Call for Applications: Australia-Japan Travel Award 2026

The Australia-Japan Travel Award was newly established in 2026 by the Australasian Colloid and Interface Society (ACIS) and the Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry of the Chemical Society of Japan (DCSC-CSJ) to foster young researchers and promote international scientific exchange in colloid and interface science.

Each year, ACIS and DCSC-CSJ will each select one outstanding doctoral student. The awardees will attend the annual meeting or student conference hosted by the partner society and give an oral presentation. Travel-related expenses will be supported by the respective societies, and registration and banquet fees will be waived.

DCSC-CSJ is pleased to invite applications for the 2026 Australia-Japan Travel Award as outlined below.

1. Eligibility

Applicants must be first- or second-year students enrolled in a full-time doctoral program at a university in Japan as of April 1, 2026. Applicants must satisfy all of the following conditions:

(1)  The applicant is actively conducting research that contributes to the advancement of colloid and interface science.

(2)  The applicant is a student member of DCSC-CSJ at the time of application and has presented as a presenting author at the Divisional Meeting of the Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry within the past five years.

(3)  The applicant must be under 32 years of age as of April 1, 2026.

      ※Note 1 applies to applicants who have had career interruptions due to life events or other unavoidable circumstances.

(4)  The applicant must have applied for an oral presentation as the presenting author at the 77th Divisional Meeting of the Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry, “Okinawa Colloids 2026” to be held in Nago, Okinawa, Japan, from November 1 to 6, 2026. The applicant must also be able to give a presentation and answer questions in English at the award selection session to be held during the meeting. The date and time of the selection session will be announced later.

        Applicants who applied for an oral presentation will remain eligible for this Award even if their presentation is reassigned to a poster due to program constraints. In this case, the applicant may also apply for the Poster Award. However, if the applicant is selected for the second-stage selection of this Award, the presentation will no longer be considered for the Poster Award.

(5)  If selected as the awardee, the recipient must attend the 36th Australian Colloid and Surface Science Student Conference, scheduled for late January to early February 2027, venue to be announced, with the support described in Section 3, “Travel Support,” and give an oral presentation. After attending the conference, the recipient must submit a report to the DCSC-CSJ newsletter, C&I Communication. The report should include a portrait photograph and be approximately 3–4 printed pages in length.

2. Number of Awardees: One awardee will be selected.
3. Travel Support

• In principle, DCSC-CSJ will fully cover the following expenses:
• round-trip transportation from the awardee’s residence in Japan to the nearest airport in Japan
• round-trip economy-class airfare between Japan and Australia (airplane tickets will be provided)
• round-trip transportation from the airport in Australia to the venue of the Student Conference
• accommodation from check-in on the day before the start of the Student Conference to check-out on the day after the final day of the conference
• overseas travel insurance fee
• expenses of obtaining electronic travel authority (ETA) or visa.
• Registration and banquet fees for the Student Conference will be waived.
• Expenses of obtaining passport will not be supported.

4. Selection Process

Selection will be conducted in two stages: a first-stage review of the abstract submitted to Okinawa Colloids 2026 and the application form, followed by an English presentation and Q&A session for applicants who pass the first-stage review.

5. Application Procedure

• Required documents

Applicants must submit the following documents.

(a) Abstract

Applicants should submit their abstract through the Okinawa Colloids 2026 website as a regular oral presentation application.

(b) Application form

Applicants should download and complete the designated form, “Application Form for Australia-Japan Travel Award 2026,” save it as a PDF file, and submit it by email to the address shown in Section (3), “Submission address.”

• Before applying, applicants must confirm, through their academic supervisors, with their institutions that they will be able to attend the Student Conference with the support described in Section 3, “Travel Support”.
• The dates of the 36th Australian Colloid and Surface Science Student Conference have not yet been finalized. Applicants should therefore reserve sufficient flexibility in their schedule to ensure that they can attend the conference. For reference, information on the 35th Australian Colloid and Surface Science Student Conference is available on the ACIS website.

https://acis.wildapricot.org/ACSSSC35

(c) Copies of journal papers, up to five papers

If the applicant has peer-reviewed journal papers that have been published or accepted for publication, PDF copies of up to five papers should be submitted together with the application form.

• Application deadline: Friday, June 12, 2026
• Submission: Secretariat of the Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry, The Chemical Society of Japan

e-mail: info@colloid.csj.jp

• The total size of attachments in a single email should not exceed 10 MB. If the total file size exceeds 10 MB, please divide the files and send them in multiple emails.
• If you do not receive a confirmation email within three business days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays, please contact the same email address.

※Note 1. Applicants who have had interruptions in their study or research activities due to childbirth, childcare, family care, life events, or other circumstances beyond their control may be eligible for an extension of the age limit. In such cases, Applicants should indicate their age as of the specified date in the application form and describe the period and reason for the interruption in the section “Periods not counted toward the study/research period”.

6. Contact

Secretariat of the Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry, The Chemical Society of Japan

e-mail: info[at]colloid.csj.jp　　(Please replace [at] with @ )