Figure 1: Application flow

2 Applicant Requirements

・All ages. Those on Earth with a contact address (citizenship or residency will not be taken into account).
・In the case of self-application: Individuals or groups
・In the case of third party recommendations*: A person or group who you know personally and wish to nominate on their behalf

*For privacy reasons, the third party's identity will not be revealed to those who have been nominated by said third party
*It is possible to simultaneously apply to both the Disruptive Challenge and the Generation Award.

3 Application Period

From 12:00PM JST (03:00AM GMT) Wednesday, June 28th, 2022 to 6:00PM JST (09:00AM GMT) Monday, December 11th, 2023.

4 Application Process (How to apply)

Please apply via the application form on the official website.

*Please enter your information into the form as stated in the application’s procedure. *Additional materials and/or prototypes are only accepted via submission through the application form. Please note, additional materials will not be accepted through in-person delivery to the executing agency.

5 Implementation Schedule

*All scheduled dates are subject to change. Please check the official website for further details.

6 Award

Nominees for the Generation Award will be selected from the submitted proposals. Recipients of the Generation Award will be selected from these nominees. In addition, corporate prizes may be awarded to any proposal the cooperative partners wish to support.

Those who are selected for a category award will be awarded ¥200,000 (two hundred thousand Japanese Yen) as a congratulatory gift. Furthermore, those selected for corporate prizes may also be awarded a personal congratulatory gift.

7 Application Details

To apply, please use the form accessible from the official website to input the following information.
Official website: https://www.inno.go.jp/en/
・Proposal title (up to 100 characters)
・Summary of the proposal (up to 1200 characters if written, videos, products, etc.)
・Supplementary documentation, prototypes, and other supporting materials may be submitted as part of your application (optional).

8 Matching with our Cooperative Partners

In the event that our cooperative partners discover a matching proposal during the Generation Award screening process, their requests will be notified to the executing agency following the screening process. Following this process, the executing agency will contact the applicant, and if the applicant so desires, matching between the company and the applicant will be arranged.

9 Selection and Announcement of Results

Following the confirmation of the format by the executing agency, the screening shall be implemented by our INNO-vation Program Cooperative Partners. The evaluation will be based solely on the contents of the proposal (gender, age, background, and accomplishments will not be considered). Method of application (Application form or through social media) will also have no impact on evaluation.
The name, residing prefecture (or residence), and proposal title of the nominees and award winners shall be announced via the official website following the screening process.
Any applicants who have not passed the screening process shall not be notified.

10 Handling of Personal Information

“Personal Information” refers to addresses, names, telephone numbers, email addresses, or any other information that can be identified as a specific individual (or easily compared with other information to identify an individual).
Any personal information received and handled at the time of the application will be handled in accordance with the “Personal Information Protection Policy” of KADOKAWA ASCII Research Laboratories, Inc.

(1) Purpose and use of submitted personal information.
a. For notification of passing and selection into the program.
b. For confirmation of inquiries and subsequent communication.
c. For contact in any events related to this program.

(2) Management of personal information provided at the time of application.
a. Strict security measures will be implemented in order to prevent any unauthorized access, loss, leaks, tampering, etc. of information.
b. At the time of inputting any personal information, data encryption technology is used in order to protect this information during communication.
c. Personal information acquired by the executing agency throughout the application will not be used for any other purpose without prior consent unless required by law.

11 Matters of Attention (Please Read)

1. Regarding the Handling of Contracts and Intellectual Property Rights

The handling of contracts and intellectual property rights within the INNO-vation Program Generation Award is as written below.

To successfully apply for the Generation Award, applicants must meet the following requirements.

