The JSPS Summer Program is implemented as a component of the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research in Japan. Carried out in partnership with The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), the program provides opportunities for young pre- and post-doctoral researchers from North America and Europe to receive an orientation on Japanese culture and Japanese  language lessons and to pursue research under the guidance of host researchers at a Japanese university or research institute over a period of two months during the summer.

JSPS seeks cooperation from its overseas partners in recruiting candidates for the program. In implementing this program, our overseas partners are Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (Germany), the Embassy of Canada in Japan/National Research Council Canada (NRC), and the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (Sweden).

All fields of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences are included under this program. The candidate must either be majoring or conducting research in a related field.

2 months in summer

1) Nationality
Candidates must be citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, or Sweden. Applicants from other countries with equivalent status may apply if approved by the nominating authority in one of the above-mentioned countries. Candidates with dual or multiple nationalities may not apply through more than one nominating authority.
Note 1: Individuals who have a residential address in Japan as of the time of the application deadline set by nominating authority, including those holding a Japanese residence card, are not eligible.
Note 2: Individuals with Japanese nationality are not eligible, even if they hold resident status in any of the countries listed above.
2) Academic Status
At the time the program begins, candidates must meet fulfill one of the following conditions: 
- Be enrolled in a university graduate program.
- Have obtained a doctoral degree within the past six years (i.e., on or after April 2, 2020).
Note 1: Whether or not the candidate is employed in a full-time position is not considered.
Note 2: Researchers who obtained their PhD within six years minus time taken for maternity and/or parental leave. (Every four weeks of leave is counted as one month, with any remaining weeks also counted as one month. These months are subtracted from the number of years elapsed since the researcher’s PhD was received.) In this case, separate submission of attestation is required. Please consult with JSPS in advance via the nominating authority.
3) Candidates must obtain prior acceptance from their host researcher.
4) Candidates must aspire to become researchers in the future.
Note: Those who have previously been awarded a fellowship under the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research in Japan are not eligible.  
5) Candidates must be able to commit to arriving in Japan and departing according to the schedule designated by the Summer Program. 
 

• ReaD&Researchmap (External Website)

　This database provides scientific information on researchers in Japan.

The host researcher must, in principle, be a researcher who is 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), issued by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
However, there are cases when researchers who are not employed in a full time position may be eligible. Such persons must be eligible to apply for a KAKENHI grant–in-aid and their affiliated institution must judge them able to implement the project and to provide an appropriate research environment (e.g., laboratory, equipment, personnel) for it.
* Eligible host institutions specified under the above MEXT Procedure are as follows:

1) Universities and inter-university research institutes
2) MEXT-affiliated institutions engaged in research
3) Colleges of technology
4) Institutions designated by the Minister of MEXT
 

1) Airfare: A round-trip air ticket
2) Maintenance Allowance: 534,000 JPY
3) Overseas travel insurance
4) Research Support Allowance: up to 158,500 JPY (Optional)

[Note]
Research Support Allowance is available to cover cooperative research-related expenses. Application is made by the host researcher through their institution.

Two summer research programs had until 2002 been carried out under two schemes by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)—one titled "MEXT Research Experience Fellowship for Young Foreign Researchers" and the other "MEXT/NSF Summer Program"—were transferred to JSPS and combined into this program entitled the "JSPS Summer Program."

The MEXT Research Experience Fellowship for Young Foreign Researchers was inaugurated in 1993 as a pilot program implemented by The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI). From 1995, it came under the auspices of MEXT. SOKENDAI now partners with JSPS in carrying out the JSPS Summer Program.

On the hand, the MEXT/NSF Summer Program was initially implemented under the title "Summer Institute Program" by the Science and Technology Agency through a collaboration between the Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the US.

When the program was taken over by MEXT as part of the Japanese government's administrative reorganization, national laboratories became its main host institutions. Since its transfer to JSPS in 2003, host institutions have been expanded to include national, private, and public universities along with national laboratories and other institutions.

If you need further information about the SOKENDAI, Please see the SOKENDAI Website (External Website) .