• Business overview
• Event Overview
• The tournament was held on Sunday, December 14th.
• List of Award Winners
• Collection of Papers
• About the application
• Entry
• Paper submission
• What happens after submission?
• About the announcement
• Main Schedule

Business overview

　The Policy Research Exchange Conference, which originates from Kyoto, has been held since 2005 with the aim of providing a forum for students who identify problems and issues facing cities and conduct research to solve them to present the results of their research, deepen exchanges that transcend the boundaries of universities and seminars, and provide a forum for policy proposals and information dissemination to the local community.

Overview of the 21st Kyoto Policy Research Exchange Conference

Click here for the flyer

This year marks the 21st year of the conference, first held in 2005.
The theme of the presentations is “Urban Policy in General.” Research presentations will cover a wide range of fields, including the environment, economy, culture, community, and welfare, and will explore policies to address urban challenges.
Seeing a variety of presentations from across universities and departments may provide valuable inspiration for future research.
In addition to presentations, the conference will also feature a networking event with certified organizations from the Gaku-City Collaboration Project, creating a fun and engaging experience for students. After the conference, all presenters will receive a report card with their scores and judges’ comments, as well as a comment sheet from participants in each subcommittee. Please use these to provide feedback on your presentation. Furthermore, top prize winners will have the opportunity to further their research by discussing their presentation content with government officials after the conference. 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, participants will give an oral presentation on the day of the conference.
The presentation time will be 25 minutes, consisting of 15 minutes for the presentation and 10 minutes for questions and answers.

The tournament was held on Sunday, December 14th.

This year’s 21st annual conference was held at the Wagankan Hall on Ryukoku University’s Fukakusa Campus for the third consecutive year, starting in 2023. Of the 79 presentation groups that passed the presentation qualification screening, 77, excluding two groups that declined, presented their research on a wide range of urban policy topics in 10 subcommittees. Each subcommittee was attended by two judges and designated questioners.
This conference also welcomed public participation, and many attendees, including government and university officials, listened intently.
Following each presentation, a “Participatory Gaku-City Collaboration Project Report Session” was held, attended by approximately 50 students, before the awards ceremony. Three organizations certified through the project presented their initiatives, followed by lively Q&A sessions.
The awards ceremony was held in Room B201 on the second basement floor, which can accommodate a maximum of 450 people, with many students standing. Cheers and applause rang out each time a winner was announced. During the Research Encouragement Award presentations, the students’ joyful acceptance speeches and the joyous group photo poses on stage demonstrated that the conference was a learning and rewarding experience for the presenters.
Participant surveys following the conference revealed many comments about the ways in which students felt they had grown and the significance of the conference, such as, “It was very informative to see such high-level presentations,” “Having our work evaluated by people outside the university helped us identify many areas for improvement,” and “It gave us an opportunity to think about what we should do from preparation to delivery, and what a good presentation is for communicating with others.”
This year’s conference also saw many students listen intently to the presentations in each subcommittee until the very end, and with a large number of general attendees, it was an extremely fulfilling conference overall.

Subcommittee presentation 1

Subcommittee presentation 2

Subcommittee presentation 3

<Participatory> Reporting session on the contents of the school-town collaboration project

Award ceremony 1

Award ceremony 2

Award ceremony 3
(Japan Public Policy Association Award winners)
Kazama Seminar Idea Bakery Team, Faculty of Policy Studies, Doshisha University

Award ceremony 4
(Recipient of the University Consortium Kyoto President’s Award)
Aika Takada (Fukuchiyama Public University)

List of Award Winners

<Research Encouragement Award>

　Click here to view the paper data and PowerPoint data.

Reference: Click here for the PowerPoint presentations of the research award winners and oral presentations from the 20th conference.

<Best Question Award>

Overview of the 21st Kyoto Policy Research Exchange Conference

Overview of the 21st Kyoto Policy Research Exchange Conference

[Collection of Papers]

This is the paper related to the presentation. Please also take a look.

Collection of Papers (Full Edition)
Collection of Papers (Full Edition)

〇 Paper collection (divided by subcommittee)
Cover and event
summary Table of contents
Presentation summary
Subcommittee 1
Subcommittee 2
Subcommittee 3
Subcommittee 4
Subcommittee 5
Subcommittee 6
Subcommittee 7
Subcommittee 8
Subcommittee 9
Subcommittee 10
Back cover

■Award

Papers and oral presentations will be reviewed comprehensively, and outstanding presenters will be awarded a Research Encouragement Award.

◆ Please check the review guidelines for the review method and criteria.

Examination Guidelines (PDF)

About the application

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

Application Guidelines (PDF)

■ Eligibility

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: Entry　(Deadline: Friday, August 1, 2025, noon)
Entries are now closed.

Step 2: Submit your paper　(Deadline: Tuesday, October 21, 2025, noon)
Entries are now closed.

■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 2024 University Consortium Kyoto President’s Award Winners
(This video is from the Policy Research Exchange Conference held on Sunday, December 15, 2024.)

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

Step 1 Entry by noon on Friday, August 1, 2025

Entry acceptance is now closed.

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

The paper submission period has closed.

About the announcement

■Explanatory video for presenters

Groups (individuals) who have been confirmed to participate in the conference as presenters must watch this video.

◇◇Table of Contents◇◇
1. Overview of the Conference
2. Schedule
3. Oral Presentations
4. Designated Questioner System
5. Judging Method
6. Points to Note when Participating in the Conference
7. Introduction to the Participatory Reporting Session on the Activities of the Gaku-machi Collaborative Project

Explanation video for presenters

What happens after submission?

We will review the submitted papers to determine whether you are eligible to present, and will notify you of the results of your eligibility to present in mid-November via the email address you provided in 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, or points may be deducted during the paper review process.
• Submitted papers will be subject to a thesis examination.
• Please note that the papers of oral presenters will be published digitally as a collection of papers on this website.
• The papers presented by the Research Encouragement Award recipients and the PowerPoint data used in their oral presentations on the day will be posted on this website and on the University-Regional Collaboration Portal Site Gakumachi Station after the conference (publication will be confirmed individually).

Reference: Click here for the PowerPoint presentations of the research award winners and oral presentations from the 20th conference.

Main schedule (updated regularly)