UNU-IAS is a multi-thematic, interdisciplinary, research and training centre located in Yokohama, Japan. The Institute’s fellowship programmes provide young scientists, policy makers, and developing country scholars with the opportunity to expand their intellectual vision beyond a single scientific field.

UNU-IAS PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowships are offered for a period of 10 months beginning in October 2008. JSPS-UNU Postdoctoral Fellowships are offered for 12-24 months beginning in November 2008.

Postdoctoral candidates must have completed a PhD degree, and PhD candidates must be at the advanced stage of their doctoral dissertation. Candidates’ current research must be closely related to one of the thematic areas of the Institute.

The closing date for applications is 25 April 2008.

Please see website for further details.

• [Japan] The Matsumae International Foundation Fellowships 2008
• [USA] Call for Applications Watson International Scholars of the Environment
• [Japan] Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Cell Biology, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
• [Worldwide] Fellowships of the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP)
• [USA] Postdoctoral Fellowships in Life Sciences, The Department of Biological Sciences at Dartmouth College

Application Guideline for Special Scholarship Program (SSP)

1. PROGRAM OF STUDY
Course for International Students
Doctoral Program (3 years)
Department of Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering

2. NUMBER OF STUDENTS TO BE ADMITTED
20 students per year

3. ENROLLMENT TIME
April/October

4. SCHOLARSHIP TERM
One year
*The term will be extended for increments of one year up to a total of three years, unless the university terminates the scholarship for any of the reasons stated below in the paragraph 12, Termination of Scholarship

5. OBLIGATIONS
(1) Scholarship recipient must work as a research assistant under the specific research project.
*However, the total paid working time per week, including research assistant work, should not exceed 28 hours.
(2) Scholarship recipient must report his/her study and research achievements to the dean of the graduate school of engineering at the end of each semester. The submitted reports will be evaluated.

6. BENEFITS
(1) Receive up to 1,200, 000 yen per year for working as a research assistant.
(2) Exemption from 300,000 yen enrollment fee, 940,000 yen (per year) tuition fee, 150,000 yen (per year) fee for facilities improvement and 150,000yen (per year) cost of experiments and laboratory work.
(3) Receive 200,000 yen for travel and initial living costs (given only to applicants who are living outside Japan at the time of application)

7. ELIGIBILITY　Applicants are required to meet all of the following conditions
(1) To have or to be expected to acquire a master’s degree before enrollment.
(2) To have intention, adequate knowledge and research skill to work as a research assistant under the one of research projects listed here
(3) To have an excellent academic record
(4) To have a high English proficiency
(5) To be 35 years old or under at the time of enrollment
(6) To have other than Japanese nationality

8. APPLICATION PROCESS
(1) Choose the research project from　the SSP Research Project List
for October 2008 & April 2009 Enrollment.
(2) Complete and submit all required documents.
*Please refer to　the List for SSP Application Documents

9. ADMISSION SCHEDULE

October 2008 Admission
Deadline: March 31, 2008

April 2009 Admission
Deadline: March 31, 2008 & September 30, 2008

10. ADMISSION DECISION
The applicant will be notified of the admission decision by express mail within 3 months after the deadline of the application.

11. SPECIAL NOTICE
(1) If you are still working towards your master’s degree, a verified original master’s degree certificate in English from your university will be required before your enrollment can be complete. If you are not able to produce such a document, you will not be enrolled.
(2) If SSP scholarship recipient is selected as a recipient of another institution’s scholarship, his/her monthly pay for working as a research assistant will be adjusted.

12. TERMINATION OF SCHOLARSHIP
Scholarships will be terminated in the following cases
(1) If the scholarship recipient takes time off from school
(2) If a report submitted in accordance with term 5 (2) is considered inadequate for a scholarship recipient.
(3) If the university considers the scholarship recipient’s behavior inappropriate for a scholarship recipient.

13. OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE:
All inquiries and application documents must be addressed to:
International Relations Center
Kochi University of Technology
Tosayamada. Kochi. 782-8502. Japan
Tel: +81 887 53 1130
Fax: +81 887 57 2000
E-mail:international[ at ]ml.kochi-tech.ac.jp

For further information please visit the official website

• [Japan] Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Cell Biology, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
• [Japan] Post doctoral Opportunity in Continuous Optimization at Tokyo Institute of Technology
• [Japan] The Matsumae International Foundation Fellowships 2008
• [Netherlands] Master Scholarships in Financial Engineering from FELab, University of Twente
• [Switzerland] Swiss Scholarships 2007/2008 for University Studies, Fine Arts and Music Schools

To carry out the mission of the institute as a cooperative center for universities and research institutes within and outside Japan, we accept many visiting scientists from all around the world for collaborative projects.

Four types of scholarships are possible at NIPS.

The first type of scholarship is the “University Recommendation” MEXT (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship.
Each year, at least one “University Recommendation” candidate is selected for the 5-year combined Master’s/Ph.D. program, which starts in October. Please note that this scholarship cannot be held in conjunction with other awards or scholarships. Students wishing to apply for this scholarship should make sure that they discuss their application with their prospective supervisor at NIPS. More information regarding the details of the scholarship is given at the Study in Japan website(http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj0302e.html) and at the JASSO (Japan Student Services Organization http://www.jasso.go.jp/study_j/scholarships_e.html) website.

The MEXT scholarship covers the following:

• Application fee (30,000 yen)
• Admission fee (282,000 yen, payable only the first year of study)
• Annual tuition fee (535,800 yen per year)
• Return economy-class airfare between Okazaki and the student’s home country
• Monthly stipend (172,000 yen)

The second type of scholarship is a Seiriken Scholarship.
Exceptional students wishing to enter 5-year and 3-year Ph.D. programs at NIPS are eligible to apply for this type of scholarship. It covers the admission fee and the annual tuition fees for successful applicants. Further information can be obtained from scholar@nips.ac.jp

The third type of scholarship is an “Embassy Recommendation” MEXT (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship.
Through this system, a certain number of 5-year combined Master’s/Ph.D. scholarships are awarded annually. Applications should be made through Japanese embassies/consulates in the applicant’s home country. (Please note that this application procedure is different from the “University Recommendation” MEXT Scholarships noted above.) Applications are open to candidates of any nationality except Japan, and the scholarship details are the same as those noted above. Please see the Study in Japan website (http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj0302e.html) for more information as well as the list of Japan’s Embassies and Consulates (Ministry of Foreign Affairs website http://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/over/index.html).

Finally, a certain number of scholarships are provided by JASSO (Japan Student Services Organization), as well as private foundations.
For more information on these scholarships, please see the JASSO website at http://www.jasso.go.jp/study_j/scholarships_sfisij_e.html

Eligibility
In general, candidates must have completed (or be expected to obtain before starting study in NIPS) a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognized university for acceptance into the 5-year combined master’s/Ph.D. Candidates wishing to enter the 3-year program must have completed a master’s degree or equivalent from a recognized university. People who currently hold Ph.D. degrees are not eligible for any of the above scholarships.

Candidates must be well prepared for the course for which they are applying within the Department of Physiological Sciences. Those candidates who are not native speakers of English are required by the Board of Graduate Studies to provide the results of an English language test and are expected to meet the following standards of proficiency:

• TOEFL (paper-based test):
  Minimum overall score of 600, with a minimum score of 5.0 in the TOEFL Test of Written English (TWE).
• TOEFL (computer-based test):
  Minimum overall score of 250, with a minimum score of 5.0 in the essay writing section of the text.
• TOEFL (Internet-based test):
  Minimum overall score of 100, with a minimum score of 24 in the writing section of the test.

How to Apply
It is essential to secure appropriate supervision before applying for the above scholarships. Therefore, your first step in applying for a scholarship should be to get in contact with at least one of the professors in NIPS (http://www.nips.ac.jp/eng/outline/pub/staff.html) to find out about any technical requirements as well as the range and depth of background knowledge that is needed by successful candidates for admission.

