THE MATSUMAE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION

2007 FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT

APPLICABLE FOR THE PERIOD OF APRIL 2007 THROUGH MARCH 2008
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: JULY 31, 2006

The Fund of the Matsumae International Foundation is based on donationsfrom many Japanese people who have responded with goodwill to Dr.Shigeyoshi Matsumae's call. While many donations are kindly offered byenterprises and groups, most of the donators are individuals who aresympathetic with the Founder's ideals, and maintain regularcontributions to the Fund from their limited incomes.

Successful applicants are urged to seriously consider and understandthe goodwill of those persons, and ensure that the provided fellowshipsare utilized effectively.
1. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants of non-Japanese nationality who meet all of the followinggeneral eligibility requirements are invited to submit the requiredapplication documents.

   1. Applicants must hold a Doctorate degree, or have a minimum of twoyears of research experience after receipt of a Master's degree, or berecognized by the Foundation as possessing equivalent academicqualifications.
   2. Applicants must not be over 40 years of age at the time of application.
   3. Applicants must have sufficient conversational ability in Englishor Japanese to prevent insurmountable difficulties during theirresearch activities in Japan.
   4. Applicants should not have been in Japan previously. Applicationmust be submitted from the applicant's home country. Under nocircumstances will an application be accepted from a person already inJapan.
   5. Applicants who have firm positions and professions in their homenations should apply from their countries, and should return to theircountries on completion of their research activities in Japan.
   6. Applicants who have previously been invited by the MatsumaeInternational Foundation are not eligible for this fellowship program.

2. FIELDS OF STUDY

Fields of study such as natural science, engineering and medicine are given first priority.

3. PERIOD AND NUMBER OF FELLOWSHIPS

Between April 2007 and March 2008, applicants are free to choose thelength of period of fellowship stay from six months to three months. The fellowship grant is restricted to the period indicated in the GrantLetter. The number of fellowships is about 20 persons.

4. HOST INSTITUTION IN JAPAN

Applicants are free to select host institutions (university researchlaboratories, national research institutions or the correspondingfacilities of private industry) in which to carry out their research.However, applicants are cautioned that they are obliged to obtainacceptance from such host institutions prior to submitting theirapplications. The Foundation cannot give counsel or advice to anapplicant who does not submit appropriate information concerninghis/her host institution in Japan.

5. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Applicants should obtain the latest issue of the Fellowship Announcement from the Foundation.
The Foundation cannot entertain requests for waivers of the eligibilityrequirements and other conditions, listed in the FellowshipAnnouncement, and will not respond to such requests.
Applicants cannot submit applications from inside Japan.
The Foundation never receives applications by Fax or E-mail.
The Foundation receives applications ONLY by mail/postal-service or other delivery service.
Applications must be received by the Foundation by July 31, 2006, at the latest.

6. APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

All of the following documents (#1~#8) - A4 in size - should be submitted on one occasion by the applicant to the Foundation.

All documents must be type-written in English. Documents written in any language other than English will be ignored.

Submitted applications which do not contain all of the required documents will be automatically rejected.

The Foundation will not be responsible for costs incurred in submittingan application, and reserves the right to request additional documentsif necessary.

All documents received become the property of the Foundation, and will not be returned.

    * #1 A completed Application Form together with the applicant'sphotograph. Applicants should use Form specified by the Foundation, oran exact photocopy. (Hand-made Form is not accepted.) The FORM is madeof two pages. Applicants should ensure that every item in theapplication Form, without exception, is properly filled in, and shouldsign and date the Form in the spaces provided.
    * #2 A description of the Research Project. This should includedetailed information on the purpose, methodology, and content of theresearch, and the schedule of the project. The research project must bediscussed in detail with the host institution, and the planned contentmust be consistent with the research facilities at the host institution.
    * #3 Complete List of Publications. This should include fulldetails of the publication: when and where published, co-authors' names(where applicable), size and number of pages, etc. Please indicate inred the title of any publications on the list which are submitted asrequested in item "#4".
    * #4 Reprint(s) of what the applicant considers to be his or hermost important publication(s) written in English. If unavailable, abrief abstract written in English by the applicant.
    * #5 Personal History.
    * #6 A letter of recommendation from the applicant's employerand/or supervisor testifying to academic ability and achievements, andconfirming the availability of study leave covering the grant period.
    * #7 A certified copy of the applicant's university graduationcertificate, and a document testifying to the applicant's academicrecords in the entire course of study issued by the universityconcerned. (Both documents should be in English.)
    * #8 A letter with signature by the host scientist and/or head ofhost institution confirming the period of stay and the availability ofresearch facilities and materials. (the format is free. E-mail copy isnot accepted.)

