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To be a Guest Researcher in Japan under AIST's Foreign Researcher Invitation Program
-- AIST fellowship program --
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The Foreign Researcher Invitation Program was established by the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in April 1988 to provide overseas researchers with an opportunity to work directly with staff researchers at institutes belonging to AIST.
The goals of the program are to advance international scientific and technological knowledge and to promote creative research and development activities in the open environment afforded at the host institutes participating in the program.
Each year, under this program, AIST invites foreign researchers to work at its laboratories ( about 16 on a long stay ( 1 year ) and about 30 on a short stay).
AIST assigned the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and AIST International Center(AIC) to undertake part of the work of the Foreign Researcher Invitation Program.
Under this assignment, NEDO provides expenses for air transportation to and from Japan and gives various types of allowances to those participating in the program.
In addition, NEDO and AIC provide housing assistance and offer various types of support services in order to make the stay of foreign researchers as comfortable as possible.
Such assistance and support is also extended to other foreign researchers working at AIST laboratories under different programs.
| AIST fellowship program outline |
Interested researchers wishing to participate in the Foreign Researcher Invitation Program should, as a general rule, meet the following requirements:
- Be a non-Japanese national pursuing research in the field of industrial science and technology.
- Be a permanent staff or faculty member of an overseas university or research institute at the time of application and during the period of stay in Japan.
- Hold a doctorate degree in science or engineering and be under the age of 35.
(There is no age limit for short-stay researchers. )
- Have and adequate command of the English or Japanese language to conduct research in Japan.
Participating laboratories
AIST's 15 laboratories.
List of the laboratories is here.
Application procedure
Overseas researchers who meet the above requirements may apply to participate in the Foreign Researcher Invitation Program by submitting an application form and medical certificate to the host institute where he/she wishes to conduct research.
Detailed information describing the program and application forms are available upon request from AIST's laboratories or NEDO's Industrial Technology Department.
Selection and Notification
Selection of researchers by AIST is based on each applicant's proposed research and accomplishments to date. Those selected as guest researchers will be sent notification along with other necessary documents and forms.
Terms and Conditions
The period of research for each selected guest researcher is 1 year for a long stay or 30 days for a short stay.
Various types of expenses and allowances are provided by NEDO under this program as follows.
- Air Transportation ( for both long and short stays )
- Economy class, round-trip airfare will be provided to all selected guest researchers, and tickets will be forwarded directly to each researcher after AIST's receipt of a signed Letter of Agreement on Guest Research and a Terms and Compensation form.
- Living Expense Allowance ( for both long and short stays )
- Once a long-stay researcher arrives in Japan, he/she will be provided a living expense allowance of 9,000 yen per day for each day of his/her stay in Japan.
A short-stay researcher will receive 15,000 yen per day.
This allowance will be paid after arrival in Japan.
- Housing Allowance ( for long stays only )
- A housing allowance to cover the cost of renting accommodations will be provided for each long-stay researcher.
This allowance shall not exceed the amount of 100,000 yen per month.
- Family Allowance ( for long stays only )
- A family allowance of 50,000 yen per month will be provided for any long-stay researcher accompanied by family members.
- Relocation Allowance ( for long stays only )
- A relocation allowance in the amount of a maximum of 200,000 yen will be provided both at the time of arrival in and departure from Japan for all long-stay researchers.
- Insurance Allowance
- An insurance allowance to cover basic medical expenses will be provided to each long-stay researcher according to the regulation.
Rules and Regulations
All researchers selected to participate in the Foreign Researcher Invitation Program must comply with the instructions of the institute director-general as well as the rules and regulations of AIST during their period of stay in Japan.
For further information...
For further information, please contact AIST laboratories directly.
Links to other fellowship programs in Japan
Go to the ITIT Fellowship Program page.