After you have made contact with an appropriate supervisor, please ask him/her to send an application form for the “University Recommendation” scholarship to you. Your application form must be completed and returned to the Board by 6 February 2008.

The Board of Graduate Studies at NIPS consults with the professors responsible for determining admission to the University about the respective merits of each applicant. On the basis of that consultation, applicants who are on the shortlist for the “University Recommendation” MEXT Ph.D. Scholarship will be invited to an interview at NIPS in February every year for the Ph.D. Program starting in October of the same year.
For further information

Questions concerning admission and application procedures should be forwarded to:

scholar@nips.ac.jp
Board of Graduate Studies, National Institute for Physiological Sciences,
Myodaiji, Okazaki, 444-8585, Japan
FAX 81-564-52-7913

Due date: 6 February 2008

Official Website

• [Japan] The Matsumae International Foundation Fellowships 2008
• [Japan] Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Cell Biology, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
• [UK] MSc Scholarships in Cell and Tissue Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Keele University
• [Japan] Post doctoral Opportunity in Continuous Optimization at Tokyo Institute of Technology
• [USA] Postdoc Graduate Assistant Position in Lung Biology and Toxicology, Oklahoma State University

Award
Usually 20 people per year receive fellowships. Fellowships are for a period of three to six months. Fellowship recipients will receive an economy-class, round-trip air ticket between the airport nearest the fellow’s home and Tokyo via most direct routing; a lump sum of ¥300,000 to assist with the cost of lodging and local travel expenses; a monthly research stipend of ¥200,000; and personal accident insurance and sickness insurance with death benefit and medical treatment.

Requirements
Applicants of non-Japanese nationality who meet all of the following general eligibility requirements are invited to submit the required application documents:

• Applicants must hold a doctorate degree, or have a minimum of two years of research experience after receipt of a master’s degree, or be recognized by the foundation as possessing equivalent academic qualifications.
• Applicants must not be over 40 years of age at the time of application.
• Applicants must have sufficient conversational ability in English or Japanese to prevent insurmountable difficulties during their research activities in Japan.
• Applicants should not have been in Japan previously. The application must be submitted from the applicant’s home country. Under no circumstances will an application be accepted from a person already in Japan.
• Applicants who have firm positions and professions in their home nations should apply from their countries, and should return to their countries on completion of their research activities in Japan.
• Applicants who have previously been invited by the Matsumae International Foundation are not eligible for this fellowship program

Application Deadline: 31 July 2007

Contact:
Address:
The Matsumae International Foundation Japan
4-14-46 Kamiogi
Suginami-ku
Tokyo
167-0043 JAPAN
Fax: +81-3-3301-7601
For more information visit: http://www.mars.dti.ne.jp/~mif/

• [Japan] The United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies seeks PhD& Postdoctoral Fellowships – Sustainable Development
• [Japan] Fellowships for Visiting Scholars at The Center for Southeast Asian Studies Kyoto University
• [Japan] ITTO Fellowship Programme 2007
• [USA] International Dissertation Research Fellowships
• [Japan] Asian Youth Fellowship 2007

• Eligibility requirement: Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree
• Duration of awards: 2 years for Master’s program, 3 years for PhD programme
• Award contents: Tuition fees, travel expenses, stipend (JPY160,000/month), etc.
• Number of awards: 6 master’s students and 4 PhD students (no exchange students)
• Application period: March 1-15, 2007

The program contents can also be referred to at ‘News & Events’ of the GSAPS website. The objective of our ‘Future Leader’s Program for Regional Integration and Cooperation in Asia’ is to develop leading researchers who will conduct research in various fields (such as politics, economics, society, culture and education) on the themes of regional integration and cooperation, and can proactively participate in policy making processes in governments or international organizations.Application and inquiry to:
‘Future Leader’s Program for Regional Integration and Cooperation in Asia’
GSAPS Admissions Office, Waseda University
Nishi-Waseda Bldg. 7F, 1 – 21 -1 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku,
Tokyo 169 -0051 Japan
Tel: +81-3-5286-3877 Fax: +81-3-5272-4533
E-mail: gsaps@list.waseda.jp
URL http://www.wiaps.waseda.ac.jp
Dean: AMAKO Satoshi, PhD
Program Leader: KURODA Kazuo, PhD
Inquiry: Kazumi Onouchi, International Program Coordinator

