News
2026/05/21
GTIE GAP Fund Explore Course, Session 5 (2026, Term 2): Applications Now Open <3-Year Explore Course>
GTIE GAP Fund: Applications are now open for the 5th session of the Explore Course (2026, Term 2)
<3-Year Explore Course>
*** Applications are now closed (Updated June 22) ***
*June 1: The application form is now available
Application Overview:
1. Eligibility Requirements
① Researchers affiliated with the following universities and institutions on the GTIE platform
The University of Tokyo, Waseda University, Tokyo University of Science, University of Tsukuba,Chiba University, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Yokohama City University, Kanagawa Prefectural University of Health and Welfare, Keio University, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Ibaraki University, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokai University, RIKEN, Yokohama National University, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tokyo Denki University, Kogakuin University
② Applicants must also meet all other conditions regarding technological seeds, etc. (See the application guidelines for details)
2. Application Period and Selection Schedule
[ Application Deadline ] June 22, 2026 (Mon) at noon [ Strictly Enforced ]
[ Schedule ]
Deadline for Submission of Application Materials Noon, Monday, June 22, 2026
Interview Screening Sunday, August 2, 2026, and Friday, August 7, 2026 (tentative)
Notification of Selection Results (Preliminary Acceptance) August 2026 (tentative)
Program Start: Scheduled for August 2026 (after the JST approval date)
*Dates following the application deadline are tentative and subject to change.
*GTIE selection is subject to approval by JST. Approval is expected 1.5 to 3.5 months after the project proposal is submitted to JST.
3. Program Tracks
Explore Course: 3 years
Research and Development Period: October 2026 (after the JST approval date) – September 30, 2029 (tentative)
4. Estimated Number of Selected Proposals
Explore Course (3 years): Approximately 8 projects
5. Research and Development Funding (Total Amount for the R&D Period, Direct Costs)
Explore Course (3 years): Up to 60 million yen
Year 1: 15 million yen
Year 2: 15 million yen
Year 3: 30 million yen
(Reference)
FY 2026: 7.5 million yen (October 2026–March 2027)
FY 2027: 15 million yen
FY 2028: 22.5 million yen
FY 2029: 15 million yen (April–September 2029)
*Progress evaluations will be conducted annually for selected projects, and based on the results, projects may be terminated, R&D funding may be increased or decreased, or the R&D period may be extended or shortened.
6. Research and Development Projects Sought:
Research projects (GAP Fund) aimed at commercializing research outcomes from research institutions by refining business models, producing prototypes, acquiring data (experimental and computational results) for hypothesis verification, and conducting market validation.
*Projects aimed at research not intended for commercialization, or those focused on company operations or preparatory work (such as registration), are not eligible.
<Estimated Completion Timeline for This Program>
Projects selected for this program aim to have established a startup and reached a stage where venture capital firms and other investors can make an investment decision by the program’s conclusion. When applying, please refer to the examples of achievement goals and set appropriate goals while taking into account the characteristics of your project and field.
7. Application Documents, etc.
(1) Application Guidelines
(2) Application Documents
Applications must be submitted jointly with a commercialization promotion organization.The Principal Investigator and the Commercialization Promotion Organization must submit the application after obtaining confirmation from their respective institutions. The application documents include forms (①–⑤) to be prepared jointly by the Commercialization Promotion Organization and the Principal Investigator, and forms (⑥–⑨) to be prepared solely by the Commercialization Promotion Organization. Please refer to the Application Guidelines for details.
① Form 0: Confirmation of Principal Investigator Eligibility
② Form 1: Overview of the R&D Project
③ Form 2: Intellectual Property Confirmation Form (if intellectual property is to be utilized in this project)
When applying for this GAP Fund, we require you to submit the “Intellectual Property Confirmation Form (Form 2)” regarding intellectual property related to your startup after its launch. Preparing this form within your institution may take some time. We ask that you work with your affiliated institution to complete this form as soon as possible.