1. Time of Application
a. According to Security Export Control*, in order to handle technology leaks overseas, there must be no concerns with the following points:
・The applicant is not on the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) End User List.
・The applicant is in agreement with the multilateral export control regime.
・The applicant can conduct activities in accordance with Security Export Control's Sensitive Technology Guidance.
・The applicant must behave in a just and ethical manner, be credible in society, and must not oppose market economy rules or have compromised freedom.
(Reference)
Security Export Control Management (part of the multilateral export control regime)
https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/anpo/link.html
METI Overseas Trade Control End User List
https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/anpo/20221104-3.pdf
Security Export Control's Sensitive Technology Guidance
https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/anpo/law_document/tutatu/t07sonota/t07sonota_jishukanri03.pdf
b. The applicant must not be the developer of any weapon of mass destruction (WMD) or a member of a terrorist organization. Applicants must take proper precautions not to develop anything that could be converted for military use, in accordance with the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act.
c. The applicant must not be a member of any criminal organization or take part in activities with criminal organizations.
d. So those cooperating businesses may fully provide support, all patents and intellectual property are designated to belong to the developer.
e. ince the application contents are to be disclosed to our Cooperative Partners, it is strongly recommended to not apply in the event that the applicant wishes to keep their contents confidential.

*Security Export Control refers to regulations concerning weapons, military-grade equipment, technology, and/or intellectual property rights that may be used by nations or terrorists to cause harm to the national security of Japan.

2. After Application
a. Awarded proposals will be revoked if discovered to not be in compliance with the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act.
b. If the applicant who has passed the screening committee is a minor, he/she must fulfill a contract with their legal guardian. If an arrangement is required with the legal guardian for obtaining such consent, the executing agency of this program will provide support.

2. Confidentiality

Applicants in the INNO-vation Program Generation Award must be aware of their responsibilities regarding confidentiality.

1. Confidentiality of Proposal Contents until Selection of the Generation Award
Excluding details outlined in "Ⅲ 8 Selection and Announcement of Results", applicants are not to disclose any information regarding the proposals, including evaluation-related information.
2. Confidentiality Requirements for those who Pass the Screening Process
Under no circumstances are successful applicants allowed to disclose or leak any confidential information obtained through this program, nor are they allowed to use this gathered information for any reason other than this program.

3. Regarding the Protection of Human Rights and Compliance with Laws and Regulations

Upon application into the INNO-vation Program, particularly with proposals pertaining to life science, please refer to the latest laws and ordinances of the relevant governmental department, as many have been recently updated. Proposals in other categories may also fall under these ordinances. Your application and screening results may be revoked if found to be in violation of any law or ordinance, so please be careful when applying to the program.
Please refer to the bioethical and safety security measures as set forth by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) at the website below.
LifeSciences Plaza, "Ethics and Safety Initiatives".
https://www.lifescience.mext.go.jp/bioethics/index.html (Japanese only)

4. Requirements for Passing Selection

The essential conditions for passing selection are as follows.

・Award recipients must make a proactive effort to attend meetings and social gatherings related to this program.
・If an applicant is affiliated with an organization, such as a corporation, written consent from the affiliated organization must be submitted after passing the screening committee or receiving an award. If an arrangement is required with the affiliated organization for the submission of a document of consent, the executing agency of this program will provide support.
・In the event you are selected as a nominee, challenger, or award winner, you agree to your name (or nickname), residing location, and proposal title being announced on the official website.
・Must be the originator or the originating group of the proposal.
・Rights regarding the application contents (including additional reference materials) shall be managed as belonging to the applicant or originator. However, due to the possibility of our Cooperative Partners considering and/or researching similar ideas, technologies, or proposals, if the applicant prefers their content to be absolutely confidential it is recommended to avoid applying.

5. Points to Note Regarding Selection, etc.

1. Regarding the Originality of the Contents of the Application
For the entire period of this program, it is strictly forbidden to plagiarize or infringe upon the ideas or intellectual property of third parties. Applicants must be aware, from the beginning of the application process, of the need to be duly vigilant with regard to any plagiarism and infringement of the ideas and intellectual property of third parties.

2. Handling of Malpractice
The term 'malpractice' in this program refers to all activities that are in breach of general laws and regulations.

3. Obligation to Participate in Follow-up Inquiries
Award winners will be surveyed following commendation. We ask that these winners participate in follow-up inquiries.

4. Award Implementation
・The executing agency will not disclose personal information without the applicant's permission.
・Applicants cannot directly or indirectly negotiate (such as through the executing agency) with cooperating companies through this program.
・After the Generation Award selection process, the Cooperative Partners may continue to review the proposals even after the announcement of awards.