Grant Program: Japan-ASEAN Global Partnership Awardees

Grantee

Chiang Mai University

Project Title

Co-creation Workshop for Circular Textile Innovation

Project Director

Sarunnoud Phuphisith
Assistant Professor, Chiang Mai University

Grant Amount

41,552.5 USD

Outline
This project brings together stakeholders from Japan and Thailand to co-create circular economy strategies tailored to Southeast Asia’s cultural and environmental context. Focusing on the textile sector, it addresses challenges such as textile waste, limited recycling systems, fragmented supply chains, and skill shortages, while sharing outcomes through academic publications and conferences.

Grantee

Mekong Migration Network

Project Title

Aging Society, Migration and Care Work

Project Director

Pornpit Puckmai
Chairperson of the Foundation's Board, Mekong Migration Network

Grant Amount

38,630.00 USD

Outline
This project aims to share insights and address challenges regarding foreign (immigrant) care workers and elderly care in Japan and Thailand. In addition to participants from Japan and Thailand, researchers and practitioners from Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Cambodia will take part in conducting research and workshops. The project's findings will be disseminated in the form of policy recommendations.

Grantee

University of the Philippines Los Baños

Project Title

Cross-Sectoral Policy Routes for Enhanced Agriculture and Health Resilience: A Japan–Southeast Asia One Health Collaborative Assessment of Zoonotic Disease Risks in Agricultural Landscapes (ROUTE-OH)

Project Director

Vachel Gay V. Paller
Professor, University of the Philippines Los Baños

Grant Amount

1,386,000 PHP

Outline
This project promotes agricultural and health resilience in Southeast Asia through a One Health approach, combining Japanese expertise with regional research collaboration. Through workshops, field activities, and researcher training, it strengthens capacity and shares outcomes via publications, conferences, and an online data platform.

Grantee

Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA), Inc.

Project Title

ASEAN Japan Collaboration for Social Entrepreneurship on Digital Inclusion, Climate Action, & Women’ s Economic Empowerment

Project Director

Marie Lisa Dacanay
President, Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA), Inc.

Grant Amount

3,223,422.36 PHP

Outline
This project will convene the 5th Social Enterprise Advocacy and Leveraging (SEAL) Conference as a platform for social entrepreneurs from ASEAN and Japan to engage in dialogue, exchange knowledge, and build networks on key issues such as digital inclusion, climate change, and women’s economic empowerment.

Grantee

University Putra Malaysia

Project Title

Japan-Malaysia Partnership for SDG Curriculum Innovation: Co-Developing Next-Generation Competencies for Health, Education, Sustainability

Project Director

Syafiqah Binti Rahamat
Senior Lecturer, University Putra Malaysia

Grant Amount

21,851.50 USD

Outline
The project aims at collaboratively developing an SDG curriculum model that integrates SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 4 (Quality Education). The project involves conducting workshops, comparative research, and curriculum mapping, ultimately leading to the creation of a bilingual SDG curriculum toolkit. A forum involving relevant stakeholders will be held to present the project's outcomes.

Grantee

Institute of International Studies, Universitas Gadjah Mada

Project Title

Developing Research-based Learning Platform: Energy Justice for Renewable Energy Expansion in Japan and ASEAN.

Project Director

Poppy Sulistyaning Winanti
Faculty Vice Dean, Institute of International Studies, Universitas Gadjah Mada

Grant Amount

482,898,710 IDR

Outline
The project will develop research-based learning modules on equitable and inclusive energy transitions, led by Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia in collaboration with research partners from Hokkaido University and Saga University. The modules will draw on case studies from Indonesia and Japan. Researchers from Malaysia and the Philippines will be invited to participate in comparative research on renewable energy, contributing to a broader understanding of sustainable energy transitions across the region.

Grantee

University of Nottingham Malaysia

Project Title

Future-Safe AI: A Japan-ASEAN Framework for Ethical, Culturally Grounded AI Governance

Project Director

Jaya Kumar Karunagharan
Assistant Professor, University of Nottingham Malaysia

Grant Amount

99,200.00 USD

Outline
This project aims to develop a Japan–ASEAN collaborative framework for ethical, culturally grounded, and human-centered AI governance. The project will conduct data collection and stakeholder interviews in five countries, namely Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam and will also organize symposiums and workshops in Japan and Malaysia.

