Research support in Japan

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science offers various opportunities to conduct research in Japan.

The JSPS Summer Program is for graduate students and postdocs.  It provides a round-trip plane ticket, travel insurance, maintenance allowance, research travel allowance, and research allowance for a 10-week summer program. In the US, you apply for this through the NSF’s EAPSI program.  Consequently, only research in NSF-funded disciplines is eligible.  This program has about a 33% success rate.  Application deadline: November 8, 2012

The JSPS Short-Term Postdoctoral Fellowship Program offers grad students and post-doctoral researchers in any field, including the humanities, the chance to spend 1-12 months conducting research in Japan.  (Since grad students are eligible, the name of the program is something of a misnomer.)  The program offers a round-trip plane ticket, travel insurance, a maintenance allowance, a settling-in allowance, and research support allowance.  To apply, either have your host researcher in Japan submit an application for you, or apply through JSPS’s Washington, DC, office. Those in appropriate disciplines can apply through the NIH or the SSRC.  This program has about a 30% success rate.  Application deadline: varies, but as early as November 16, 2012

The JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program offers postdoctoral scholars in any field, including the humanities, the chance to spend 12-24 months conducting research in Japan.  The fellowship includes a round-trip plane ticket, travel insurance, a maintenance allowance, a settling-in allowance, and a grant-in-aid for scientific research.  To apply, have your host research in Japan submit an application for you, or those in appropriate disciplines can apply through the NIH or the SSRC.  This program has about a 15% success rate.  Application deadline: varies, but as early as December 1, 2012

Although it is not required, JSPS suggests that applicants first complete a summer program, then do the short-term postdoc program, and finally apply for the full postdoc fellowship, so that in the end, they have a strong working relationship with Japanese researchers.