who enrolled in or a prospective applicant for admission to a doctor (PhD) course of a university in Japan.
• not have another ongoing NEF-funded project nor have another application to the NEF at the time of application submission; AND

Conditions and roles of Project Coordinator (PC):

1） For Qualification A of PS: The Project Coordinator (PC) is requested to meet all of the following conditions:

• having teach and/or work experience in a Japanese university or research institution as a scientist, as a general rule,
• understanding the content of PS research project,
• supporting and collaborating with the PS throughout the project proposed, while keeping close contact with not only the PS but also the CGF Management Committee (MC) and the Secretariat of the NEF.

2） For Qualification B of PS: The Project Coordinator (PC) must be a main or co-supervisor of the PS; if the PC is the latter, approval from the former is required. In addition, the PC is requested to keep close contact with the CGF Management Committee (MC) and the Secretariat of the NEF.

A proposed research project must:

• be planned by the PS with advice/support of the PC, and be implemented by the PS as the principal investigator, in a field survey as well,
• in case of the Qualification A of PS, be fieldwork-based research in the target countries and be approved by the head of department, to which the PS belongs, and
• in case of the Qualification B of PS, be related to the doctoral dissertation and be fieldwork-based research in one of PS’s home country (or target countries) or in Japan.

Maximum Award: The maximum grant size varied from 1,500,000 to 2,500,000 Japanese yen per project.

Application Process: Application documents, i.e., “CGF Application Form for PS” and

“CGF Application Form for PC,” should be submitted to the NEF Secretariat by e-mail (secretariat@nagaofoundation.or.jp).

Application Deadline: Application deadlines for this year are twice a year: 31 July 2025 and 30 January 2026.

Further Information:  https://www.nagaofoundation.or.jp/e/research/cgf.html

For more information, please contact
Ms. Panida Suwannatheerak
Ms. Mananchaya Pissaparn
Tel: 0 2470 9654
Email: researchfollowup@kmutt.ac.th