Invitation to Submit Drug Discovery Research Proposals

Aska Pharmaceutical is putting out a call for drug discovery research proposals.
We look forward to receiving applications concerning drug discovery research seeds or related technologies from researchers, primarily those affiliated with Japanese universities and public research institutions

Applications for the 2025 fiscal year have closed. Thank you for your interest.

Areas of interest

Aska Pharmaceutical invites proposals concerning drug discovery seeds, targets, research concepts or related technologies in the following disease areas.

FY2025 application guidelines

Item	Overview
Application Period	July 15, 2025 to August 29, 2025 (Friday) 17:00 JST
Eligible Applicant	Researchers affiliated with universities or public research institutions in Japan, capable of conducting research domestically.
Eligible Research Proposals	Drug discovery seeds, therapeutic targets or related technologies that fill the Wish diseases (refer to the Wish List) and Unmet Medical Needs
Research Period	In principle, 1 year.
Research Expenses	A maximum of 5 million yen (excluding consumption tax, including indirect costs; the amount of the expenses is decided for each project through consultations)
How to Apply	Please refer to the application website and submit your entry via the application form provided there. （*Please note that the application documents for Step 1 will be provided via email only to those whose initial submissions are considered to align with our interests.）
Selection Procedure	Step 1: Initial Selection Proposals will be reviewed to determine their alignment with our research priorities. For those that are a good fit, we will provide an application form. Submitted materials will then be reviewed by our selection committee to determine which proposals will proceed to the next step. Step 2: Final Selection (Interview) An interview including a presentation and Q&A session will be conducted with the proposer. Based on this, the selection committee will make the final decision on the research themes to be selected.
Accepted Proposals and Promotion of Research	Joint research agreements regarding the adopted research themes will be concluded with the research institutes to which the proposers are affiliated. The adopted themes will become drug discovery themes of ASKA Pharmaceutical, and the drug discovery research activities will commence after adding the people in charge thought to be necessary for promotion of the themes and dividing roles amongst the relevant members, including the proposer.
Matters to Note	Research themes which have already been adopted in joint research, etc. with other companies will not be adopted. Please note that we cannot answer inquiries concerning the facts, content, or screening status of applications.
Contact	Research Planning Department: Email: research-partnering@aska-pharma.co.jp

Application form

Application form for responding to Invitation to Submit Drug Discovery Research Proposals

Please enter your name, email address (affiliated institution email address only; free email addresses will not be accepted), name of affiliated institution, affiliated institution's website URL, and an overview of the proposed drug discovery seed.
The person in charge at Aska Pharmaceutical will be in contact shortly regarding your application.