The Interstellar Initiative recognizes promising Early Career Investigators (ECIs) from around the world and connects them with peers in related but distinct disciplines to build international research collaborations. Guided by mentors and supported by modest funding from AMED, the teams will then develop proposals to submit to international funding agencies to address challenges in basic science to elucidate the complex mechanisms of living organisms.

Steps to Apply

1. Create an account on SMApply.
2. You will be asked a few questions to assess your eligibility. If qualified, you will go on to complete an application.
3. In addition to basic demographic information such as name and address, please be ready to submit your education and employment history, honors and awards, received grants and funding, a list of published works, your professional website or lab links and areas of interest by keyword.
4. Upload your proposal and, optionally, a resume.
5. The Interstellar Initiative application does not have to be completed in one session. You may go at your own pace. Please be aware of the 15:00 PM May 22 (Japan), 2:00 AM May 22 (NY)  deadlines.
6. Applicants in Japan are eligible for a principal investigator role and must also apply on the e-Rad portal (www.e-rad.go.jp/en/).

Proposal Guidelines

Early Career Investigators must prepare a proposal (1000 words) that addresses the following:

Identify a critical research question in basic research, highlighting its importance and impact, and propose a research plan for how your expertise can address this question, including how you hope to improve this proposal through participation in the Interstellar Initiative.

For More Information

Additional program information can be found at www.nyas.org/interstellar. Please email interstellar@nyas.org with any questions.