1 Target

We are seeking a wide range of ideas, from small ideas to fully developed technologies and products. Cooperative Partners who support unique talents will offer awards. For the Generation Award this year, it is possible to apply with small ideas and technologies, to completed works, research and products without restrictions on the genre of your ideas.
We eagerly await your applications to the Generation Award which provides an opportunity for your endeavors to be recognized and allow you to connect with a wide range of our Cooperative Partners, potentially unlocking future advancement of your ideas.
(Last year's results: 122 ideas were nominated for Category Awards, Special Corporate Awards, etc., offered by our Cooperative Partners.)

• Please read "12. Important Notes Before Applying" before applying.
• Awarded proposals will be given the opportunity to collaborate with Cooperative Partners to work towards their implementation and realization.

Self-Apply or Refer

2 Eligibility

• No age restrictions. Individuals with a contact point on Earth (there are no limitations on nationality and place of residence).
• Applying on Your Own: Individual or Group
• Referring somebody else: an individual or group nearby you who you wish to recommend

*Information of those referring will not be disclosed to the recommended person/group

3 Application Period

2024/10/01 (Tue) - 2024/11/30 (Sat) 23:59 JST

4 How to Apply

Please apply through the application form found on the official website.
For further information, please refer to the "How to Apply" section.

5 Implementation Schedule (Planned)

Application Period	2024/10/01 (Tue) - 2024/11/30 (Sat) 23:59 JST
Selection by our Cooperative Partners	December 2024 ~ Mid-January 2025 (planned)
Announcement of Winners (Including Nominee Announcement)	Planned to be posted on the official website at the end of January

*If an award ceremony is to be held, details will be announced on the website as soon as they are finalized.

6 Awards

Nominations for the Generation Award will be conducted from the proposals. Cooperative Partners will select awards from the nominated proposals.
For the Special Corporate Awards, companies that select award winners will offer unique prizes.

●Special Corporate Awards
Cooperative Partners Recognize Your INNO with Awards!

In the event that there are proposals that fall under the below categories, category awards may be given. Category Awards will come with additional prizes from the organizer.

●Category Awards
Awards planned to recognize proposals that transcend the conventional understanding of "animal senses" and the "four dimensions of spacetime."

Examples of Category Awards:
"Isn't this awesome!?", "Check out my discovery!", "I made this!", “Unexpected, right?", "Super convenient!", "Dishing out the flavor", "Conveying a fresh, new way to see!", "Conveying a fresh, new way to hear!", "Bringing in the fun!", "Sending a message through smell!", "Sending a message through emotions!", "I made it this smaller/lighter!", "Opening up the new era into space!", "Truly connecting with anyone, anywhere, at any time while remaining safe and properly distanced," etc.

In addition to the above, we welcome your free and creative ideas.

7 Application Contents

Please enter the following information into the application form on the official website.

• Proposal Title (up to 100 characters)
• Proposal Summary (If text: up to 1,200 characters, otherwise videos, documents, etc.)

8 Matching with Cooperative Partners

During the Generation Award selection process, if a Cooperative Partner discovers a proposal they wish to match with, they will inform the Executing Agency after the selection period is complete. The Executing Agency will contact the applicant and with approval from the applicant, matching will proceed between the applicant and the Cooperative Partner.

9 Selection and Publication of Results

Following review by the Executing Agency, the INNO-vation Program's Cooperative Partners will conduct the selection process. Evaluations will be based solely on the content of the proposal (gender, age, background, previous achievements, etc., will not be considered in the evaluation). After the selection process has been completed, the names of the nominees, award winners, area of residence, and the titles of their proposals will be published to the official website.
Please note: we will not contact those who did not pass the selection process.

10 Alignment with NIPPON INNOVATION AWARD (NIA) / NIPPON INNOVATION TRYOUT (NIT)

Nominees in the INNO-vation Generation Award are also planned to be referred to the NIPPON INNOVATION AWARD / NIPPON INNOVATION TRYOUT (the largest business contest in the country, organized by Deloitte Tohmatsu Venture Support).

◆NIPPON INNOVATION AWARD / NIPPON INNOVATION TRYOUT

◆The largest prize within the NIA division is 10 Million JPY, there are other perks also planned.

11 Handling of Personal Information

Personal information refers to information that can identify a specific individual, such as name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, or other identifiable information (including any information that can be easily collated to identify a specific individual).

Personal information provided at the time of application will be held in accordance with the "Privacy Policy" of the UPDATE EARTH Foundation, the organizer of the INNO-vation Program.

(1) Usage of Personal Information in Applications

• A. Notification of Nomination and/or Award.
• B. Confirmation and response to inquiries.
• C. Future contact regarding events related to the program.
• D. Coordination with NIPPON INNOVATION AWARD / NIPPON INNOVATION TRYOUT

(2) Management of Personal Information at the Time of Application

• A. Strict security measures will be taken to prevent the unauthorized access, loss, leakage, or alteration of personal information.
• B. When entering personal information, data encryption technology will be used to protect information during transmission of application materials.
• C. Personal information obtained by the organizer in relation to the application will not be used for any purpose other than those clearly stated in advance without the prior consent of the provider, except in cases required by law.

