The EU-Japan Centre is currently calling for expert report proposals for its "About Japan" information website (www.eubusinessinjapan.eu).

The deadline for submitting proposals is Monday, 8 February 2021

The EU-Japan Centre launched in 2013 a reference website for all EU companies wishing to do business with Japan: “EU BUSINESS IN JAPAN” (www.eubusinessinjapan.eu).

The objective of this website is to provide practical information for EU businesses in need of clear guidelines on trade and investment opportunities in Japan, including practical information on Japanese business sectors (market surveys, etc.) and advice on overcoming various barriers to the Japanese market (i.e. corporate taxation, IPR, etc.)

In order to provide reliable and up-to-date information on as many different relevant sectors and issues as possible, the EU-Japan Centre is heavily reliant on reports and articles from external experts. 
With this new call, the EU-Japan Centre is preparing for the reports and online trainings to be released in 2021. These reports should follow a structure that looks similar to the example below.

As a not-for-profit body, the EU-Japan Centre is only able to offer a nominal payment to contributing authors. However, each Author will receive an online acknowledgment (his/her name, company name and field of expertise published on the website). Should the visitors of the « EU BUSINESS IN JAPAN » portal be satisfied with the quality of the information made available on the website for a specific subject, and should they need further support, they will be invited to contact the author of the publication for further (chargeable) services.

If you don’t want to miss this unique occasion to appear on the reference portal for all EU business activities in Japan, proposals should be sent by email to Pauline Laloux: click here at the latest on Monday, 8 February 2021.

Desirable Topics

The EU-Japan Centre is currently interested in receiving reports covering the topics listed below. These reports should contain the most up-to-date information currently available. The EU-Japan Centre will accept unpublished papers as well as recent reports (published no further back than 2019) duly updated in 2021. Submissions must already have been proofread in English.

In addition, experts are invited to submit any ideas or suggestions of Japan-related topics in their domain of expertise and of interest for EU industry (especially EU SMEs).

When proposing a subject for a report, please take into account the existing reports published by the EU-Japan Centre, JETRO, and other organisations.

Report Structure

The final draft of the approved report should consist of a minimum of 10.000 words; however, for some high-tech topics as well as the export flowcharts a different word count may be appropriate.
  
With regards to the report structure, the following structure can serve as an example:

• Executive Summary / Abstract
• Description, Scope of Coverage
• Regulation for export to and sale in Japan
• Authorities responsible
• Labelling Packaging (if relevant)
• Authorities responsible
• Tax matters: Tariffs & Taxes
• Market Analysis (per product/service covered in this sector)
• Product/service/technology description covered by this analysis (in the case of more product/service/technology covered in this sector)
• Market Size, Trends, Profitability
• Main Players (Competitors, Suppliers, Producers, Customers etc.)
• Key Success Factors, Main Challenges, Opportunities
• Distribution Channels
• Importers & Related Organisations, Important trade fairs or other events
• Overview of the opportunities for EU SMEs and recommendations 
• Appendix A: Complete Bibliography
• Appendix B: Literature & Web links

Presentations

The expert will have to present his/her work during a one-hour webinar (including a Q&A session) to be scheduled in 2021. Applicants should bear this in mind when submitting their proposals.

Proposals

Your proposal should be written in English and include the following elements:

• The expert:
• Full contact details of each expert involved in the proposal
• CV(s)
• Proof of expertise
• Proof of experience
• List of publications by the Author(s)
• The work / deliverables:
• Table of Content
• Methodology to be used
• Expected number of words
• The Fee
• The amount of nominal payment expected to be paid at the final delivery.
• The Delivery
• Planned date for the interim delivery
• Planned date for the final delivery (APRIL - JUNE 2021)*

* Exact date will be fixed after selection. Please be prepared to the fact you might have to deliver your final report in April.

Depending on your range of expertise, offers can be submitted for several reports.

These reports are intended for open access online publication, and they will be made public.

Submission

Your proposal should be sent by email to Pauline Laloux: click here at the latest on Monday, 8 February 2020.

Selection results

Selection criteria will include the background of the Author(s), the quality of the contents and the price of the report. In addition, proposals for reports which could contain practical and concrete elements (i.e. case studies, interviews, etc.) may be favourably considered by the selection committee.

The results of the selection process will be announced by early February 2021. More technical specifications will be sent to successful candidate authors.

Key Dates

1. Deadline for proposals: Monday, 8 February 2021
2. Selection results release: Early February
3. Interim report delivery period: MARCH – APRIL 2021*
4. Final report delivery period: APRIL – JUNE 2021*
5. Webinar:  SEPT – DEC 2021*

* Exact dates will be fixed after selection. Please be prepared to the fact you might have to deliver your final report in April.

Contact

For further information, feel free to contact Pauline Laloux: click here

We look forward to receiving your proposals!