Candidates for the research grant (Mihara Award) are selected based on recommendations from institutions around the world. We do not accept applications recommended by the recipients themselves. We also encourage institutions to nominate young and female researchers. The application deadline is October 31. Nominated candidates will be initially screened on the basis of letters of recommendation, reasons for recommendation, and the nominee reference form (research plan). If we receive a large number of applications, they will be narrowed down to approximately 10 candidates.

The first Mihara Award Steering Committee meeting is held around November each year, at which the members of the Mihara Cerebrovascular Disorder Research Promotion Fund Steering Committee review in detail the reasons for each recommendation and the research plans of the recommended candidates. After the first Steering Committee meeting, the committee members will vote by postal mail. The scores (a maximum of three points) given by each committee member are totaled by the secretariat, and the top three candidates (or more than three in case of equal scores) are selected. Abstracts of the major publication are distributed to each committee member as a reference for background information on each candidate's research.

At the second Steering Committee meeting (held at around December each year), the results of the voting are announced, and the top-scoring candidates are reviewed from a variety of perspectives, such as whether their research plans are unique, specific, and sustainable, along with the candidate's personal qualities and attitude toward their research. The potential and future prospects of the research might also have significant impact on the selection process. In this way, only one recipient is selected for the Mihara Award each year.

By the end of December, the results of the selection will be notified to the recipient and the person who recommended him/her. No telephone or other inquiries will be accepted regarding the status of the selection or the acceptance or rejection of recommendations. The results will be announced by posting the winner on this website.