Grantee

Myanmar Health and Development Consortium (MHDC)

Project Title

Strengthening Natural Disaster Resilience through Public-Private Partnership in ASEAN

Project Director

Khine Khine Nwe
Secretary General, Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI)

Grant Amount

40,630.98 USD

Outline
This project aims to strengthen public-private partnerships (PPPs) for natural disaster resilience across ASEAN with lessons learned from Japan through a conference in Myanmar for political leaders, policymakers, and researchers. The project will produce policy recommendations, and its research and conference findings will be further presented at events including as a dissemination webinar with Nagasaki University's Interfaculty Initiative in Planetary Health.

Grantee

East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore

Project Title

Japan Centre at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore

Project Director

Lam Peng Er
Principal Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore

Grant Amount

72,420 SGD

Outline
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Singapore in 2026, the Japan Center will be established as a research hub focusing on Japanese politics, economics, foreign policy, and related fields. The center will organize annual conferences, public seminars on Japan-related topics, and produce policy briefs. The findings and outcomes of these activities will be presented at annual conferences and published through regular policy briefs. They will also be widely shared with the public through the center's website, social media platforms, and other communication channels.

Grantee

Nanyang Technological University

Project Title

Forging Southeast Asia's Futures: A Japan-ASEAN Partnership on Southeast Asian Studies from the Region

Project Director

Kei Koga
Associate Professor, Nanyang Technological University

Grant Amount

29,000 SGD

Outline
This project aims to strengthen human networks and policy and academic collaboration between Japan and ASEAN, as well as across regions beyond ASEAN. In collaboration with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) at Kyoto University, the project will organize the 6th Biennial Conference of the Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in Asia (SEASIA). The outcomes of the project will be widely disseminated through the SEASIA website and the websites of participating member institutions.

Grantee

School of Chemistry and Life Sciences - Hanoi University of Science and Technology

Project Title

Adapting Societies to a Changing Climate: Synergizing Strategies in ASEAN and Japan

Project Director

Nguyen Thi Anh Tuyet
Vice Dean, School of Chemistry and Life Sciences - Hanoi University of Science and Technology

Grant Amount

8,000,000 JPY

Outline
This project aims to explore opportunities for Japan–ASEAN collaboration on climate change adaptation through a symposium to be held in October 2026. Before and after the symposium, the applicant organization and its Japanese partner institutions will visit partner organizations in ASEAN countries to strengthen and expand long-term professional networks. The outcomes of the project will be disseminated through a publication and an online reporting session.

Grantee

Asia Human Community (Institute for Advanced Social Sciences, Waseda University)

Project Title

ASEAN Youth Nexus for Equitable Futures (AYNEF)

Project Director

UESUGI Yuji
Professor, Waseda University

Grant Amount

6,042,300 JPY

Outline
The project bringing together young people from ASEAN countries and Japan to discuss four deepening forms of inequality in the region: gender, democracy, politics and the environment, and education. The project includes an in-person international conference in Indonesia, with the outcomes disseminated as policy recommendations.

Grantee

Certified Nonprofit Organization SALASUSU

Project Title

Japan-ASEAN Education Reform Project: Advancing Education through Circulating Field-Based Teacher Learning and Practical Wisdom

Project Director

SUDO Nanako
Director, SALASUSU

Grant Amount

6,438,797 JPY

Outline
The project fosters the development of teacher leaders and enhances the sustainability of educational reform by enabling educational leaders from both Japan and Cambodia to learn from one another as practitioners—acting as teachers and education entrepreneurs—who drive long-term reform. Outcomes are shared through various channels, including an online platform for sharing lesson videos and records, photo exhibitions, reporting sessions, academic conference presentations, and policy recommendations.

Grantee

Institute for Global Environmental Strategies

Project Title

International Dialogue and Outreach for the Co-creation and Social Implementation of the SCP 3.0 Vision through ASEAN–Japan Collaboration

Project Director

HOTTA Yasuhiko
Programme Director, Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Unit, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies

Grant Amount

3,612,048 JPY

Outline
The project aims to promote industry-academia-government dialogue and the social implementation of the socio-economic model SCP3.0, which integrates decarbonization and the circular economy, through collaboration led by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies in partnership with research institutes and universities in Thailand and Vietnam. Roundtable meetings will be held in Ho Chi Minh City and Yokohama to facilitate policy dialogue, share research findings, and formulate policy recommendations.

