The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) offers a Summer Program as part of its Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research in Japan. This program, in partnership with The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), provides young researchers from North America and Europe with a unique opportunity to experience Japanese culture, learn basic Japanese, and conduct research at a Japanese university or research institute for two months during the summer.

Program Overview

The JSPS Summer Program aims to foster international collaboration and provide young researchers with invaluable experience in a Japanese research environment. Participants will receive an orientation on Japanese culture and language before commencing their research projects. This program is designed to encourage future research collaborations between participating countries and Japan.

JSPS collaborates with overseas partners, including Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (Germany), the Embassy of Canada in Japan/Mitacs (Canada), and the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (Sweden), to recruit candidates for this program. These partnerships ensure a diverse and high-quality pool of applicants.

The program's duration is two months during the summer, allowing participants to fully immerse themselves in their research projects and cultural experiences. This concentrated period is designed to maximize the impact of the fellowship on the participants' future research careers.

Candidate Eligibility

To be eligible, candidates must be citizens of the US, the UK, France, Germany, Canada, or Sweden. Others with equivalent status may apply if approved by the nominating authority in one of the above countries. This citizenship requirement ensures alignment with JSPS's partner institutions.

Applicants must meet one of the following academic status requirements: be enrolled in a university graduate program or hold a doctorate degree received on or after April 2, 2019. Researchers who obtained their PhD within six years, minus any time taken for maternity and/or parental leave, are also eligible.

Additional eligibility criteria include:

• Candidates must receive advance acceptance from a host researcher in Japan.

• Candidates must aspire to become researchers in the future.

• Those who have previously been awarded a fellowship under the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research in Japan are not eligible.

Host Researcher Eligibility

The host researcher must generally be employed full-time at a university or research institution as specified in Article 2 of the Procedure for the Handling of Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kakenhi). This ensures that the host institution can provide adequate support and resources for the visiting researcher.

In some cases, researchers who are not employed full-time may be eligible if they can apply for a KAKENHI grant and their institution can provide an appropriate research environment. This flexibility allows for a broader range of researchers to participate as hosts.

Eligible host institutions include universities, inter-university research institutes, MEXT-affiliated research institutions, colleges of technology, and institutions designated by the Minister of MEXT. A list of eligible host institutes is available on the JSPS website.

Financial Support

The JSPS Summer Program provides substantial financial support to its fellows. This support includes a round-trip air ticket to facilitate travel to and from Japan. Fellows also receive a maintenance allowance of 534,000 JPY to cover living expenses during their stay.

In addition to travel and living expenses, the program provides overseas travel insurance for the duration of the fellowship. A research support allowance of 158,500 JPY is available to cover cooperative research-related expenses, applied for by the host researcher through their institution.

These financial provisions ensure that fellows can focus on their research without financial burden, maximizing their productivity and overall experience.