Go to Content

NEDO Feasibility Study Program

Project overview

Project period: starting in FY2014, budget: 5.24 billion yen (FY2024)

To address the construction of a sustainable and resilient social and economic structures, innovative technologies beyond conventional ideas are required. In particular, technologies and systems in the environmental and energy fields, such as solar panels and fuel cells, often require 30 years or more from basic research to practical implementation and societal integration. Therefore, in addition to promoting national projects aiming for practical applications around 2030, it is crucial to identify "technological foundations" targeted for a vision beyond 2040 and to foster the seeds of promising industrial technologies to ensure future international competitiveness.
Amidst the challenging competitive environment in recent years, private sector driving research and development in our country have prioritized results and it would be leading to shortened development periods. Initiating research and development projects taking more than 10 years to commercialize has become difficult. If this situation remains unchanged, there is a risk of a depletion of new technologies crucial for enhancing future industrial competitiveness and creating new industries through national projects.
Hence, this program aims to discover and nurture fundamental technologies expected to be practical and socially implemented after 2040 (more than 15 years from the start of feasibility study). The goal is to promote these technology developments to collaborative research within the academia-industry framework, including national projects, contributing to the realization of decarbonized society and the creation of new industries.

Chart summarizing the structure of NEDO Feasibility Study Program

Research and Development

In the Feasibility Study Program, starting with  RFI for technology seeds, the project team sets up and solicits proposals based on NEDO and government technology strategy. After conducting leading research on the adopted technology seeds, the next step is to promote the leading researchs to national projects and collaborative research between companies and universities, eventually leading to the social implementation of the technology. The diagram above summarizes the project concept and flow.

(1) Feasibility Study Program on New Technology

With the aim of realizing a decarbonized society and creating new industries, NEDO will discover and foster technology seeds with practical application and social implementation anticipated after 2040 (more than 15 years from the start of Feasibility Study Program). The implementation of feasibility study will be conducted to promote these technology developments to collaborative research within the academia-industry framework, including national projects.

[1] Feasibility Study Program on Energy and New Environmental Technology

[Target R&D Themes]

Promising technologies contributing to the realization of a decarbonized society and innovative technologies anticipated for practical use and social implementation after 2040.

[Implementation period]

Up to three years (only if an interim evaluation is conducted in the second year and approved for the third year).

[Project scale/type]

Total budget within 200 million yen (1st year: 100 million yen, 2nd year: 50 million yen, 3rd year: Up to 50 million yen) / Entrustment

[Implementation system]

Industry-academia collaboration system among companies, universities, public research institutions, and others*

*Universities, public research institutions: National and public research institutions, national and public university corporations, inter-university research institutions, public universities, private universities, colleges of technology, national research and development corporations, independent administrative institutions, local independent administrative institutions and their equivalents (hereinafter the same shall apply).

[2] Research and Development Program for Promoting Innovative Energy and Environmental Technologies Through International Collaboration

[Target R&D themes]

Innovative technologies that are expected to be put to practical use and social implementation after 2040 toward the realization of a decarbonized society, and the researches are to be conducted by Japanese universities and public research institutions in collaboration and cooperation with research institutions in other countries

[Implementation period]

Up to three years (only if an interim evaluation is conducted in the second year and approved for the third year).

[Project scale/type]

Total budget within 150 million yen (Approximately 50 million yen per year is the upper limit)/ Entrustment

[Implementation system]

Industry-academia collaboration system by companies and universities, and only by universities and public research institutions

[3] Feasibility Study Program on Creation of New Industries and Innovative Technologies

* This program integrates the Feasibility Study Program on Creation of New Industries and Innovative Technologies and Feasibility Study Program on Materials and Biotechnology until FY2022.

[Target R&D themes]

Promising technologies for the creation of new industries and innovative technologies, anticipating social implementation 15 to 20 years after the start of the project.

[Implementation period]

Up to three years (only if an interim evaluation is conducted in the second year and approved for the third year).

[Project scale/type]

Total budget within 200 million yen (1st year: 100 million yen, 2nd year: 50 million yen, 3rd year: Up to 50 million yen) / Entrustment

[Implementation system]

Industry-academia collaboration system among companies, universities, public research institutions, and others

(2) Uncharted Territory Challenge *Previous name: Uncharted Territory Challenge 2050

NEDO aims to conduct pioneering research on groundbreaking technologies for achieving fundamental reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, a greenhouse gas with a focus on envisioning solutions 30 years after the start of the project. This involves exploring and creating innovative technologies seeds that go beyond existing technologies and conventional ideas. The goal is to promote these efforts to collaborative research within the academia-industry framework, including national projects.

[Implementation period]

Up to 5 years (limited to interim evaluations conducted in years 2-3 and approved for implementation in years 3-4 and beyond).

[Project scale/type]

Approx. 5-20 million yen per year/ Entrustment

[Implementation system]

Industry-academia collaboration system by companies and universities, and only by universities and public research institutions

[Research areas]

[1] Next-generation power electronics, [2] Energy and system sensing, [3] Conductive Materials and energy conversion materials, [4] Super lightweight and heat-resistant structural materials, [5] CO2 Effective Unilization.