• [Japan] Asian Youth Fellowship 2007
• [Japan] Scholarships from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Graduate Schools
• [Japan] The Matsumae International Foundation Fellowships 2008
• Asia and Pacific Student Essay Competition on Sustainable Development
• [Japan] Post doctoral Opportunity in Continuous Optimization at Tokyo Institute of Technology

The scholarships for the program of Information and Computer Sciences are available for only TWO highly qualified students each year. Therefore, the selection is highly competitive. Evaluation of applications will be based on the candidates’ scholastic ability and research potential assessed from previous credentials, recommendation letters and the essays of research plan on selected topics. Short-listed candidates will then be invited to face an Internet-based interview conducted by a panel of three faculty members at a pre-determined time schedule. The details of this interview will be sent out to short-listed candidates. The final selection is made based on the performance at the interview. The two selected candidates will also be asked to fill in and submit some application forms required by The MEXT. The list of candidates nominated for the scholarship is then recommended to the Ministry for final approval.

Faculty Members and Research Fields

Professors:
CHENG, Jingde
Relevant and Ampliative Reasoning, Relevant Logic, Epistemic Programming for Scientific Discovery, Highly Reliable and Highly Secure Systems, Persistently, Reactive Systems.

IKEGUCHI, Tohru
Nonlinear Dynamical Systems and Chaos, Chaos Engineering, Biological Cybernetics, Time Series Analysis, Neural Networks, Combinatorial Optimization, Complex Networks.

KATSUBE, Teruaki
Information Devices, Electronic Devices, Sensing Systems, Biological Information, Soft Computing, Microelectronics.

KUNO, Yoshinori
Human-Machine System, Human Interface, Computer Vision, Intelligent Robot.

MAEKAWA, Hitoshi.
Intelligent Robotics (Motion Planning, Environmental Information Acquisition), Computer Vision, Sensor Fusion.

MISHIMA, Taketoshi
Computational Biomechanics and Distributed Autonomous Robotic System.

OHSAWA, Yutaka
Geographic Information System, Image Processing, Data Engineering, Multimedia Database.

SHIGEHARA, Takaomi
Numerical Analysis, High Performance Computing, Quantum Chaos.

YOSHIDA, Norihiko
System Design Methodology, Parallel/Distributed/Cooperative Computation, Computer Network (Internet Technologies).

• [Japan] The Matsumae International Foundation Fellowships 2008
• [Japan] Postdoctoral Research Fellows in Cell Biology, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
• [Japan] Post doctoral Opportunity in Continuous Optimization at Tokyo Institute of Technology
• [USA] Postdoctoral Position in Computer-Aided Diagnosis, University of Chicago
• [Germany] PhD Student Positions at Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Konstanz

Term of Scholarship

• For Master’s Course
  Two and half years including half a year for the study of Japanese language prior to commencement of the Master’s Course
• For Doctoral Course
  Three and half years including half a year for the study of Japanese language prior to commencement of the Doctoral Course

Contents of Scholarship

The Foundation will support the following costs and expenses.

