JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in

Japan: A Short introduction of the program and

possible career paths after the fellowship

Yuji IIZUKA

Overseas Fellowship Division Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

November 25, 2016

1

JSPS: A Funding Agency for “Science”

JSPS supports

curiosity-driven researches in all disciplines:

natural/medical/social sciences, mathematics, engineering and humanities.

JSPS funds

Researches

(Grants-in-Aid, “KAKENHI”: $2 Billion /80,000 projects) For researchers at Japanese Institutions, regardless of their

nationality.

Fellowships for 6,000 pre-/post-docs.

Mobility (from pre-docs to professors,

10,000 researchers)

International Collaborations (Bi- and Multi- lateral)

2

Nobel Prize level Mid career Ph.D.

1 - 2 years

About 350

6 years after Ph.D. Professor

Postdoctoral Fellowships

(Standard)

Pre Doc

(Long-Term)

2 -10 months

About 80

(Short-Term)

14-60 days

About 240

Career Stages of Researchers

2012 2013 2014

Postdoctoral Fellowships

452 465 517

Invitation Fellowships

Short 94 95 99

Long 23 27 16

Number of invited fellows from Europe

Invitation Fellowships

for Research in Japan

(Short-Term S)

7-30 days

A Few

International Fellowships for Research in Japan

3

2 months

About 115

Summer

Program

Postdoctoral

Fellowships

(Strategic

Program)

3-12 months

About 50

(FY2013-)

Postdoctoral

Fellowships

(Short-term)

1-12 months

About 150

Postdoctoral

Fellowships

(Pathway to

University

Positions in

Japan)

1-2 years About 10

(FY2013-)

Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan (Standard)

Terms of Award

Maintenance allowance

362,000 Yen/Month

A round trip air ticket

A settling-in allowance of 200,000 Yen

1-2 year tenure

Overseas travel insurance

A grant-in aid for research (Kakenhi)

4

Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan (Standard)

Fields of Research

All fields of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences are included under

this program

Applicant Eligibility

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)

Fellow Eligibility

1. Be a citizen of a country that has diplomatic relations with Japan.

(JSPS treats Taiwanese and Palestinian researchers in this manner.)

2. Hold a doctorate degree when the Fellowship goes into effect, which must

have been received within 6 years, or be scheduled to receive a doctorate degree

before the Fellowship goes into effect.

5

JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship: Selection Schedules

Issue call for applications

Receive applications

Conduct document review

Convene JSPS selection committee

Make selections

Fellows come to Japan during the period of

1 April through 30 September for a tenure of up to two years

Fellows come to Japan during the period of

1 September through 30 November for a tenure of up to two years

Receive applications

Conduct document review

Convene JSPS selection committee

Make selections

【First Recruitment】

【Second Recruitment】

February

September

December

April (fiscal year that fellows come to Japan)

May

July

August

September

November 6

Number of Selectees and Applicants

7

Programs

Number of Selectees and Applicants in FY2014

Selectees Applicants Adoption

Rate

Summer Program 115 － －

Postdoctoral

Fellowship

Short-term 62 241 25.7%

Standard 240 2,386 10.1%

Invitation

Fellowship

Long-term 70 223 31.4%

Short-term 205 691 29.7%

Short-term S 5 11 －

Posts After JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship

285 awardees in FY2013: FY2015 Survey on Posts after JSPS

Postdoctoral Fellowship

8

in Japan

: 101 (40.73%)

24 associate professors, assistant professors, & lectures (23.8%)

in Home country

: 106 (42.74%)

in the third country

: 41 (16.53%)

Career at Universities, Research Institutions & Others after JSPS postdoc

71 research posts & postdocs(70.3%)

6 others (0.6%)

45 associate professors, assistant professors, & lectures (42.5%)

29 research posts & postdocs (27.4%)

32 others (30.2%)

4 associate professors, assistant professors,

& lectures (9.8%)

34 research posts & postdocs (82.9%)

3 others (0.7%)

Former JSPS Fellows in Japan

9

Res. Associate

Univ. of Edinburgh

Int’l Research Fellow

Osaka Univ.

Assist. Professor

Inst. of Tropical Medicine

Nagasaki Univ.

Associ. Professor

Malaria unit, ITM

Nagasaki Univ.

2004 2005 2008 2011

Wellcome Trust

JSPS

Dr. Richard Culleton

Associate Professor

Head of the Malaria Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine

Nagasaki University

PhD: Malaria Parasite Genetics,

University of Edinburgh, 2004

“Big bang in the evolution of extant malaria parasites”

Molecular Biology Evolution, 2008 Oct. 25

Outstanding Review Award from Clinical

Infectious Diseases 2010

Former JSPS Fellows in Japan

10

PhD in Materials Science

University of Milano-Bicocca

Postdoctoral Fellow

JAIST

Assist. Professor

Univ. of Electro-Communications

2009 2012 - 2014 2014

Marie-Curie JSPS

Dr. Varun VOHRA

Assistant Professor

Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering

University of Electro-Communications

PhD in Materials Science,

University of Milano-Bicocca, 2009

“Efficient inverted polymer solar cells employing favorable molecular orientation”

Nature Photonics 9, 2015/05/25 (Impact Factor 32.386, 2015)

Former JSPS Fellows in Home Country

11

Prof. Dr. Andreas Marx

Full Professor

Dept. of Chemistry

University of Konstanz

1994 - 1997 Ph.D at the Universität Basel

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Nagoya Univ.

