Japan Boosts Competitive Grants at Expense of Big Science

摘要

Tokyo—Under what Prime Minister Naoto Kan calls "a budget for the reinvigoration of Japan," the country's main research grants program is slated for a whopping 32% increase to $3.2 billion in the coming year. Rank-and-file researchers are sure to be pleased with the better odds of winning support under the fiercely competitive program, says Kazuaki Kawabata, the educa- tion ministry's director of research and development policy.