Research Fellowships for Young Scientists | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Research Fellowship Division
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
Kojimachi Business Center Building,
5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 102-0083, JAPAN

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

Purpose

Awarded to excellent young researchers, 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. However, there is no nationality requirement for DC applications. See the Application Outline.

(2) Values the independence of young researchers

Excellent young researchers are allowed to focus on a　freely selected research topic and at an independently chosen research institution.

(3) Supplying Research-Encouragement Funding and Disbursing Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research

Funding is provided to encourage and support doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers under JSPS’s Research Fellowships for Young Scientists. These researchers may also apply for a Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows.

(4) Leave for child birth and infant nursing

Fellows who have to suspend their research for child birth and infant nursing are offered a path back into the laboratory. It is possible for them to work short hours while on such leave.

Framework

(1) Screening

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 screening process.

(2) Target fields

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

(3) Fellowship categories
- This program offers four categories of fellowships:
  Doctoral Course Students (DC)
  Postdoctoral Fellow (PD)
  Restart Postdoctoral Fellow (RPD)
- Outstanding young researchers may be given a Restart Postdoc (RPD) Fellowship after suspending their research activities for the purpose of childbirth and/or infant nursing.

Fellowship Categories

Categories	Eligibility	Tenure	Monthly stipend	Research grant(Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows)
DC	· Enrolled in doctoral course · DC1: Enrolled in first year of doctoral course · DC2: Enrolled in second year or higher of doctoral course	DC1:3 years DC2:2 years	¥200,000	Up to ￥1.5 million/year
PD	· Hold a doctoral degree · Within 5 years after receiving doctoral degree · Transfer to another university graduate school	3 years	¥362,000
RPD	· Hold a doctoral degree* · Within the past 5 years, suspended research for a period of 3 months or longer for purpose of child birth and infant nursing	3 years	¥362,000

Number of Applications and Selections

FY2021

(April 1,2021)

Categories			Screening Area									Total	Selection Ratios (%)
Categories			Humani -ties	Social Scien -ces	Mathem -atical and Physical Scien -ces	Chemi -stry	Enginee -ring Scien -ces	Inform -atics	Biologi -cal Scien -ces	Agricultu -ral and Environ -mental Scien -ces	Medical, Dental and Pharma -ceutical Scien -ces	Total	Selection Ratios (%)
RPD *1	Applications		53	41	3	3	7	4	42	24	62	239	25.1%
		Male	5	3	0	0	0	0	5	0	1	14
		Female	48	38	3	3	7	4	37	24	61	225
	Selections		13	10	1	0	2	1	11	7	15	60
		Male	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
		Female	12	10	1	0	2	1	11	7	15	59
PD *2	Applications		352	260	361	65	141	35	197	193	196	1,800	19.3%
		Male	211	165	325	59	119	25	152	128	128	1,312
		Female	141	95	36	6	22	10	45	65	68	488
	Selections		69	46	67	13	25	5	39	38	45	347
		Male	44	23	65	12	22	3	33	30	34	266
		Female	25	23	2	1	3	2	6	8	11	81
DC2	Applications		567	588	758	546	1,110	416	460	498	785	5,728	19.8%
		Male	307	296	683	452	928	351	324	346	517	4,204
		Female	260	292	75	94	182	65	136	152	268	1,524
	Selections		112	117	150	106	218	83	92	98	156	1,132
		Male	65	65	137	88	187	74	63	67	111	857
		Female	47	52	13	18	31	9	29	31	45	275
DC1	Applications		335	348	568	350	610	267	351	326	427	3,582	20.4%
		Male	199	222	510	298	532	235	233	212	295	2,736
		Female	136	126	58	52	78	32	118	114	132	846
	Selections		66	69	117	72	125	54	73	67	87	730
		Male	48	45	105	59	108	50	53	43	59	570
		Female	18	24	12	13	17	4	20	24	28	160

*１　Starting date of RPD fellowships is optional; April, July, October or January.

*２　The number includes those who applied for a DC fellowship and changed the category of the fellowship to PD-fellow by obtaining doctral degree.