Group Leader

Kekulé-Institute of Organic and Biochemistry

Univ. of Bonn

Full Professor

Dept. of Chem.

Univ. of Konstanz

1997 - 1999 1999 - 2003 2004

EU/JSPS

2010 – 2013: Vice-Rector (Research), University of Konstanz

2014: Karl Heinz Beckurts-Preis

Former JSPS Fellows: A Linking Bridge

12

Prof. Marie-Claire Lett

Professor, The University of Strasbourg

Director, The Maison Universitaire France-Japon (MUFJ)

2015: Honorary Doctorate from Ochanomizu University

2004-2012: President, JSPS French Alumni Association

1986-1987: JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow, Inst. of Medical Science, Univ. of Tokyo

Prof. Heinrich Menkhaus

Professor, Faculty of Law, Meiji University

2012: Foreign Minister’s Commendations for FY 2012

2001: The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

2003-: President, German JSPS Alumni Association

1994-1995: General Secretary, European Association for Japanese Studies

1987-1989: JSPS Fellow, Inst. of Comparative Law in Japan, Chuo Univ.

Dr. Niklas Kviselius

Counsellor, Embassy of Sweden, Tokyo

Board member, Tokyo Office of European Institute of Japanese Studies

2008-2009: JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow, Waseda University

Nobel Prize level Mid career Ph.D.

1 - 2 years

About 350

6 years after Ph.D. Professor

Postdoctoral Fellowships

(Standard)

Pre Doc

(Long-Term)

2 -10 months

About 80

(Short-Term)

14-60 days

About 240

Career Stages of Researchers

2012 2013 2014

Postdoctoral Fellowships

452 465 517

Invitation Fellowships

Short 94 95 99

Long 23 27 16

Number of invited fellows from Europe

Invitation Fellowships

for Research in Japan

(Short-Term S)

7-30 days

A Few

International Fellowships for Research in Japan

13

2 months

About 115

Summer

Program

Postdoctoral

Fellowships

(Strategic

Program)

3-12 months

About 50

(FY2013-)

Postdoctoral

Fellowships

(Short-term)

1-12 months

About 150

Postdoctoral

Fellowships

(Pathway to

University

Positions in

Japan)

1-2 years About 10

(FY2013-)

JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship: Pathway to University Positions in Japan

Be a citizen of a country that has diplomatic relations with

Japan

Hold a doctorate degree when the Fellowship goes into

effect, which must have been received within the past 10

years, or be scheduled to receive a doctorate degree before

the Fellowship goes into effect. Maintenace allowance:

387,600 Yen/Month

Have a desire to continue engaging in research and

education at the host institution in a full-time employment

capacity.

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The fellowship designed to promote the employment of overseas

researchers in full-time positon at Japanese universities.

Program after JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship (standard): JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship : Pathway to University Positions in Japan

Leading Initiative for Excellent Young Researchers(LEADER)

15

New Program from FY2016

Purpose:

Providing a New Career Paths for Young Researchers

~ Matching for Career Posts at Universities & Research Institutions in Japan

with Excellent Young Researchers

Requirement for Applicants:

1) Those who have received a doctor’s degree

2) Less than 40 years old

3) Those who have research experience at one or more university /research

institution(s) after receiving a doctoral degree

Applicants Nationality:

1) Those who have Japanese nationality or foreigner who have obtained

permission for permanent residence

2) Those who have nationality of countries which have diplomatic relations with

Japan

Program after Postdoctoral Fellowship

Leading Initiative for Excellent Young Researchers(LEADER)

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Providing a New Career Paths for Young Researchers

Universities

& Research Institutions MEXT JSPS

Young researchers (Applicants)

1 Universities & Research Institutions

offer career posts

2 Publicize a list of Available posts

3 Young researchers Apply to JSPS

4 Peer reviews, Interviews & selection

of candidates

8 Support for Universities & Research Institutions

1) Research Expenditures

: 6 million yen per person per year 2) Costs of Building

Autonomous Research Environment : 3 million yen per person per year

6 Notification of successful candidates

6 Notification of result of screening

7 Employment Negotiations 7 Employment

Negotiations

5 determination of candidates

Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Program (KAKENHI)

Grants-in-Aid after you obtain a post in Japan

17

2 Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) Adoption rate: (B)30.1% (Adoptions: 5,716/ Applications: 18,996) in FY2016

・Research carried out by an individual researchers of up to age 39 ・2 - 4 years ・Up to 5 million yen per project

1 Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up Adoption rate: 24.8% (Adoptions: 899/ Applications: 3,621) in FY2016

・Up to 2 years ・Up to 1.5 million yen per project

3 Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) Adoption rate: 29.9% (Adoptions: 11,392/ Applications: 38,049) in FY2016

・3 - 5 years ・Up to 5 million yen per project

4 Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory) ・2 - 3 years ・Up to 5 million yen per project

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For more information, please visit our website:

https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/index.html

Thank you for

your attention.