1. NEF Commemorative Grant Fund for Capacity Building of Young Scientists (CGF)
(Deadline: 30 Jan 2026)
2. Request for Proposals: AI for Forecasting and Sound Reasoning (Deadline: 30 Jan 2026)
3. Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge (Deadline: 30 Jan 2026)
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1. NEF Commemorative Grant Fund for Capacity Building of Young Scientists (CGF)

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 old, and fall under any of the following conditions:
o (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).
o (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: 30 January 2026

Further Information: https://www.nagaofoundation.or.jp/e/research/cgf.html
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2. Request for Proposals: AI for Forecasting and Sound Reasoning

Funding Organization: Coefficient Giving

Scope:
• AI for forecasting: proposals for AI models that help to make forecasts more accurate or more relevant. Priority is in probabilistic, judgmental forecasting, i.e. quantitative forecasts that cannot be based fully on large sets of structured data.
• AI for sound reasoning:
o Research into understanding when models do and do not support sound reasoning, including evaluations of models with respect to principles of sound reasoning like truthfulness, meta-reasoning, or consistency.
o Developing tools that directly help with specific tasks that are disproportionately helpful for clear reasoning, like fact-checkers, fact tracers, arbitrators, or argument analyzers.

Eligibility: Applications are open to nonprofit and for-profit organizations (including academic institutions), as well as individuals, from anywhere in the world.

Maximum Award: The funding provides 100,000 to 1 million USD. Projects should range between 6 months and 2 years.

Application Process: Project proposals must be submitted online at https://airtable.com/appAxw3NwvGNOg0pe/pagu4hOkFRcmj9rpq/form

Application Deadline: 30 January 2026

Further information: https://coefficientgiving.org/funds/forecasting/request-for-proposals-ai-for-forecasting-and-sound-reasoning/
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3. Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge

The Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge led by Enterprise Singapore invites startups and innovators from around the world to collaborate with leading corporates in delivering practical and scalable sustainability solutions.

Scope: The key themes of the challenge are Renewable Energy, Offshore Wind, Greener Industries, Sustainable Agrifood, and Sustainable Materials.

Eligibility: The challenge is open to startups and innovators from around the world.

Maximum Award:
Prizes for winning innovators include:
• Access to paid pilots and funding support with corporate partners to test and validate your solution in real-world settings
• Opportunities for co-innovation with industry partners, drawing on their extensive expertise and resources
• Mentorship and industry networking to sharpen your value proposition and open doors for collaborations
• Additional exposure to SOIC partner programmes

Application Process: Applications must be submitted online at: https://sustainability.innovation-challenge.sg

Application Deadline: 30 January 2026

Further information: https://sustainability.innovation-challenge.sg
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For more information, please contact
Ms. Panida Suwannatheerak and Ms. Mananchaya Pissaparn
Tel: 02 470 9654
Email: researchfollowup@kmutt.ac.th