• Travel expenses
  Economy class round-trip airfare between the nearest airport of the grantee’s university and the airport in Japan and the travel expenses between the airport in Japan and the place of grantee’s research affiliation. Only the return fare will be given to the grantee if he/she is already in Japan
• Arrival and return allowance: 50,000 each
  Only the return allowance will be given to the grantee if he/she is already in Japan.
• Stipend: 180,000 a month
• Housing allowance (at cost but maximum amount per month)
  Place of Residence Single With Family
  Greater Metropolitan Tokyo — 60,000-90,000
  Others – 40,000-55,000
• Tuition and other school expenses listed in the following
  1. Admission and registration fee
  2. Tuition
  3. Facility fee, if any
  4. Seminar and laboratory fee, if any
  5. Tuition for Japanese language course: For six (6) months
• Field study expenses: At cost but up to 50,000 per year.
  Application should be submitted to the Foundation in advance together with the recommendation letter of the host scientist for review and approval.
• Expenses to make presentation at international conferences: At cost. Application in advance as same as 2-6 above is required.
• Expenses to attend the activities of the Foundation

Application and Selection

• Eligibility and qualification of applicants Only the faculty members, who satisfy the following conditions, of the universities invited by the Foundation will be accepted as applicants.
• For Master’s Course
  1. Bachelor’s degree holder who wishes to obtain Master’s degree in the field of science and technology at a Japanese graduate school
  2. Below 30 years of age
  3. Firm position or profession in the university
• For Doctoral Course
  1. Master’s degree holder (or the faculty member who is expected to obtain Master’s degree before the start of proposed Doctoral Course) who wishes to obtain Ph.D. in the field of science and technology at a Japanese graduate school
  2. Below 35 years of age
  3. Firm position or profession in the university

Application procedure

Application shall be endorsed by the President’s office of the university to which the Foundation has offered the scholarship award and submitted to the following address through the said office by November 30, 2006 using the registered mail. Neither personal nor direct application to the Foundation is accepted.

The Hitachi Scholarship Foundation
21F Akihabara UDX Building
14-1, Soto-Kanda 4-chome
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8010
Japan

Application shall be submitted with all the documents as required below and the application missing any of them will be automatically rejected. The Foundation reserves the right to request any other additional documents.
Documents required for application One (1) original and one (1) copy of

1. Type written Application Form along with 3cm x 4cm size photograph * Please use the Application Form attached hereto and fill in all the data requested.
2. Certificate of graduation or certificate of expected graduation from the last school attended
3. Transcript of academic record of the last school attended * The applicant for Doctoral Course is requested to submit the transcript of academic record of the undergraduate school as well.
4. Letter of recommendation from the head and/or dean of the faculty to which the applicant belongs. This letter needs to be endorsed by the office of the President. Other additional recommendation letters, if any.
5. Letter of acceptance from the proposed Japanese host scientist
6. Physical examination certificate

* The Foundation reserves the right to distribute a copy of the above documents to any person for the purpose of evaluation and selection. A copy of the above documents will also be distributed to the proposed Japanese host scientists of the finally selected applicants.

Method of selection

1. Preliminary selection
   The Selection Committee of the Foundation will conduct preliminary selection based on the application documents.
2. Interview
   The preliminary-selected applicants will be interviewed by the representative(s) of the Selection Committee of the Foundation at their universities.
3. Final selection
   The Selection Committee of the Foundation will make final selection after the interview. Award will become effective when the admission of the selected applicant to his/her intended Japanese graduate school has been confirmed.

Criteria of selection

1. Support by the senior management of the applicant’s university in relation to their human development program
2. Academic exchange program between the applicant’s university and the proposed graduate school in Japan
3. Academic performance and achievement by the applicant
4. Potentiality of the applicant
5. Motivation to study in Japan
6. Proposed plan of study
7. Academic necessity of the applicant to undertake his/her study and research at the graduate school in Japan
8. Communication skill * As the foreign students who conduct their graduate studies and research in the field of science and technology in Japan are normally required to submit their thesis in English unless they have enough Japanese language proficiency, proficiency of English language above 530 points of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is preferred.

The applicant’s health and general aptitude for the environmental conditions of academic and social life in Japan.