Grantee

SEASREP Foundation, Inc.

Project Title

Southeast Asia-Japan Intellectual Exchange for Research and Collaborative Training

Project Director

Maitrii V. Aung-Thwin
Associate Professor, National University of Singapore

Grant Amount

76,214.00 USD

Outline
This project aims to develop the next generation of experts and leaders in intellectual fields within the Japan-ASEAN region. Activities include academic exchanges and joint research between Japan and Southeast Asia, 30th-anniversary conference on Southeast Asian studies, seminars led by Japanese and Southeast Asian experts, and fieldwork training programs for graduate students.

Grantee

Khon Kaen University

Project Title

Fostering Japan-ASEAN Collaboration on Neglected Tropical Diseases: Training, Model Development, and Global Networking

Project Director

Banchob Sripa
Senior Research Scholar, Khon Kaen University

Grant Amount

1,505,900 THB

Outline
This project aims to promote cooperation between Japan and ASEAN and to enhance response capabilities for tropical disease control. Participants from both Japan and ASEAN come together to conduct training sessions, develop models, and hold conferences. The results are disseminated through digital platforms, journal publications, and reports.

Grantee

Universiti Malaya

Project Title

i-Halal Tourism: Boosting Muslim-friendly Tourism for Southeast Asia Traveler

Project Director

Nor Aishah Abdullah
Senior Lecturer, Universiti Malaya

Grant Amount

17,831.00 USD

Outline
This project aims to establish a cooperative framework between Japan and Malaysia to realize sustainable “i-Halal Tourism.” Workshops, webinars, and field visits are conducted to survey and compare the current state of smart halal tourism in both countries. The findings will be widely shared with tourism stakeholders in both nations through seminars and videos.

Grantee

Universitas Indonesia

Project Title

Advancing AI Policy for Local Industries: Japan-ASEAN Partnership on Ethical AI Governance and Digital Transformation

Project Director

Yulius Eka Agung Seputra, SAk, ST, MSi, CAP, cert DA
Senior Lecturer, Universitas Indonesia

Grant Amount

9,506,200 JPY

Outline
This project aims to address key challenges related to the ethical implementation of AI and digital transformation in industries across the ASEAN region. Leveraging Japan’s expertise, including the “AI Business Guidelines Ver. 1.0” and knowledge on ethical AI governance, it seeks to develop region-specific frameworks tailored to the diverse socio-economic contexts within ASEAN. The outcomes will be shared through workshops, reports, and a dedicated website.

Grantee

Center for Urban and Development Studies (CEFURDS)

Project Title

Community-Based Water Resourses Management in The Context of Water Resources Depletion in The Mekong Delta

Project Director

Ton Nu Quynh Tran
Project Director, Center for Urban and Development Studies (CEFURDS)

Grant Amount

10,995USD

Outline
A collaborative research project on the role of communities in water resource management in the Mekong Delta. Through field surveys and interviews, it aims to analyze and identify the current state and mechanisms of local residents’ involvement in water resource management. In addition to proposing a community-based water resource management model rooted in the local context, the project will present policy recommendations drawing on Japan’s experience.

Grantee

The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA)

Project Title

Japan-ASEAN High-Level and Expert Dialogue (7th Tokyo Global Dialogue) and Next-Generation Joint Project

Project Director

YANAGIDA Kensuke
Researcher, JIIA

Grant Amount

9,502,662 JPY

Outline
This project aims to deepen the shared understanding of challenges and policies in the Indo-Pacific region among experts from Japan and ASEAN, while also promoting exchanges among next-generation leaders and researchers from both sides and building a multilayered human network. Public events and roundtable discussions are held, and the outcomes are published in the organization’s journal, Strategic Outlook.

Grantee

Social Value Japan

Project Title

Research Exchange for Model Development of Regenerative Tourism in Japan and ASEAN

Project Director

KOJIMA Aya
Director of Business Administration, Social Value Japan

Grant Amount

9,785,336 JPY

Outline
This project aims to promote the practice and development of models of “Regenerative Tourism” that revalue local heritage and promote cultural and biological diversity, as well as to build related networks. Organizations from Thailand, Japan, and Malaysia collaborate to conduct fieldwork and workshops, through which they develop guidelines and training materials to support practical implementation.