④ Form 3: Project Budget Proposal
⑤ Supplementary Explanatory Materials for the Technology Seed (PowerPoint, up to 10 pages) (Optional)
⑥ Form 4: Overview of the Commercialization Promotion Organization and Commercialization Promoter (Person in Charge)
⑦ Form 5: Financial Status of the Commercialization Promotion Organization
⑧ Financial Statements (for the most recent three fiscal years) or Securities Reports (for the most recent three fiscal years) of the Commercialization Promotion Organization
⑨ (National Tax) Tax Payment Certificate
*Organizations selected as GTIE Commercialization Promotion Agency candidates and that have completed the FY2026 renewal procedures need only submit Form 4. (Form 5 and financial statements, etc., are not required.)
8. How to Submit Application Documents *** Applications are now closed ***
Please fill out the required information in the application form below and upload the documents downloaded and prepared as described in “7. Application Documents” above, then submit the form. Please convert the documents to PDF format, ensuring that each file is 10 MB or less (you may upload multiple files).
The Principal Investigator must submit Application Documents ①–⑤ via the “Principal Investigator Form” below. The Commercialization Promotion Organization must submit Application Documents ⑥–⑨ via the “Commercialization Promotion Organization Form” (both must be submitted by the application deadline).
The “Principal Investigator Form” includes fields for entering the email addresses of the “Principal Investigator,” “Research Institution Contact,” and “Commercialization Promotion Organization Contact.”
The “Form for Commercialization Promotion Organizations” includes fields for entering the email addresses of the “Principal Investigator” and the “Commercialization Promotion Organization Contact.”
An email containing the information entered in the application form (excluding attachments) will be automatically sent to the email addresses you entered.
Preparing the required information in advance will make the application process smoother.
Reference: Preparing Information for the Application Form in Advance
Preparing Information in Advance (For Principal Investigators) • Preparing Information in Advance (For Commercialization Promotion Organizations)
9. Application Restrictions
JST has established restrictions on duplicate applications by the same Principal Investigator for JST programs; if applicable, you cannot apply for this program. Please refer to the Application Guidelines for details.
The same Principal Investigator cannot simultaneously implement the “University-Based New Industry Creation Fund Program” and the “Research Results Commercialization Program: University-Based New Industry Creation Program.” Furthermore, except for the final year, you cannot apply for one fund while implementing another.
If you apply to multiple funds, once a decision to award a grant is made for any one of them, you must choose either to implement the awarded fund and withdraw from the pending application, or to withdraw from the awarded fund in order to await the review results of the pending application.
Furthermore, the same principal investigator may not submit multiple project proposals to the same fund.
The above provisions apply to principal investigators; in principle, there are no restrictions on applications from commercialization promotion organizations.
10. Contact Information
If you have any questions, please contact the “Inquiry Contact” at your university listed in the application guidelines.
11. Notification of Selection Results
GTIE will notify all principal investigators, representatives of commercialization promotion organizations, and representatives of research institutions via email of the results of the document review approximately 3 to 4 weeks after the submission deadline. At that time, applicants who pass the document review will also be notified of the interview schedule and other details.The results of the final selection will be notified via email in August 2026.
12. Q&A
Purpose and Objectives:
Under this GAP Fund Program, Greater Tokyo Innovation Ecosystem (hereinafter referred to as “GTIE”), which has been commissioned by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to administer the University-Based New Industry Creation Fund Startup Ecosystem Co-creation Program,(hereinafter referred to as “GTIE”), which has been commissioned by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) under the University-Based New Industry Creation Fund’s Startup Ecosystem Co-creation Program, provides support through the GAP Fund Program to researchers affiliated with universities and other institutions participating in the GTIE Platform.
In the 5th round of the GTIE GAP Fund Explore Course (2026, Phase 2), we will support research projects aimed at creating university-based startups that have the potential to generate significant social and economic impact—centered on innovative technological seeds from universities and other institutions participating in the GTIE Platform—and to achieve substantial business growth, including international expansion.
Selected projects will adopt a structure in which the principal investigator, responsible for research and development, and a commercialization promotion organization (such as a venture capital firm), responsible for the business development of the technological seeds, work jointly to advance research and development under the project management of the commercialization promotion organization.In advancing the projects, milestones (key interim goals as well as business development and R&D milestones) will be established, and business development and R&D will be conducted in an integrated manner with the aim of achieving these milestones.