SATREPS FY2027 — Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development
JST (or AMED) with JICA — Government of Japan · Japan
Overview
SATREPS funds three-to-five-year joint research projects between Japanese research institutions and institutions in developing countries, on problems that matter both locally and globally. It is unusual among funders because it couples a competitive research grant with Japanese Official Development Assistance: JST (or AMED) funds the Japanese side's research, while JICA delivers technical cooperation — equipment, Japanese researcher visits, training, and research costs incurred in the partner country. The programme is run by JST, AMED, JICA, MOFA, and MEXT together. More information is provided in the Resources section.
Eligibility
Malawi is an eligible ODA partner country and has SATREPS precedent: a project on a sustainable community development model in Lake Malawi National Park, led by Ehime University, was selected in the 2019 round.
Eligible institutions are universities (including private) and public research institutions with structures suitable for international joint research. The joint research structure between the Malawian and Japanese institutions must be genuinely worked out in advance, and UNIMA must be able to show it can operate the research on the ground.
Projects are rejected if they amount to technology transfer from Japan without real joint research, if they are surveys that do not advance science and technology, or if the benefit is confined to a single country.
Priority areas
Three fields are open in the JST/JICA call. Infectious Diseases Control is run separately by AMED.
| Environment and Energy › | |
| Area 1: Solutions to global-scale environmental issues: Climate adaptation · water · ecosystems · pollution | Area 2: Sustainable use of resources and energy towards carbon neutrality: Renewables · energy saving · smart systems · CCUS |
| Bioresources › | |
| Area 3: Sustainable production and utilisation of bioresources | Food security · agriculture · forestry · fisheries |
| Disaster Prevention and Mitigation › | |
| Area 4: Disaster prevention and mitigation for social sustainability | Hazard mechanisms · resilience · early warning |
| Infectious Diseases Control (AMED) › | |
| Area 5: Infectious disease control attuned to developing-country needs | Zoonoses · malaria · TB · HIV · AMR |
What is funded
More information is provided in the Resources section.
How to apply
This is the part most applicants get wrong. A SATREPS application is two documents, submitted through two entirely different channels, and both must arrive by their deadlines, or the proposal is not considered:
- The research proposal — submitted by the Japanese partner institution to JST (or AMED for infectious diseases). UNIMA cannot submit this.
- The official ODA request — submitted by the Malawi Government to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, routed from the counterpart institution through Malawi's ODA ministry and the Japanese Embassy.
JST and JICA then "match" the two documents. They must describe the same project and carry the same English project title.
| Step | Who acts | When |
| 1. Identify a Japanese partner institution and agree on the joint project | UNIMA researcher | Now |
| 2. Counterpart institute prepares the official ODA request in the required national format | UNIMA + supervising ministry | Now |
| 3. ODA request cleared nationally, then lodged with the Japanese Embassy for MOFA | Malawi Government | Earlier than the Japanese deadline (previous cycle: 13 October) |
| 4. Call opens; application guidelines published | JST | Earlier than the Japanese deadline (18 August 2026) |
| 5. Information session (Japanese language only) | JST | 25 August 2026, 15:00–17:00 JST |
| 6. Research proposal submitted to JST / AMED | Japanese partner institution | By 19 October 2026, 12:00 noon JST |
| 7. Matching of ODA request and research proposal, then selection | JST / AMED, MOFA / JICA | After close |
| 8. Project start, subject to Japanese budget approval | JST / AMED, MOFA / JICA | FY2027 |
Note: if the Malawi Government does not submit the ODA request, the research proposal is treated as incomplete and will not be selected. The ODA deadline falls earlier than the Japanese proposal deadline, and Malawi's own internal deadline is earlier still. In the previous cycle, the ODA request was due 13 October; the FY2027 date is to be confirmed, so treat early October 2026 as the working assumption and start the government process now.