(3) Request for Information (RFI) and and Visionary Incubation Program (VIP) *Please cooperate in providing information on technology seeds.

[1] The Program conducts Requests for Information (RFIs) in order to select and define the details for technical issues for the public solicitation. The information provided is used for this process and is also utilized for NEDO's technical strategy and consideration of other projects.

Note: Due to scheduling constraints related to issue setting, RFI is conducted within specific timeframes (Information for the 2024 RFI can be found here ↓).

RFI for "NEDO Feasibility Study Program/Feasibility Study Program on New Technology" (Available only in Japanese)

[2] VIP targets information submitted in response to RFI that contains promising technology seeds that did not result in a technical issue setting in the target year. VIP workshops are held to share and discuss technologies and social visions among industry, academia, and government to deepen discussions and/or create new ideas based on the information provided. VIP supports the formation and expansion of new technology networks and communities, which will lead to the future RFIs.

Visionary Incubation Program (VIP) workshop 2024 on "NEDO Feasibility Study Program/Feasibility Study Program on New Technology" (Available only in Japanese)

Report of Visionary Incubation Program (VIP) workshop 2024 on "NEDO Feasibility Study Program/Feasibility Study Program on New Technology" (Available only in Japanese)

Report of Visionary Incubation Program (VIP) workshop 2023 on "NEDO Feasibility Study Program/Feasibility Study Program on New Technology" (Available only in Japanese)

(4) Contact for Technical Proposals and Consultations

In addition to the above-mentioned request for information (RFI), NEDO Frontier and Moonshot Techmology Department accepts technical proposals and consultations throughout the year. If you wish to submit a technical proposal or consultation, please send the following information by email to the address below.

  • [Email Address]
  • rfi-enekan@nedo.go.jp
  • [Items to be included when submitting technical proposals and consultations (free format)]
  • R&D Contents
  • Innovativeness of the R&D theme
  • The superiority of the R&D theme over conventional and competing technologies
  • Image and impact of social implementation

Adopted Themes (Available only in Japanese)

Research and Development Program for Promoting Innovative Energy and Environmental Technologies Through International Collaboration

Post Evaluation (Available only in Japanese)

Outcome Report Meeting

January, 2024 On January 29, 2024, the 48th Symposium of the Committee for the Promotion of New Industrial Technology, "Outcome Report meeting of NEDO Feasibility study program for FY2023: Technology development toward social implementation driven by seeds discovery" The symposium was co-hosted by the Monodzukuri Nihon Conference, with Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd. serving as secretariat. movie link a new window will openFY2023 NEDO Feasibility study program outcome report meeting - What is the management for social implementation? -(Available only in Japanese)
February, 2023 On February 8, 2023, the 42nd Symposium of the Committee for the Promotion of New Industrial Technology, "Outcome Report meeting of NEDO Feasibility study program for FY2022: What is the management for social implementation?" The symposium was co-hosted by the Monodzukuri Nihon Conference, with Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd. serving as secretariat. movie link a new window will openFY2022 NEDO Feasibility study program outcome report meeting - What is the management for social implementation? -(Available only in Japanese)
October, 2022 In October 2022, "NEDO Feasibility study program/Visionary seminar - Encountering new technologies that pioneer the future -" was held as part of the "NEDO Industry-academia collaboration forum 2022". movie link a new window will openVisionary seminar - Encountering new technologies that pioneer the future -(Available only in Japanese)
October, 2022 In October 2022, "NEDO Feasibility study program/ Uncharted Territory Challenge 2050 outcome report meeting - Challenges for innovative technology development -" was held as part of "NEDO Industry-academia collaboration Forum 2022". Uncharted Territory Challenge 2050 outcome report meeting - Challenges for innovative technology development -(Available only in Japanese)
February, 2022 On February 9, 2022, the 36th Symposium of the Committee for the Promotion of New Industrial Technology, "Outcome Report meeting of the NEDO Feasibility study program: Development to social implementation and management tips" was held jointly with the Monodzukuri Nihon Conference, whose secretariat is the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd. movie link a new window will openFebruary 9, 2022 (Wed) FY2021 "NEDO Feasibility study program outcome report meeting - Development to social implementation and management tips -(Available only in Japanese)
February, 2021 On February 8, 2021, the 31st New Industry Technology Promotion Committee Symposium, "NEDO Feasibility study program outcome report meeting: Discovery of seeds and development toward social implementation" was held jointly with the Monodzukuri Nihon Conference, whose secretariat is the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd. movie link a new window will openFebruary 8, 2022 (Mon) FY2020 "NEDO Feasibility study program outcome report meeting - Discovery of seeds and development toward social implementation "(Available only in Japanese)

Pamphlet (Available only in Japanese)

NEDO connect (Available only in Japanese)

NEDO connect provides information for everyone interested in industry-academia collaboration.

NEDO connect

Basic information

Technical field
  • Cross-sectoral proposal-based programs
Project code P14004
Department in charge
  • Frontier Department (TEL: +81-44-520-5174)

Last Updated : September 25, 2024