Using Start-up Research Funds
Assistant Professor Chen Na, Division of Information Science, Network System Labratory (Okada Lab)
I did not know about this program before I came to NAIST. It was kind of a surprise when I was contacted by the Gender Equality Office after I arrived at the university.
I used this research grant to purchase simulation software and for travel expenses to international conferences. Although funding is needed to start a research project, it is not easy to get government or corporate grants. There is paperwork involved in the application process, and a certain amount of communication is required before acceptance. Therefore, it helped me to get the grant right after I joined the company.
More importantly, the simulation software that is essential to my research is very expensive. The university already has MATLAB, mathematics, and other software, which is also useful, but this software is better for my own research topics. So I was grateful to be able to purchase it with the Start-up Research Grant.
As previous recipients of this fellowship have pointed out, I think that the duration of the fellowship should be taken into consideration. In the early stages of a new position, you are not used to your new workplace, and how you can use the budget varies from institution to institution, so there is some confusion. For example, it would be easier to use the grant if there was an option to start the grant period a few months after the start of the grant period, with the first 3 or 6 months as a period to get used to the new location.
(January 2021)
I used this research grant to purchase simulation software and for travel expenses to international conferences. Although funding is needed to start a research project, it is not easy to get government or corporate grants. There is paperwork involved in the application process, and a certain amount of communication is required before acceptance. Therefore, it helped me to get the grant right after I joined the company.
More importantly, the simulation software that is essential to my research is very expensive. The university already has MATLAB, mathematics, and other software, which is also useful, but this software is better for my own research topics. So I was grateful to be able to purchase it with the Start-up Research Grant.
As previous recipients of this fellowship have pointed out, I think that the duration of the fellowship should be taken into consideration. In the early stages of a new position, you are not used to your new workplace, and how you can use the budget varies from institution to institution, so there is some confusion. For example, it would be easier to use the grant if there was an option to start the grant period a few months after the start of the grant period, with the first 3 or 6 months as a period to get used to the new location.
(January 2021)