7. SCREENING AND NOTIFICATION OF RESULT OF AN APPLICATION

   1. Applications are examined by the Screening Committee of theFoundation on the basis of academic value and the degree or perfectionof the research projects.
   2. It generally takes several months to complete examination ofapplications, after which the results will be sent directly to theapplicants by the end of December, 2006.
   3. The Foundation will send a Grant Letter to successful applicants.
   4. The Foundation does not issue announcements concerning theprogress of applications under examination, nor will the Foundationrespond to inquiries concerning the status of such applications.
   5. When the decisions of the Screening Committee are announced, theFoundation will neither announce the reasons for the decision norrespond to individual concerning those reasons.

8. FELLOWSHIP DETAILS

The following financial support is provided to successful applicantsfor research stay in Japan. No support to his/her family or dependentsis available.

    Stipend for research and stay:
    ……….200,000 yen is provided monthly for the purpose ofpayment of tuition, expenses for research materials, meals,transportation, etc.

    Insurance:
    ……….(1) Personal accident insurance with death benefit andmedical treatment, and (2) Sickness insurance with death benefit andmedical treatment.

    Air transportation:
    ……….An economy-class round-trip air ticket is providedbetween the airport nearest the Fellow's home residence and Tokyo viamost direct routing. (Except for persons whose transportation isprovided by another organization. )The provided air ticket cannot beconverted to cash, nor can cash be provided by the Foundation forpurchase of an air ticket by any individual or organization other thanthe Foundation.

    Lump sum on arrival:
    ……….300,000 yen is provided to assist with the cost oflodging, local travel expenses, etc. (Except for persons whosetransportation is provided by another organization.)

The above fellowships are provided for successful applicants only, andintended for necessary living expenses and research activities inJapan. Under no circumstances is any part of the fellowshipstransferable to any other persons or other items.

9. WITHDRAWAL OF FELLOWSHIP

In the event that any of the offenses described below is ascertained,the Matsumae International Foundation reserves the right to terminateits grant, rescind the fellowship Status of the offender, andimmediately inform all concerned parties (immigration authorities, hostinstitution, etc.) of the situation.

   1. (1) Facts which are inconsistent with the rules and regulationsset forth in the Fellowship announcement, the grant letter, and/orrelated documents.
      (2) False statements or unilateral modification of statements inapplication forms, the grant letter, and/or related documents.
      (3) Failure of the recipient to notify the Foundation of past,current or anticipated grants or benefits from other institutions whichduplicate in whole or in part those of the Matsumae InternationalFoundation.

2.?@In the event a successful applicant is unable to completefellowship stay in Japan during the period of April 1, 2007 throughMarch 31, 2008, due to circumstances with which the Foundation is notconcerned, the grant validity will automatically expire.

EXAMPLES:

    * (1) Should the recipient fail to notify the Foundation of paststay and study in Japan under a fellowship grant from anotherinstitution, and the Foundation learns of that fact after his/herarrival in Japan, the Fellowship will be immediately rescinded.
    * (2) Should the recipient fail to notify the Foundation thathe/she has accepted a grant from another institution, and theFoundation learns of the fact after his/her arrival in Japan, theFellowship will be immediately rescinded.
    * (3) In the event that the recipient notifies the Foundation ofhis/her acceptance of a grant from another institution, the Foundationwill carefully examine the content of that grant and reserves the rightto withdraw its Fellowship.
    * (4) Should the recipient, after the host institution has formallybeen fixed, change it without prior consultation with the original hostinstitution and the Foundation, the Fellowship may be rescinded.
    * (5) Should the recipient change the period of stay in Japan, the Fellowship will be rescinded.
    * (6) Should the recipient misrepresent his/her conversationalability in English or Japanese and, for that reason, be refused byhis/her host scientist after his/her arrival in Japan, the Fellowshipwill be immediately rescinded.

SERVICES FOR FELLOWS

    * Study Tour:
      To promote deeper understanding of Japan, the MatsumaeInternational Foundation organizes a Study Tour during the invitationperiod in Japan.

    * Research Report:
      Each year, the Foundation issues a "Research Report' containingsummaries of research activities or results which are kindly submittedby the fellows.

    * Continued Contact:
      In order to keep in touch with fellows after their return home,the Foundation issues a periodic "Newsletter" and an annual "FellowshipDirectory."

Please address all correspondence to:

THE MATSUMAE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
4-14-46 , Kamiogi, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 167-0043 JAPAN
Fax: +81-3-3301-7601
Email: contact@matsumae-if.org

Reference:
http://www.mars.dti.ne.jp/~mif/