Schedule of selection

End of November Deadline to submit application

December – January Preliminary selection based on the application documents

February – March Interview of pre-selected applicants at their universities

April – May Final selection

* The result of selection will be informed to the applicant through the President’s office of the applicant’s university in June 2007.
End of September Departure for Japan (finally selected applicants only)

* The finally selected applicants are requested to attend the orientation in Tokyo at the end of September 2007 and shall start their studies and research at the graduate school, or Japanese language school if necessary, from October 2007 in accordance with the instruction by their enrolled graduate school.

Preparation for Entry to Japan

The finally selected applicants are required to submit the following to the Foundation to obtain the Certificate of Eligibility. It usually takes one (1) month to obtain this certificate and this certificate is necessary to obtain a valid entry visa from a Japanese embassy or consulate before coming to Japan.

1. A copy of passport
2. Thee (3) copies of the photograph with 3cm x 4cm
3. Record of past entry into / stay in Japan (including number of times of entry)
4. Admission to Graduate School

The finally selected applicants are requested to make arrangement for enrollment at their intended Japanese graduate schools by themselves. They are generally admitted at first as non-degree students, i.e. research students of the graduate schools, and required to pass the entrance examination of their intended graduate schools.

Accommodation

The grantee is responsible for finding his/her own accommodation.
As some graduate schools have their own accommodations, it is recommended to inquire the host scientist about their availability.
The Foundation will make financial support for

1. Key money, if any
2. Agency commission, if any
3. Expenses to purchase room lights, curtain and electric/gas table, if not furnished
4. Restoration fee, if any, at the time of vacating a room (normal wear and tear only)

The grantee is responsible for the payment of
1) Deposit which is to be returned later
2) Property and fire insurance

Bank Account

The grantee is requested to open an account at a Japanese bank upon his/her arrival and inform the Foundation of the bank account details sending a copy of bankbook.

Alien Registration

The grantee is required to file application for alien registration within ninety (90) days from the date of arrival in Japan at the municipal or ward office where the grantee resides.

Liaison

The grantee should keep in close contact with the Foundation and keep them informed of any change of his/her address or other pertinent matters.

Report

The grantee is required to submit to the head and/or dean of the faculty of his/her university in home country a progress report of his/her research and other activities every two months with a copy to the host scientist and the Foundation. When his/her research is presented for publication or dissemination, the Foundation’s support should be acknowledged in an appropriate way. A copy of such publication or offprint is requested to be sent to the Foundation.

Insurance

The Foundation will buy the following insurance for the period from the date of the grantee’s departure from his/her home country until the date he/she is admitted as a student of the graduate school or until the date he/she arranges similar insurance whichever comes earlier. The grantee is required to arrange such insurance with the graduate school by himself/herself after he/she is admitted as a student. Illness contracted before the grantee’s arrival in Japan, chronic disease and dental care will not be covered by the insurance to be bought by the Foundation.
1) Death from injury: 15 million
2) Treatment of injury: Up to 2 million
3) Death from illness: 2 million
4) Treatment of illness: Up to 2 million

Japanese Language

It is important for foreign students to know and understand Japanese language to such an extent that they can pursue their study and research at the graduate school and spend social life in Japan. Some Japanese graduate schools require Japanese language proficiency to a certain level. The Foundation will, therefore, support the grantees for their study of Japanese language as described in Clause 1 and Clause 2.

Compliance with Laws and Regulations

The grantee must abide by the laws and regulations of Japan.

Suspension or Termination of the Scholarship

The grantees of the Hitachi Scholarship Award are expected to devote themselves full-time to their studies and research described in their applications and any employment in Japan during the term of the scholarship may not be accepted. The scholarship will be suspended or terminated if the Foundation judges that the foregoing terms and conditions are not observed in good faith or in the following cases:

• When it becomes impossible to continue study or research because of illness or other reasons
• Poor result of study record
• Misconduct

• [Japan] The Matsumae International Foundation Fellowships 2008
• [Japan] Asian Youth Fellowship 2007
• [Japan] Japanese Government Scholarships, Future Leader’s Program, Waseda University
• [UK] Ratiu Foundation Scholarship at Kent University for Romanian Students
• [Norway] The International Summer School (ISS), University of Oslo