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JSPS RONPAKU (DISSERTATION PhD) PROGRAM APPLICATION
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| July, 2010 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science |
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The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) has been carrying out the RONPAKU (Dissertation PhD) Program since 1978. The aim of this program has been to provide tutorial and financial support for promising researchers in Asia and Africa who wish to obtain their PhD degrees from Japanese universities through the submission of a dissertation without matriculating a doctoral course.
Grantees under the program (RONPAKU fellows) are required to conduct their dissertation research under the joint supervision of a Japanese advisor and an advisor in their home country, and are expected to obtain their PhD degrees within a maximum period of five years. RONPAKU fellows are allowed to visit a Japanese university once a year to conduct research under the direct supervision of their Japanese advisor. The Japanese advisor may visit the RONPAKU fellow's home university or research institution when deemed necessary to supervise the fellow’s research together with his/her home advisor.
All fields within the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences are included.
Candidates must be a researcher whose university/institution is in one of the following countries: |
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ASIA (including Middle East countries) AFRICA * These ten countries have JSPS nominating organizations. The application procedure for RONPAKU candidates in those countries differs from that used for the other countries. Please see item 9. |
The candidate’s Japanese advisor must be a full-time researcher who, as of 1 April 2011, is engaged in implementing a doctoral course at the Japanese university to which the prospective RONPAKU fellow will submit his/her PhD thesis.
The candidate must be a researcher
| (1) | Who has not obtained a PhD degree from a university |
| (2) | Who wishes to obtain a PhD degree from a Japanese university through the submission of a dissertation |
| (3) | Who has already achieved substantial research results and is likely through dissertation research under the program to successfully obtain a PhD degree |
| (4) | Who is employed full time at a university or research institution in his/her home country or will likely be appointed to such a position by April 1, 2011 (JSPS also treats Taiwanese and Palestinian researchers in this manner.) |
| (5) | Who is 49 years of age or younger as of April 1, 2011. |
Approximately 40
Maximum 5 years from 1 April 2011
JSPS financial support to RONPAKU fellows and their Japanese advisors includes the following:
(1) To RONPAKU fellows
| Length of stay (days) | Allowance(yen) | Length of stay (days) | Allowance(yen) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1~5 | 50,000 | 31~45 | 300,000 |
| 6~10 | 100,000 | 46~60 | 400,000 |
| 11~15 | 150,000 | 61~75 | 500,000 |
| 16~30 | 200,000 | 76~90 | 600,000 |
(2) To Japanese advisors
When visiting the RONPAKU fellow's home institution:
When receiving a RONPAKU fellow:
Notes:
Prospective Japanese advisors will be required to use JSPS's online application system to apply for the program. For detailed procedures, please refer to the online application system guide at http://www-shinsei.jsps.go.jp/ (in Japanese).
RONAPKU candidates are to prepare Forms 2 and 3 and send them to their prospective Japanese advisor. Then, the advisor is to fill out Form1 and submit it with all the other forms to JSPS through his/her university.
(1) Forms
| Form No. | Form Name | Person who prepares the form (How to prepare) |
|---|---|---|
| Form 1 | Application Form 1 | Prospective Japanese Advisor |
| Form 2 | Application Form 2 | RONPAKU applicant |
| Form 3 | Letter of Recommendation | RONPAKU applicant’s home advisor and the president of his/her affiliated university/research institution |
*The steps for applying differ based on the candidates' affiliated institution in their home country
Type A. Those whose home institution comes under the jurisdiction of a JSPS nominating organization listed in the accompanying table MUST contact that nominating organization to be nominated to JSPS. JSPS will use a list of nominees submitted by each nominating organization to confirm whether RONPAKU candidates are recommended.
Type B. Those whose home institution does NOT come under such jurisdiction are not required to contact any nominating organization.
(2) Steps to apply
| Step 1 | Eligible researchers wishing to receive a RONPAKU fellowship must contact a prospective Japanese advisor and discuss applying for the program with him/her. |
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| Step 2 | RONPAKU candidates must fill in Form 2. |
| Step 3 | A. RONPAKU candidates whose home institution comes under the jurisdiction of a JSPS counterpart organization must contact that organization in their home country (listed in accompanying table) to be nominated to JSPS. B. RONPAKU candidates whose home institution does NOT come under such jurisdiction are not required to contact any nominating organization. |
| Step 4 | RONPAKU candidates must have Form 3 filled out by their home institution are not required to contact any nominating organization. After completing Form 2, they are to submit the application package (Forms 2 and 3) to their prospective Japanese advisor. |
| Step 5 | Japanese advisors submit Form 1 via their university to JSPS along with the package of documents received from the RONPAKU candidate. Concurrently they take the necessary steps for application submission using JSPS's online application system. |
Notes:
Application Deadline
August 31, 2010
(JSPS will accept applications through the Japanese advisors’ universities by 31 August 2010.)
