※Application eligibility will be expanded in April 2023.

■System overview
The assignment of academic assistants and outsourcing funding can resolve the unavoidable issue of time management due to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, thereby contributing to NAIST's goal of improving the compatibility of cutting-edge research, accomplishments, and work-life balance (WLB).

■Application requirements
Researchers employed by NAIST under the discretionary labor system (faculty, specially-appointed faculty, postdoctoral researchers, etc.) who meet any of the following conditions and need support under this program:

1. Those who are pregnant or on maternity leave (a supervisor for the assistant must be appointed in advance for maternity leave)
2. Those who are on childcare leave (a supervisor for the assistant must be appointed in advance for childcare leave)
3. Those with children in the 3rd grade of elementary school or younger, not including those whose spouses can undertake childcare full-time
4. Those who are nursing or caring for a family member
5. Those undergoing infertility treatment

For the selection of this application, priority will be given to researchers who cannot employ research assistants or outsourcing expenses other than through this program. If you have research funds that you may be able to use, please check the amount limit for application before applying.

Researchers who are currently receiving research funds under the "President's Vision Initiative: Hiring Female Tenure Track Associate Professors" are not eligible to apply.

■Support details and scope

1. The total amount of funding possible for academic assistant employment and outsourcing is 1.2 million yen per year and 3.6 million yen maximum for each researcher
2. If another child is born during the funding period, a new total amount is estimated from the month that child is born. In the case of nursing or caring for a family member, a new grant will be started if a new eligible person is added to the family.
3. In the case of hiring an academic support person, the total amount includes standard remuneration and transportation costs. A budget with estimated personnel costs must be submitted at the time of application.
4. You must submit a cost estimate and a specification document to apply for funding.

■Determining grant amount

The chair of the Strategic Allocation Committee for Academic Assistant Assignment and Outsourcing Expenses will decide the amount of the grant, upon deliberation by the committee.

■Application procedure

1. We will accept applications until February of the year before the year you’d like to receive a grant. Subsequent application decisions will be made based on the available budget. For mid-year applications, the deadline is the 15th of the month two months before you would like to receive the grant support (e.g. If you’d like to receive support in September, the deadline is July 15th).
2. Researchers who wish to receive grant support should consult with their department or research facility in advance and submit the application to the Gender Equality Office.
3. Applications are required yearly.

■Prior achievements

Please look here for testimonials from faculty members who have been supported by this system since 2014. Read more »