Hokkaido University (HU) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMA) are pleased to announce the call for the FY 2026-2027 HU-UMA Joint Research Seed Fund as follows. This is the second round of the Joint Seed Fund between the two universities.

Application Period:

Friday, 5 December 2025 – Monday, 2 February 2026 | 17:00 Hokkaido and Amherst

Target:

Organized research visits, meeting(s), workshop(s), or seminar(s) proposed by an HU/UMA faculty member.

Eligible Fields of Research:

• Advanced Agriculture (incl. Regenerative and Digital Agriculture)
• Blue/Green Economy, Sustainability and Planetary Boundaries
• Future of Food
• Polymer Science and Engineering (incl. Soft Matter and Advanced Materials)
• Advanced Manufacturing

Application:

Submit completed application forms to the section in charge at each university: HU’s Office for International Collaborations for HU PIs, and UMA’s Office for Global Affairs for UMA PIs.

Budgeted Period:

1 April 2026 – 31 March 2027 for HU grants / 1 April 2026 – 31 August 2027 for UMA grants

Notes:

• At each university, three (3) grants of up to $8,000 will be funded for new/emerging collaborations, and one (1) grant of up to $20,000 will be funded for PIs with commitments to submit a proposal to an identified extramural funding opportunity. However, selection at one university does not guarantee a corresponding award at the other.
• Applications should be submitted together with a letter of acknowledgment from the listed HU/UMA counterpart.
• Applications must be led by a faculty member of either university; not research associates or postdoctoral fellows. Funds may be used for travel expenses for faculty members and research associates/postdoctoral fellows, but not for students.
• For researcher matching, please contact the Office for International Collaborations.

Details:

Hokkaido University and The University of Massachusetts Amherst Collaborations