Notes:
When preparing their applications, prospective Japanese advisors who are currently involved in a JSPS international exchange activities or project or who have been within the past 5 years are required to describe the results or anticipated results of that activity and any connection it has with making this nomination under the RONPAKU Program.
(1) Selection process
Screening is conducted by JSPS’s selection committee based on the three criteria listed below.
Selection Criteria
| (i) | Based on their record of scientific results, candidates must be seen as “mature” researchers. |
| (ii) | The candidate's research proposal should be suited to pursuing a PhD degree through submission of a dissertation without matriculating a doctoral course. The feasibility should be very high that the candidate will obtain a PhD degree within a maximum of 5 years. |
| (iii) | The Japanese advisor must be suitable for supervising the Fellow’s research; sufficient advance communication must have been carried out between the advisor and the candidate; the research supervision plan must be well-prepared and specific. |
(2) Notification of selection results
| a. | Notification of the selection results will be made in writing through the head of the applying institution to RONPAKU candidates by the end of January 2011. |
| b. | Regarding unsuccessful candidates, their Japanese advisors will receive a notice of their approximate ranking among all the applicants. |
Notification procedure
Non-selected applicants will be ranked in the following three tiers.
All notifications will be made via sealed letter.
| (1) | Over the period of their tenure (up to five years), RONPAKU fellows will visit a Japanese university once a year to conduct research under the supervision of a Japanese advisor based on a visit plan approved by JSPS. The maximum period of each stay in Japan is 90 days. In the final year of their tenure, RONPAKU fellows may be allowed on an exceptional basis to either make a second visit or to extend their regular visit. This, however, is only for the purpose of completing the last phase of the degree acquisition process, e.g. giving an oral presentation or taking an interview. Whichever the case, a second visit or extension, the extended period will be for less than 30 days, ending within 3 days after the presentation. |
| (2) | When deemed necessary, the Japanese advisor may visit the RONPAKU fellow's home university or research institution once a year to supervise his/her research based on a visit plan approved by JSPS. Each visit of the Japanese advisor will be within a period of 30 days. All visit plans must be submitted to JSPS at least three months prior to the departure date using the prescribed form. RONPAKU fellows whose home institution comes under the jurisdiction of a JSPS nominating organization must submit their visit plan to JSPS through that organization in their home country. |
| (3) | At the end of each fiscal year, JSPS evaluates each fellow's research progress based on a report submitted by their Japanese advisors, and notifies the fellow (via the nominating organization) of its decision on whether to continue the fellowship in the following fiscal year. |
| (4) | When considered necessary to advance the fellow's research, the Japanese advisor may, with JSPS's approval, appoint Japanese co-advisor(s), who is to be a full-time researcher at the university (or equivalently qualified person). The co-advisor(s) is to cooperate in supervising the dissertation research of the fellow and may, when deemed necessary, visit the fellow's home institution in place of the Japanese advisor. |
RONPAKU fellows should bear the following three points in mind. After selection, they will be expected to observe the regulations and procedures stipulated in the “PROCEDURES AND PROVISIONS FOR RONPAKU FELLOWS UNDER THE JSPS RONPAKU (DISSERTATION PhD) PROGRAM” If the RONPAKU fellow should fail to do so, the fellowship may be withdrawn, allowances (including airfares) stopped, and already-paid allowances reclaimed.
Note: Regarding paragraph (2) below, please see the separate document “About the Proper Use of Competitive and Other Funds.”
| (1) | During their tenures, RONPAKU fellows shall not, either in or outside the host institution, infringe in any way on the human rights of others, including racial or gender discrimination or other forms of abuse. |
| (2) | RONPAKU fellows are not to misuse competitive or other funds or to commit any act of misconduct with regard to their research and educational activities, including fabrication, falsification or plagiarism. With regard to these activities, they are to follow the rules prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Science (MEXT), JSPS, their Japanese advisor’s affiliated institution, and the university scheduled to award their dissertation PhD degree. |
| (3) | RONPAKU fellows must submit research reports using the separately prescribed format. |
Japanese advisors and host universities should bear the following seven points in mind. Once the RONPAKU fellowship is awarded, they will be expected to observe the regulations and procedures stipulated in the “PROCEDURES AND PROVISIONS FOR RONPAKU FELLOWS UNDER THE JSPS RONPAKU (DISSERTATION PhD) PROGRAM.” If either the adviser or university should fail to do so, the fellowship may be withdrawn, allowances (including airfares) stopped, and already-paid allowances reclaimed.
