March 23, 2020 Appeal for Submissions and Results of Appeal for Opinions on Draft Basic Plan on R&D for Expansion of Radio Wave Resources for FY2020

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) decided to make an appeal from Saturday, February 22 through to Friday, March 13, 2020, on a draft of a basic plan on research and development, ahead of soliciting proposals for research and development for expansion of radio wave resources to be newly implemented in and after fiscal 2020.
As a result, 4 opinions were received concerning the draft basic plan.
In addition, based on the basic plan, an appeal is being made for submissions, pertaining to research and development, from Tuesday, March 24, through to Wednesday, April 22, 2020.
MIC is making this appeal before the fiscal 2020 budget is approved so that research and development can be started promptly after the fiscal initial budget bill passes the Diet. Therefore, it should be kept in mind that the implementation of research and development is subject to change according to the passage of the budget bill.

1. Results of appeal for opinions

1. Subjects

Draft Basic Plan on R&D for Expansion of Radio Wave Resources for FY2020

2. Results of appeal for opinions and future plans

MIC decided to make an appeal from Saturday, February 22 through to Friday, March 13, 2020, on a draft of a basic plan on research and development, ahead of soliciting proposals for research and development for expansion of radio wave resources to be newly implemented in and after fiscal 2020, and 4 opinions were received.

Based on the basic plan, which reflects the results of the appeal for opinions, public proposals for the following themes pertaining to research and development for expanding radio wave resources will be newly implemented from 2020.

Submitted opinions, and the MIC approach to these opinions, will be posted online on the MIC homepage (https://www.soumu.go.jp) at 2pm today (Monday, March 23).

In addition, it can be viewed at the office of the relevant communication division, and it is also listed on the e-Government website ‘Public Comments’ (https://www.e-gov.go.jp/ ).

2. Appeal for submissions

1. Submission Period

From Tuesday, March 24, until no later than Wednesday, April 22, 2020.

2. Research and Development Theme

MIC is appealing for proposals on the research and development themes shown in the table below for the expansion of radio resources.
Theestimated budget for fiscal 2020 is as shown in the table, and is determined based on the results of external evaluations.

• *1
  Proposals for each research and development task may be proposals for one or more of the technical themes. Furthermore, joint research proposals are possible for each technical theme, and for some technologies under the technical themes (see the following section). If making proposals for multiple technical themes, then a proposal will need to be prepared for each technical theme. When doing this, it is possible to elaborate on a research and development system that includes all of the technical themes that proposals are being made for in each proposal.
• *2
  The implementers of each technical theme after approval must establish a joint research system or research cooperation system necessary to achieve the objectives of the research and development theme in the basic plan and conclude practical results. As a general rule, the implementer of technical theme i) shall summarize all research and development themes (it is possible to change this in an arrangement between the implementers of each technical theme). The number of approvals will be one per technology theme.

3. Application method

1. 1.
   Please refer to the proposal overview for further details about the public appeal overview and application requirements. Please prepare your proposal document in accordance with the set style stipulated in the Proposal Preparation Guidelines.
2. 2.

   If using the Cross-Ministerial Research and Development Management System (e-Rad), then please submit your application electronically after inputting your application data. (The deadline for all applications using e-Rad is Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 17pm)

   • *
     When making an application through e-Rad, research institution registration procedures may take time, so please give yourself plenty of time in advance. For e-Rad please refer to https://www.e-rad.go.jp for e-Rad.
3. 3.

   When applying through e-Rad, one copy of the proposal and one copy of other documents required for the proposal is needed (for details please see Proposal Preparation Guidelines). Please post it to the division in charge at MIC. (No later than 17pm on Wednesday, April 22, 2020)

   • *
     When making a joint research proposal, then it must be first compiled by the representative research institution before it is submitted to MIC
   • *
     The proposal outline, and Proposal Preparation Guidelines, will be posted online on the Press Releases section of the MIC homepage(https://www.soumu.go.jp) at 2pm on Monday, March 23, and will be available for viewing at the relevant MIC division contact window.
   • *
     With consideration of the purpose of the Basic Policy for Countermeasures against New Coronavirus Infections (February 25, 2020), proposal briefings that were to be held throughout the country have been suspended, and any inquiries will be handled individually.
     Please contact MIC directly (6. Inquiries and contact information) if there is anything unclear or if you have any questions about the public appeal procedure or the details about this public appeal.

4. Selection of contractors

An external evaluation will be carried out, which MIC will receive and consider, for the selection of contractors.

5. Future plans

The future schedule is assumed to be as follows, but this will depend on the status of the external evaluation.
Late May:　Evaluation by external experts, and selection of research institutions to be contracted
Mid-June:　Notification of approved/unapproved proposals
From late June:　Conclusion of research consignment agreement, and start of research and development

6. Inquiries and submission contact details (different points of contact for each research and development theme)

Inquiries and proposals related to the details of the research and development themes please contact the relevant division in charge for each research and development theme.

For queries about anything else, formulating a proposal or how to make a submission, please contact the Development Section, Radio Policy Division, Radio Department, Telecommunications Bureau.

Please use the following email address for all email queries: wireless-rd_atmark_ml.soumu.go.jp (“@” has been changed to _atmark_ to prevent spam).Please change "_ atmark _" to "@" before sending an email.

Inquiries and contact information for queries about research and development themes

Postal address for submissions: 2-1-2 Central Government Building No.2, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8926