• Business overview
• Event Outline
• About the Application
• Entry
• Paper submission
• What happens after submission?
• Main Schedule

Business overview

　The Policy Research Exchange Conference, which originates from Kyoto, has been held since 2005 with the aim of identifying problems and issues facing cities, allowing students conducting research to solve these issues to present the results of their research, deepening exchanges that go beyond the boundaries of universities and seminars, and providing a forum for policy proposals and the dissemination of information to the local community.

Overview of the 21st Kyoto Policy Research Conference

Click here for the flyer

This is the 21st conference since its first in 2005.
The presentation theme is “Urban Policy in General.” Research presentations will be given on policies to solve urban problems from the perspectives of a wide range of fields, including the environment, economy, culture, community, and welfare.
Seeing a variety of presentations across the boundaries of universities and faculties may provide a good stimulus for future research. On the day of the conference, in addition to presentations, there will also be an exchange meeting with certified organizations of the Gaku-machi Collaboration Project, and we will also be holding a program for students to enjoy.
After the conference, all presenters will receive a report card with their scores and comments from the judges, as well as a comment sheet from the participants of the subcommittee, so please use it as feedback for your presentation. In addition, winners of top awards will have the opportunity to exchange opinions with government officials related to the content of their presentations after the conference, allowing them to deepen their research. Why
not present the results of your daily research and learning at this conference?
We look forward to your applications!

Presentation format: Oral presentation
After submitting a paper in advance and undergoing a presentation qualification screening and paper review, you will give an oral presentation on the day of the conference.
The presentation time is 25 minutes in total, consisting of 15 minutes for the presentation and 10 minutes for questions and answers.

■Award

The papers and oral presentations will be judged comprehensively, and outstanding presenters will be awarded a Research Encouragement Award.

*The screening guidelines will be published in late September.

About the Application

◆ Please be sure to check the recruitment requirements before applying.

Application Guidelines (PDF)

■ Eligibility requirements

Undergraduate and junior college students from member schools of the University Consortium Kyoto (either individuals or groups are accepted)
* In the case of a group consisting of students from multiple universities, the representative must be a student from a member school of the University Consortium Kyoto.
* Administrative procedures related to the competition, such as entry and paper submission, must be carried out by the above-mentioned qualified person.

■How to apply

Step 1: Enter　(Deadline: Friday, August 1, 2025 at noon)

Enter using the form below.

Step 2: Submit your thesis　(Deadline: Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at noon)

Enter the serial number given in Step 1 and the necessary information, then upload the thesis converted to a PDF file and the Thesis Format Checklist (a dedicated form for submitting the thesis will be available in mid-September). Submissions by email are not accepted.

■Explanatory video about the tournament

Please take a look at this video to help you with your application.
The first part provides an overview of the competition, and the second part explains the judges’ judging points and research methods.

Explanation video for prospective applicants (Part 1)

Explanation video for prospective applicants (Part 2)

Announcement of the winners of the 2024 University Consortium Kyoto President’s Award
(This is a video of the Policy Research Exchange Conference held on Sunday, December 15, 2024.)

Announcement of the 2024 Japan Association for Public Policy Studies Award Winners
(This is a video of the Policy Research Conference held on Sunday, December 15, 2024.)

Step 1 Entry deadline: Friday, August 1, 2025 at noon

Entries will open on Friday, June 27, 2025.

Please click the button below to proceed to the entry form.

*After completing your entry, you will receive an automatic reply email with the serial number required for submitting your paper in step 2. If you do not receive the email, please check your spam folder and contact us.
*Entry will not be accepted after the deadline, so please apply well in advance of the deadline.

Step 2: Submit your thesis by noon on Tuesday, October 21, 2025

The dedicated form for submitting papers will be made available in mid-September.
Please make sure to create your paper according to the following specifications and submit two copies after converting them to PDF files.

When submitting your presentation, you will need to enter a “Presentation Summary (400 characters or less)” and select the “Target SDG” logo in the form, so please prepare these in advance.

What happens after submission?

We will screen the submitted papers for presentation eligibility and notify you of the results of your presentation eligibility in mid-November via the email address you entered on the application form.

◇◇About the paper◇◇

• If your presentation is not prepared in the specified format, you may be deemed ineligible during the presentation qualification screening process and points may be deducted during the paper review process.
• Submitted papers will be subject to a thesis examination.
• Please note that the papers submitted by oral presenters will be published in digital format on this website as a collection of papers.
• The papers presented by the Research Encouragement Award winners and the PowerPoint presentations used in their oral presentations on the day will be posted on this website and on the University-Community Collaboration Portal Site Gakumachi Station after the conference (we will confirm whether or not they will be posted individually).

Reference: The research paper and the PowerPoint presentation for the 20th Annual Research Encouragement Award are available here.

Main schedule (updated regularly)