(Last Update: 2026-02-04)
Preferential treatment is given to holders of Science Tokyo staff ID and student ID, with the amount charged being reduced to 1/4. In addition, for certain individuals who are not directly employed by Science Tokyo but are directly involved in Science Tokyo's research or educational activities, the same preferential treatment will be applied only if they meet the conditions described below.
Conditions for Eligibility for Preferential Charging
1. Status Requirements
Only individuals holding one of the following statuses are eligible for preferential charging.
For research purposes:
a) Manager of budget code in Science Tokyo (e.g. JSPS Postdoctoral positions)
b) Short-term foreign students
c) Advisees at other universities
d) Visiting Professors, Visiting Associate Professors (including Lecturers), Visiting Assistant Professors (特定教員)
e) Visiting Scholars, visiting fellows, or visiting junior fellows (客員研究員・準客員研究員・準客員若手研究員)
f) Science Tokyo Research Fellows who are not employed by any institutions other than Science Tokyo
g) Students from other institutes who are employed as Science Tokyo RA (Additional conditions are applied)
h) People engaged in the implementation of research at Science Tokyo based on a business consignment contract
For educational purposes:
i) lecturers in charge of classes in Science Tokyo (Visiting Professors, Visiting Associate Professors, Part-Time Lecturers)
Note: Additional eligible categories may be approved at the discretion of the director of the Center for Information Infrastructure.
Additional Conditions for RA: Please submit a letter from the student's advisor to the director of Center for Information Infrastructure, which states the consent of the following (no format specified):
・The advisor agrees that the student works as Science Tokyo RA
・The project of the RA has no relationship to the student or advisor's research in their home institute, and the RA must not use TSUBAME for other objectives than RA.
Individuals holding the following statuses are not eligible for preferential charging unless they also hold statuses listed in items a) - i) above. (Examples are based on past inquiries)
- Science Tokyo Research Fellows employed elsewhere (Ex-members of Science Tokyo, etc.)
- Joint Researchers and Contract Researchers
- Those dispatched under a dispatch contract using research funds. (Available with Use by research based on competitive funding or joint research agreements)
- Positions by the department's own title
Individuals who are not eligible for preferential charging will be treated in the same manner as external users, regardless of whether they possess an access card for the Science and Engineering Field.
Please refer to the relevant guidance and apply for an appropriate account other than “1. Internal Users / Eligible for Preferencial Fee.”
Those who do not receive preferential charging cannot apply for an account via the Portal for Science and Engineering Field.
2. (Required for Science and Engeneering Field Only) Acquisition of an access card for the Science and Engineering Field
Individuals who are eligible for preferential charging through their affiliation with Science and Engineering departments must obtain an access card for the Science and Engineering Field.
The access card for the Science and Engineering Field is an IC card issued through in-person identity verification, based on the submission of a written pledge and approval by the head of the host department. It is intended for individuals who are not faculty or students officially enrolled at Science Tokyo but require access to its information systems and facilities, including after-hours access to buildings.
The access card for the Science and Engineering Field is not issued by the Center for Information Infrastructure, but by the host department.
Please consult the administrative office of your host department for details.
For affiliates of medical and dental departments, it is possible to apply for an account without obtaining an access card for the Science and Engineering Field.
3. Requirements for Publication of Results (Applicable to account holders from FY2026 onward)
When publishing results (e.g., publications, conference presentations) obtained through the use of TSUBAME under the preferential charging scheme, please ensure that at least one author is clearly identified as affiliated with Science Tokyo, either by listing the affiliations or through co-authorship, in addition to acknowledgements.
How to apply for a TSUBAME account
When applying for a TSUBAME account, the person receiving billing preferential treatment should apply via the portal for Science and Engineering Fields based on his/her access card information, and then upload a copy of the document that will be used as evidence of his/her status from the Science Tokyo Box.
For users who have been verified with the information linked to their access card, the account will be issued without the need to submit any documents.
Example of document:
- Documents issued by Science Tokyo that mention the positions above (for a), documents by JSPS are also accepted)
- Excerpt of the minutes of a school or department meeting that mentions the position above
- A text file containing the pointer to the document that objectively proves the position (the staff directory, the official website of Science Tokyo, including departments, etc.)
- A text file containing the code and name of a budget that the applicant manages
Your account will not be activated until we receive appropriate certifications.
If you lose the above billing preferential status, or if you no longer meet the conditions, such as employment at another institution, please let us know using the Contact Us form.
For affiliates of the Medical and Dental Fields without holding an access card for the Science and Engineering Fields: follow the designated application procedure, and also submit the above-mentioned supporting documents to obtain an account as preferential charging applicants.