Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

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Research Fellowships for Young Scientists

If any differences in wording or interpretation should occur between Japanese and English, the Japanese part will take precedence.

Purpose

Awarded to excellent young researchers in Japan, these fellowships offer the fellows an opportunity to focus on a freely chosen research topic based on their own innovative ideas. Ultimately, the program works to foster and secure excellent researchers.

Features

(1) Core program for fostering young researchers
This fellowship program is Japan’s core program for cultivating young Japanese researchers.

(2) Values the independence of young researchers
Excellent young researchers are allowed to focus on a freely selected research topic at an independently chosen research institution.

(3) Supplying Research-Encouragement Funding and Disbursing Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research
Funding is provided to doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers to encourage their research under the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)’s Research Fellowships for Young Scientists. These researchers may also apply for the Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows.

(4) Leave for childbirth and childcare
Fellows are allowed to suspend their research for childbirth and childcare and are offered a path back into the laboratory. They can also choose to work short hours while on such leave.

* Under this fellowship program, fellows are not employed by JSPS.

Framework

(1) Target fields
Young researchers in all fields of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences are eligible to apply. When recognized as necessary to advance their research, they may spend part of their tenure at another research institution, including one located overseas.

(2) Fellowship categories
This program offers four categories of fellowships:
  • Doctoral Course (DC) Research Fellowships
  • Postdoctoral (PD) Research Fellowships
  • Restart Postdoctoral (RPD) Research Fellowships
  • Cross-border Postdoctoral (CPD) Fellowships 

Fellowship Categories

Category Eligibility Tenure Monthly Stipend/Financial Support
DC *2 · Enrolled in a doctoral course in Japan *1
·DC1: Enrolled in the first year or the equivalent of a doctoral course *3
·DC2: Enrolled in the second or third year or the equivalent of a doctoral course *3		 DC1: 3 years
DC2: 2 years		 ¥200,000
PD · Hold a doctoral degree *3
·Within 5 years after receiving a doctoral degree *3
·Transferred to another research institution from where an applicant was conferred a doctoral degree
・A citizen or permanent resident of Japan *4		 3 years ¥362,000
RPD · Hold a doctoral degree *3
·Suspended research for 3 months or longer for childbirth and/or childcare due to at least one of the following reasons:
(1) Researcher who is raising pre-school child(ren) *5
(2) Researcher who has given birth to child(ren) or cared for child(ren) with illness or disability within the past five years *5
・A citizen or permanent resident of Japan*4
・No gender or age restrictions		 3 years ¥362,000
CPD ・Researchers who are in the first year of Postdoctoral (PD) Fellowships 5 years
(including PD Fellowships’ tenure)		 \464,000
Round-trip international airfare
・Research grant (Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows): Up to ￥1.5 million/year　　
・Research grant (Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows): Up to ￥3 million/year (CPD)
*1 For further details, please see the application guidelines for this fellowship program.
*2 No nationality requirement for DC applicants.
*3 As of April 1 of the first fiscal year of the fellowship.
*4 The permission date of permanent residency must be before the submission of application.
*5 As of April 1 of the year that is one year prior to the first fiscal year of the fellowship.
 
  • PhD holders without Japanese nationality or permanent residency status in Japan may apply for JSPS Invitational Fellowships for Research in Japan.
　 See the details.

Starting date of fellowship tenure

  • DC and PD Research Fellowships: April 1
  • RPD Research Fellowships; April, July, October or January of next year (optional)
  • CPD Research Fellowships: October 1 of the first year of PD fellowships

How to apply

 
JSPS is not in a position to introduce prospective host institutions to applicants. 
Applicants must find their own host research institution and host researcher by themselves before applying. It is highly recommended to establish close contact with a prospective host researcher and institution in advance.

Application Period (From applying organizations to JSPS)

  • DC (FY2024)
　　From mid-April to June 7, 2023 at 5 p.m. (JST)
  • PD (FY2024)
　　From mid-April to June 7, 2023 at 5 p.m. (JST)
  • RPD (FY2024)
　　From mid-March to May 15, 2023 at 5 p.m. (JST)
  • CPD (FY2023)
　　From late May to June 22, 2023 at 5 p.m. (JST)

・Deadline for the submission of the application documents from the applicant to the applying organization varies, depending on the institution.
・Please make sure to confirm the deadline with the applying organization in advance.
 

Screening Process

A fair and transparent screening process is carried out by JSPS’s Screening Committee for Young Researcher Fellowships, comprising frontline Japanese researchers.

See the outline of the screening process.

Screening policy

(i) That the applicant provides the background leading to the establishment of the research theme, and that the approach is significant; that the method of research is unique, and that the future prospects of the research project are described.

(ii) That the applicant has great potentials to become an outstanding researcher who will shoulder the future of science.

(iii) [Only for PD applicants] That the applicant is presumed to be highly motivated to take on the challenge of further enhancing their research capabilities in a new environment, rather than just continuing a series of research they conducted in the doctoral course.

(iv) [Only for PD applicants] Except for unavoidable circumstances, applicants are not awarded the fellowships if they choose (1) the institution at which they obtained the doctoral degree as their host institution and (2) their academic advisor in the doctoral course as their host researcher.

・See here for the screening policy for CPD Research Fellowships (Japanese)

Obligations and Compliance Rules (main items)

  • JSPS Research Fellows must observe the conditions stipulated in the JSPS Research Fellowships for Young Scientist’s compliance rules and procedural guidelines (“Guidelines”) during the fellowship tenure. 
  • Except in cases of suspension of fellowship for childbirth/childcare or due to illness/injury, fellows must focus on their research based on the research plan stated in their application form during the fellowship tenure.
 
