The Science and Technology Advisory Council – Japan (STAC-J) is calling for corporate sponsors and individual donors to support its 7-year-running Undergraduate Research Grant (URG) project. Established in 2001, the URG has been providing as much as PhP 25,000 per grant per year to a minimum of four undergraduate research groups in various universities in the Philippines.
According to STAC-J president Mudjekeewis Santos, the rigorous selection of grantees by Japan-based Filipino researchers, as well as the research monitoring carried out by the STAC-J Foundation in the Philippines, ensures that only deserving students are awarded and that research funds are well spent.
“STAC-J’s URG was initiated to help and encourage a few select college students in the Philippines with their undergraduate thesis work. And while it is relatively small in terms of grant size and number of beneficiaries, we believe that it makes a big difference in the lives of those chosen few. We are hoping that the small `seed` that we plant could actually grow into a big `tree` for S & T in the Philippines,” Santos said.
Interested companies and individuals can choose from among five sponsorship categories, namely, “visionary” (200,000 yen), “benefactor” (100,000 yen), “pacesetter” (50,000 yen), “patron” (25,000 yen), and “donor” (10,000 yen).
The “visionary” package includes the following benefits and privileges: recognition as major sponsor throughout STAC-J events by the emcees and event chairs, full-page advertisement in printed programs and conference proceedings, recognition of their support in both written reports and presentations of the grantees, company name and logo inclusion in printed programs, inclusion in the backdrop of STAC-J-sponsored events, inclusion in the STAC-J website with a link to the company site, company brochure distribution during STAC-J activities, inclusion in STAC-J conference proceedings, setting up of a booth (in a prime location) and display of (company-provided) banner(s) during STAC-J-sponsored events, company promotion via the STAC-J mailing list, and priority invitation to STAC-J activities.
URG is also supported by proceeds from STAC-J’s “Tuloy Aral Center – Kompyuter” adult education program as well as donations from individual members.
Last year’s URG recipients were two groups from the University of the Philippines-Diliman (“Synthesis of Silicon Carbide from Rice Hulls through Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis” and “Investigation of Nitrate Contamination via Sludge and Septage Application in Lahar-Laden Areas”), one group from Mindanao State University –Iligan Institute of Technology (“Two-Way Copper Tin Shape Memory Alloy”), and another from Isabela State University (“Pilot Testing of Photovoltaic Pumping System for Domestic Supply and Agricultural Production in the Cagayan Valley Region”).
URG recipients are required to present their research results for evaluation by STAC-J and the STAC-J Foundation at the end of the grant term via online teleconferencing. Sponsors and the general public are invited to these presentations.
Interested sponsors may contact Mr. Santos by email (mudjiesantos(at)yahoo.com) or through tel. no. 090-3548-3935.