Note: Regarding paragraphs (4), (6) and (7) below, please see the separate document “About the Proper Use of Competitive and Other Funds.”
| (1) | So as to ensure the smooth progress of the fellow’s research in Japan, before submitting an application, the Japanese advisor shall fully inform the candidate of conditions at the host institution, including his/her status under the fellowship, and ascertain the candidate’s acceptance of those conditions. |
| (2) | The host researcher will, in cooperation with the administration office of the host institution, provide a suitable environment for the fellow to pursue his/her joint research. The host will also assist the fellow, when needed, with immigration processing (including applying for a “certificate of eligibility”), securing domicile and other matters related to his/her stay in Japan. |
| (3) | During the fellow’s tenure, the Japanese advisor shall not, either in or outside the host institution, infringe in any way on the fellow’s human rights, including racial or gender discrimination or other forms of abuse. |
| (4) | To ensure that no misuse of funds or research/education misconduct occurs, Japanese advisors shall conduct RONPAKU-related research in conformance with the rules prescribed by MEXT, JSPS, their affiliated institutions, and the university scheduled to award the dissertation PhD degree. |
| (5) | Japanese advisor must submit research reports using the separately prescribed format. |
| (6) | To ensure that no misuse of funds or research/education misconduct is committed by the RONPAKU advisor or fellow, the advisor’s affiliated institution and the university scheduled to award the PhD degree shall promulgate and strictly enforce the rules (includes penalties for misuse and misconduct) prescribed by MEXT, JSPS and their own institutions. |
| (7) | Japanese advisors, their affiliated institutions and the universities scheduled to award the PhD degree are to take ultimate responsibility for the RONPAKU fellows. As such, they are to take proactive measures to prevent misuse and misconduct and to resolve any problems that may arise. |
With regard to personal information contained in application materials, it shall be strictly controlled in accordance with laws to protect personal information held by administrative institutions and JSPS’s rule of protect personal information.
Using personal information in implementing the RONPAKU (Dissertation PhD) Program, including the provision of such information to private companies commissioned to conduct data processing management, JSPS shall observe these laws and regulations.
If selected for a RONPAKU fellowship, the fellow should note that his/her name, research theme, host institution, name and title of host researcher, and research reports will be given public access, including on JSPS’s homepage. Fellows will be asked to participate in surveys aimed at improving the fellowship program.
| (1) | With regard to Paragraph 14 (3) above, should a host researcher be found guilty by the host institution of violating a candidate’s or RONPAKU fellow’s human rights, s/he shall be disqualified for a period of five years from hosting RONPAKU fellows under this program, the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Foreign Researchers, and the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (Short-term) for North American and European Researchers. |
| (2) | In the following cases, JSPS may cancel a RONPAKU fellowship:
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| (3) | JSPS does not support any research project related to military affairs. |
Please contact either the nominating organization (see Table) in your home country or JSPS at the following address or numbers.
Asian Program Division
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
6 Ichibancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8471
JAPAN
Telephone: +81 (0)3 3263 2368; Facsimile: +81 (0)3 3234 3700;
http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-ronpaku/
| Country | Nominating Organizations |
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| Bangladesh | University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC) |
| China |
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| Indonesia | Directorate General of Higher Education (DGHE), Department of National Education Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, Pintu I, Senayan. Tromol Pos 190, Jakarta, 10002 INDONESIA |
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) |
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| Korea | National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) |
| Malaysia | Vice Chancellors' Council of National Universities in Malaysia (VCC) |
| Mongolia | Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (MECS) |
| Philippines | Department of Science and Technology (DOST) |
| Thailand | National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) |
| Vietnam | Vietname Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) |
| Egypt | Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) Sector of Cultural and Missions Affairs 101 Kasr El-Aini Street, Cairo, Egypt Tel. +202-2794-8210/ +202-2796-0322, Fax +202-2795-2327 http://www.mohe-casm.edu.eg |
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Overseas Fellowship Division Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 5-3-1, Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083 JAPAN Telephone: +81.(0)3. 3263.2368 Facsimile: +81.(0)3.3263.1854 |
Japanese
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)
China Scholarship Council (CSC)