  • Fellows must submit required reports by the stipulated deadlines.
 
  • In principle, fellows may not have any status other than a JSPS Research Fellow with a few exceptions. If they accept a full-time position or an equivalent job, JSPS may disqualify the fellow and terminate the fellowship.
 
  • Fellows may receive a salary or a wage, or obtain other equivalent financial assistance under the conditions JSPS stipulates.
 
  • JSPS has a set of requirements for research funding support other than the monthly stipends and Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows that Fellows may receive during their fellowship tenure. Fellows are not allowed to receive certain funds, including those provided by the national government for the purpose of supporting living expenses, and student loans from the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), during their fellowship tenure. For details, see III-14 in the Guidelines.

Number of Applications and Selections

FY2022

  • RPD*1
Applications
(January 1, 2023)
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 43 26 6 5 5 5 36 22 45
Male 7 5 1 0 0 0 6 1 1
Female 36 21 5 5 5 5 30 21 44
*1  Starting date of RPD research fellowships is optional; April, July, October or January.
Total:  ALL 193 (Male: 21, Female: 172)
Selections
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 11 9 1 1 1 2 16 9 19
Male 2 1 0 0 0 0 4 1 0
Female 9 8 1 1 1 2 12 8 19
Total:  ALL 69 (Male: 8, Female: 61)
Selection Ratio:  35.8%
  • PD
Applications
(January 1, 2023)
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 317 249 347 81 111 39 208 164 189
Male 185 164 311 72 88 34 154 107 128
Female 132 85 36 9 23 5 54 57 61
Total:  ALL 1,705 (Male: 1,243, Female: 462)
Selections*2
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 77 45 67 15 21 7 50 31 43
Male 54 31 60 13 17 7 41 17 34
Female 23 14 7 2 4 0 9 14 9
*2 The number includes those who applied for a DC fellowship and changed the category of the fellowship to PD-fellow by obtaining doctoral degree.
Total:  ALL 356 (Male: 274, Female: 82)
Selection Ratio:  20.9%
  • DC2
Applications
(January 1, 2023)
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 529 607 771 526 1,197 423 463 520 797
Male 292 334 694 435 980 360 305 352 525
Female 237 273 77 91 217 63 158 168 272
Total:  ALL 5,833 (Male: 4,277, Female: 1,556)
Selections
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 101 111 144 99 224 77 89 100 149
Male 58 67 133 84 189 67 66 74 110
Female 43 44 11 15 35 10 23 26 39
Total:  ALL 1,094 (Male: 848, Female: 246)
Selection Ratio:  18.8%
  • DC1
Applications
(January 1, 2023)
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 344 365 582 377 638 287 355 337 539
Male 202 225 514 321 544 247 258 223 334
Female 142 140 68 56 94 40 97 114 205
Total:  ALL 3,824 (Male: 2,868, Female: 956)
Selections
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 62 68 108 68 119 53 67 61 101
Male 37 52 97 58 104 46 54 41 71
Female 25 16 11 10 15 7 13 20 30
Total:  ALL 707 (Male: 560, Female: 147)
Selection Ratio:  18.5%

Number of Applications and Selections

FY2021

  • RPD *1
Applications
(January 1, 2023)
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 53 41 3 3 7 4 42 24 62
Male 5 3 0 0 0 0 5 0 1
Female 48 38 3 3 7 4 37 24 61
*1  Starting date of RPD research fellowships is optional; April, July, October or January.
Total:  ALL 239 (Male: 14, Female: 225)
Selections
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 14 12 1 1 2 1 13 7 19
Male 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Female 13 12 1 1 2 1 13 7 19
Total:  ALL 70 (Male: 1, Female: 69)
Selection Ratio:  29.3%
  • PD
Applications
(January 1,2022)
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 352 260 361 65 141 35 197 193 196
Male 211 165 325 59 119 25 152 128 128
Female 141 95 36 6 22 10 45 65 68
Total:  ALL 1,800 (Male: 1,312, Female: 488)
Selections*2
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 71 51 68 13 26 5 39 38 45
Male 46 27 66 12 23 3 33 30 34
Female 25 24 2 1 3 2 6 8 11
Total:  ALL 356 (Male: 274, Female: 82)
Selection Ratio:  19.8%
  • DC2
Applications
(January 1, 2023)
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 567 588 758 546 1,110 416 460 498 785
Male 307 296 683 452 928 351 324 346 517
Female 260 292 75 94 182 65 136 152 268
Total:  ALL 5,728 (Male: 4,204, Female: 1,524)
Selections
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 112 117 150 106 218 83 92 98 156
Male 65 65 137 88 187 74 63 67 111
Female 47 52 13 18 31 9 29 31 45
Total:  ALL 1,132 (Male: 857, Female: 275)
Selection Ratio:  19.8%
  • DC1
Applications
(January 1, 2023)
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 335 348 568 350 610 267 351 326 427
Male 199 222 510 298 532 235 233 212 295
Female 136 126 58 52 78 32 118 114 132
Total:  ALL 3,582 (Male: 2,736, Female: 846)
Selections
　 Humanities Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences Chemistry Engineering Sciences Informatics Biological Sciences Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ALL 66 69 117 73 125 54 73 67 87
Male 48 45 105 60 108 50 53 43 59
Female 18 24 12 13 17 4 20 24 28
Total:  ALL 731 (Male: 571, Female: 160)
Selection Ratio:  20.4%