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JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Foreign Researchers

FY 2009

The JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Foreign Researchers provides opportunities for young postdoctoral researchers from other countries to conduct, under the guidance of their hosts, cooperative research with leading research groups in universities and other Japanese institutions. The program allows such researchers to advance their own research while contributing to the progress of research in Japan and the counterpart countries.

1. FIELDS OF RESEARCH:

All fields of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences are included under this program.

2. ELIGIBILITY:

Each candidate for the Fellowship must:

1) Possess either the nationality or citizenship of the nominating country or be a permanent resident of that country.

2) Hold a doctorate degree when the Fellowship goes into effect, which must have been received within six years prior to April 2, 2009 (i.e. awarded on or after April 2, 2003), or be scheduled to receive a doctorate degree before the Fellowship goes into effect.

3) Have arranged in advance a research plan with his/her Japanese host.

[Note]

Those who have previously been awarded a fellowship under the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Foreign Researchers are not eligible.
Those who do not meet the nationality/citizenship requirement may apply for the program only if the competent nominating authority agrees to accept their applications. Such researchers may be nominated to JSPS so long as they do not reduce the number of nominees with eligible status. However, researchers of Japanese nationality are not eligible.
MD (Medical Doctor) holders without a PhD degree are not eligible.

3. PERIOD:

From 12 to 24 months.

4. STARTING DATE:

Fellows must start their Fellowship in Japan during the period of 1 April 2009 - 30 November 2009.

5. TERMS OF AWARD (FELLOWS ONLY):

1) A round-trip air ticket (based on JSPS regulations)
2) A monthly maintenance allowance of 364,000 yen
3) A settling in allowance of 200,000 yen
4)Overseas travel accident and sickness insurance coverage, etc.

[Note]

The amounts of the Awards indicated above are subject to change.
If the Fellow resides in Japan on the date his/her award letter is issued, the above mentioned air ticket to Japan and settling in allowance will not be provided.
A research grant, "Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research" (Tokubetsu Kenkyuin Shorei-hi) of up to 1,500,000 yen per year (total of 3,000,000 yen for two years) is available to cover cooperative research-related expenses. Application for these grants is made by the host researcher through his/her institution.

6. HOST RESEARCHERS AND HOST INSTITUTIONS IN JAPAN:

- Host researchers in Japan must be employed full-time or classified as being employed full-time *(excluding Jokyo, assistant professors, and Joshu, research assistants) at a university or research institution that is eligible to apply to MEXT for funding under the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Program (Kakenhi) and approved by JSPS as an appropriate institution for hosting young foreign researchers. For examples of these institutions, please refer to Table 1 (FY2009).

- Candidates must have arranged in advance a research plan for their stay in Japan with their prospective host researcher.

[Note]

Full-time employment classification is determined by the regulations of the host institution.

7. APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR THE PROGRAM:

Applications for this program must be submitted to JSPS through a foreign nominating authority. Application process is as follows:

1) Contact is made between a foreign scientist who wishes to conduct cooperative research in Japan and his/her prospective host.
2) Foreign scientist submits an application to a nominating authority.
3) Nominating authority selects the candidates and nominates them to JSPS.
4) Approximately three months after receiving an application, JSPS will send out a notice of selection decision to both the candidate and submitting nominating authority.

[Note]

JSPS does not find or introduce host researchers.
Application deadline and selection procedure differs by each nominating authority.
When setting the starting date of fellowships, adequate time should be allowed for application processing (e.g., application screening by the nominating authority and selection decision making by JSPS).
Apart from receiving applications through foreign nominating authorities, JSPS also accepts applications from Japanese researchers who agree to host a foreign postdoctoral researcher (Open recruitment). For details on this application channel, please see our web site: http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-fellow/fellow.html.

8. MATERIALS TO BE SUBMITTED:

1) Application form (research data) written by each candidate (Format 2-Postdoc)
2) A letter of acceptance/invitation from the candidate's prospective host researcher in Japan, stating that he/she accepts the candidate at his/her institution during the period of the fellowship tenure.
3) A letter of reference/recommendation from the candidate's current or previous supervisor (not from his/her prospective host researcher in Japan).
4) A copy of the candidate's doctoral degree certificate. If the degree has not yet been awarded, a letter is required from the candidate's institution stating the date that he/she will officially receive the degree.
5) Supplementary documents (if necessary).

[Note]

The application form submitted must be the original
All documents must be in either English or Japanese. When the original document is in another language, please be sure to attach an English translation (which does not need to be an official translation, but may be done by the host or candidate).

9. OBLIGATION:

1) So as to allow the smooth progress of research in Japan, sufficient consultation should be made between the candidate and his/her prospective host researcher in advance on the conditions at the host laboratory, including his/her status under the fellowship, and mutual agreement regarding these conditions should be established.
2) As a rule, the fellowship awardees (fellows) shall stay in Japan continuously during the tenure of their fellowships and concentrate on their research at the host institution. Fellows may, however, suspend their fellowships and concentrate on their research at the host institution. Fellows may, however, suspend their fellowships for the purpose of childbearing or infant nursing. Fellows may not engage in other work, neither paid nor unpaid, during their tenures.
3) The fellowship awardees (fellows) and their host researchers must submit two research reports: 1) an interim report at the 12-month juncture of the fellow's tenure, and 2) a final report within one month of the completion of his/her tenure.

10. HANDLING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION:

With regard to personal information contained in application materials, it shall be strictly controlled in accordance with laws governing the protection of personal information by administrative institutions and JSPS's rules for protecting personal information.

When using personal information in implementing the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Foreign Researchers, including the provision of such information to private companies commissioned to conduct date processing management, JSPS shall observe these laws and regulations.

[Note]

The names of the awardees and their host researchers as well as their research themes and reports are subject to public disclosure.
The awardees will also be asked to participate in surveys aimed at improving the fellowship program.