Selection of applicants（host researcher）and candidate（invited overseas researcher）are done by JSPS International Program Committee made up of the Japan's frontline researchers. The selection is carried out through a document review in the first stage and a panel review in the second.
To ensure the integrity of the review process, any reviewer with a potential conflict of interest will be removed from the Review Committee for the relevant review. Moreover, all Members of the Review Committee are obliged to comply with confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement. 
For information on the members of the JSPS International Program Committee, please refer to the Committee Member List (Japanese Only).

The fellowship’s selection policy is as follows:
　　  a. That the implementation of the fellowship contributes to promoting exchange between Japan and countries of North America and Europe.
　　  b. That the fellowship helps to advance both the candidate's and the host's research work.
　　  c. That the host and candidate have established close communication and devised a concrete research plan.
　　  d. That host institution has adequately prepared a system for receiving the candidate.
　　  e. That in the research plan, consideration is given to honing the research skills of pre-doctoral candidates.
　　  f. That, as much as possible, preference is not be given to host institution or field of specialization in making selections.
　　  g. That not only the score of the document review but also the examiners' reasons and comments are to be given adequate consideration.
　　  h. That two selection judgements be made: (1) Selected and (2) Not-selected.

The applicant (host researcher) is to choose the category in which they want the application to be screened from the Review Section Table. When doing so please refer to the Review Section Set, which pairs the review section with the reviewers who will carry out the screening. 
Document screenings and panel reviews are conducted on an individual basis, with each unit based on Review Section Sets. The Review Section Sets are established in accordance with the Review Section Table and are grouped together based on the criteria of related review sections. This enables the Review Committee Members to conduct a fair and comparative assessment. Review Committee Members are selected in a balanced manner according to the relevant review section sets to ensure a diverse range of perspectives in the reviews. 
Please refer to the Application Guidelines (Open Call) page.

Document reviews are conducted by three examiners for each application. Based on contents of the application, experts in the document review section are assigned to conduct the review.
In the document review, a graduated scoring system is used on a scale 1 to 5, with 5 (superlative), 4 (excellent), 3 (good), 2 (fair), and 1 (poor).
Marks are made on a comprehensive basis, taking into account research achievements, the research plan, estimated research capacity, and future potential of the research. The averaged score in the document review is used as the primary screening criterion in the panel review.

Based on the document review scores, applications are referred for panel review, through which a specified number of applicants are selected in each of the panel review section.
For information on the  application schedule of Short-term (PE) (Open Call), please refer to the Application Schedule (Open Call) page.