Contact Point for Inquiries Regarding the Handling of Personal Information

Organizer: UPDATE EARTH Foundation
E-mail：update_earth@tohmatsu.co.jp

◆The Organizer's Privacy Policy can be accessed below.
https://updateearth-foundation.org/privacy_en.html

12 Important Notes Before Applying (Please Read)

1. Application Requirements and the Handling of Intellectual Property, etc.

The handling of intellectual property, etc., for the "Generation Award" within the INNO-vation Program is below.
Additionally, in order to apply to the "Generation Award," applicants must meet all of the following requirements and agree.

(1) At the Time of Application

A. From the perspective of Security Export Control*, there are no problems with the following:

• Not applicable to the "Foreign End User List ", etc., as established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.
• Agreements can be obtained in the international export control regime.
• Initiatives can be implemented based on the "Guidance on the Management of Sensitive Technologies Related to Security Export Control."
• Social reliability and freedom are guaranteed, such as no possibility of violating market economy rules and law, including fair and equitable transactions of intellectual property rights.

Reference
・Security Export Control (including international export control regime)
・Foreign End User List
・Guidance on the Management of Sensitive Technologies Related to Security Export Control

B. Not applicable to the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, to avoid the possibility of falling into the hands of those who engage in activities of concern, such as military diversion, weapons of mass destruction, or terrorist groups.
C. No involvement with antisocial forces or those related to them.
D. Since Cooperative Partners will be the main implementers, the intellectual property rights such as patents that arise for applicants in this category will belong to the applicants themselves.
E. The application contents will be disclosed to the Cooperative Partners, so if you wish to keep the contents completely confidential, please do not apply.

* "Security Export Control" refers to the prevention of weapons, goods, technologies, and intellectual property that can be diverted for military use from being acquired by those who may engage in activities of concern, such as states or terrorists that threaten the security of Japan and the international community.

(2) After Application

A. If a proposal wins an award and becomes subject to export restrictions as outlined under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, it will be excluded from selection.

B. If the award winner is a minor, consent from a parent or guardian is required. If coordination with a parent or guardian is needed to obtain consent, the Executing Agency will offer support.

2. Regarding Confidentiality

Please note that participants in the Generation Award within the INNO-vation Program are subject to the following confidentiality obligations:

(1) Confidentiality of Proposal Content until Generation Award Selection

Excluding information indicated in "9. Selection and Announcement of Results," no information regarding the proposal, including those related to the evaluations, will be disclosed under any circumstances.

(2) Confidentiality Required of Award Winners

Confidential information of companies, etc., learned through this program shall not be disclosed to third parties or used for any purposes outside of this program.

3. Response to Human Rights Protection and Compliance with Laws and Regulations

When participating in the INNO-vation Program, especially with proposals related to life sciences, please check the latest versions of laws and regulations established by each respective ministry and agency, as they may have been updated. Please also note that laws and regulations may be established depending on the content of your proposal. If relevant laws, regulations, or guidelines are violated the selection results may be revoked.
For details on the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)'s efforts to ensure bioethics and safety, please refer to the following website:
・Life Sciences
・Bioethics and Safety Initiatives

4. Essential Conditions for Passing the Selection Process

The following are essential conditions for being eligible to pass the selection process:

• Willingness to actively participate in meetings, networking events, etc., related to the program after winning the award.
• In the case of individuals who belong to an organization such as a company, applicants must be able to submit a letter of consent from the related organization at the time of winning the award. If coordination with the organization is necessary for submission of the letter of consent, the Executing Agency will provide support.
• Must agree to the publication of the name (nickname is also acceptable), area of residence (such as country or prefecture), and proposal title on the official website when selected as an award nominee or winner.
• Be the originator or originating group of the proposal.
• While the ownership of intellectual property rights pertaining to the application content (including any supplementary materials) shall remain with the applicant(s), it is acknowledged that the collaborating and sponsoring companies involved in the selection process might be exploring comparable concepts, technologies, or challenges. Additionally, applicants seeking absolute confidentiality for their proposals are advised not to apply to this program.

5. Precautions Regarding Selection

(1) Originality of Application Content and Technology Development Content

Throughout the period of this program, plagiarism and infringement of third-party ideas and intellectual property are strictly prohibited. Please be aware that you need to pay close attention to plagiarism and infringement of intellectual property from the point of application.

(2) Handling of Malpractice

"Malpractice" in this program refers to all acts that violate general laws and ordinances.

(3) Obligation to Cooperate with Future Inquiries

Award winners may be subject to follow-up surveys and other investigations after the award ceremony. Award winners are kindly requested to cooperate with these activities.

(4) Implementation of Award(s)

• Please refrain from submitting any information or content that you wish to keep confidential. The Executing Agency will not disclose personal information without the applicant's permission
• Applicants are not permitted to negotiate directly or indirectly with Cooperative Partners through this program, i.e. through the Executing Agency)
• After the Generation Award selection process, Cooperative Partners may continue to view the applicant's proposals even after the announcement of the winners.

13 Contact Details for this Call for Applications

INNO-vation Program Executing Agency
KADOKAWA ASCII Research Laboratories, inc., INNO-vation Executing Agency
E-mail Address: inno@lab-kadokawa.com

Application Guidelines Download