Japan: THE MATSUMAE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
THE MATSUMAE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
2006 FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
APPLICABLE FOR THE PERIOD OF APRIL 2006THROUGH MARCH 2007
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: JULY 31, 2005
The Fund of the Matsumae InternationalFoundation is based on donations from many Japanese people who have respondedwith goodwill to Dr. Shigeyoshi Matsumae's call. While many donations arekindly offered by enterprises and groups, most of the donators are individualswho are sympathetic with the Founder's ideals, and maintain regularcontributions to the Fund from their limited incomes.
Successful applicants are urged toseriously consider and understand the goodwill of those persons, and ensurethat the provided fellowships are utilized effectively.
1. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Applicants of non-Japanese nationality whomeet all of the following general eligibility requirements are invited tosubmit the required application documents.
- Applicants must hold a Doctorate degree, or have a minimum of two years of research experience after receipt of a Master's degree, or be recognized by the Foundation as possessing equivalent academic qualifications.
- Applicants must not be over 40 years of age at the time of application.
- Applicants must have sufficient conversational ability in English or Japanese to prevent insurmountable difficulties during their research activities in Japan.
- Applicants should not have been in Japan previously. Application must be submitted from the applicant's home country. Under no circumstances will an application be accepted from a person already in Japan.
- Applicants who have firm positions and professions in their home nations should apply from their countries, and should return to their countries on completion of their research activities in Japan.
- Applicants who have previously been invited by the Matsumae International 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
Successful applicants for fellowships,having passed the Foundation's screening, will be invited to Japan fora period of from three months to six months between April 2006 and March 2007.Extension of the granted period is not allowed. Also, the fellowship grant isrestricted to the period indicated in the Grant Letter. The number offellowships is about 20 persons.
4. HOST INSTITUTION IN JAPAN
Applicants are free to select hostinstitutions (university research laboratories, national research institutionsor the corresponding facilities of private industry) in which to carry outtheir research. However, applicants are cautioned that they are obliged to obtainacceptance from such host institutions prior to submitting their applications.The Foundation cannot give counsel or advice to an applicant who does notsubmit appropriate information concerning his/her host institution in Japan.
5. FELLOWSHIP DETAILS
The following financial support is providedto successful applicants for research stay in Japan. Nosupport to his/her family or dependents is available.
Stipend for research and stay……200,000yen is provided monthly for the purpose of payment of tuition, expenses forresearch materials, meals, transportation, etc.
Insurance……………………(1)Personal accident insurance with death benefit and medical treatment, and (2)Sickness insurance with death benefit and medical treatment.
Air transportation………..Aneconomy-class round-trip air ticket is provided between the airport nearest theFellow's home residence and Tokyo via most direct routing. (Except for persons whose transportationis provided by another organization. )
The provided air ticket cannot be convertedto cash, nor can cash be provided by the Foundation for purchase of an airticket by any individual or organization other than the Foundation.
Lump sum on arrival….300,000 yen isprovided to assist with the cost of lodging, local travel expenses, etc.(Except for persons whose transportation is provided by another organization.)
The above fellowships are provided forsuccessful applicants only, and intended for necessary living expenses andresearch activities in Japan. Under no circumstances is any part of the fellowships transferableto any other persons or other items.
6. APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Applicants should obtain the latest issueof the Fellowship Announcement from the Foundation.
The Foundation cannot entertain requests for waivers of the eligibilityrequirements and other conditions, listed in the Fellowship Announcement, andwill 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 otherdelivery service.
Applications must be received by the Foundation by July 31, 2005, at the latest.
7. APPLICATION DOCUMENTS
All of the following documents - A4 in size- should be submitted on one occasion by the applicant to the Foundation.
All documents must be type-written inEnglish. Documents written in any language other than English will be ignored.
Submitted applications which do not containall of the required documents will be automatically rejected.
The Foundation will not be responsible forcosts incurred in submitting an application, and reserves the right to requestadditional documents if necessary.
All documents received become the propertyof the Foundation, and will not be returned.
- A completed Application Form together with the applicant's photograph. Applicants should use Form specified by the Foundation, or an exact photocopy. (Hand-made Form is not accepted.) The FORM is made of two pages. Applicants should ensure that every item in the application Form, without exception, is properly filled in, and should sign and date the Form in the spaces provided.
- A description of the Research Project. This should include detailed information on the purpose, methodology, and content of the research, and the schedule of the project. The research project must be discussed in detail with the host institution, and the planned content must be consistent with the research facilities at the host institution.
- Complete List of Publications. This should include full details of the publication: when and where published, co-authors' names (where applicable), size and number of pages, etc. Please indicate in red the title of any publications on the list which are submitted as requested in item "4"
- Reprint(s) of what the applicant considers to be his or her most important publication(s) written in English. If unavailable, a brief abstract written in English by the applicant.
- Personal History.
- A letter of recommendation from the applicant's employer and/or supervisor testifying to academic ability and achievements, and confirming the availability of study leave covering the grant period.
- A certified copy of the applicant's university graduation certificate, and a document testifying to the applicant's academic records in the entire course of study issued by the university concerned. (Both documents should be in English.)
- A letter with signature by the host scientist and/or head of host institution confirming the period of stay and the availability of research facilities and materials. (the format is free. E-mail copy is not accepted.)
8. SCREENING AND NOTIFICATION OF RESULT OF ANAPPLICATION
- Applications are examined by the Screening Committee of the Foundation on the basis of academic value and the degree or perfection of the research projects.
- It generally takes several months to complete examination of applications, after which the results will be sent directly to the applicants by the end of December, 2005.
- The Foundation will send a Grant Letter to successful applicants. Those who accept the grant are required to fix the date of their arrival in Japan with due regard to the fact that they must, in principle, accomplish their granted period of fellowship during the period of April 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007.
- The Foundation does not issue announcements concerning the progress of applications under examination, nor will the Foundation respond to inquiries concerning the status of such applications.
- When the decisions of the Screening Committee are announced, the Foundation will neither announce the reasons for the decision nor respond to individual concerning those reasons.
9. WITHDRAWAL OF FELLOWSHIP
In the event that any of the offensesdescribed below is ascertained, the Matsumae International Foundation reservesthe right to terminate its grant, rescind the fellowship Status of theoffender, and immediately inform all concerned parties (immigrationauthorities, host institution, etc.) of the situation.
- (1) Facts which are inconsistent with the rules and regulations set forth in the Fellowship announcement, the grant letter, and/or related documents.
(2) False statements or unilateral modification of statements in application 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 which duplicate in whole or in part those of the Matsumae International Foundation.
2. In the event a successful applicant is unable to arrive in Japanduring the period of April 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007, due to circumstanceswith which the Foundation is not concerned, the grant validity willautomatically expire.
- EXAMPLES:
(1) Should the recipient fail to notify theFoundation of past stay and study in Japanunder a fellowship grant from another institution, and the Foundation learns ofthat fact after his/her arrival in Japan,the Fellowship will be immediately rescinded.
(2) Should the recipient fail to notify theFoundation that he/she has accepted a grant from another institution, and theFoundation learns of the fact after his/her arrival in Japan,the Fellowship will be immediately rescinded.
(3) In the event that the recipientnotifies the Foundation of his/her acceptance of a grant from anotherinstitution, the Foundation will carefully examine the content of that grantand reserves the right to withdraw its Fellowship.
(4) Should the recipient, after the hostinstitution has formally been fixed, change it without prior consultation withthe original host institution and the Foundation, the Fellowship may berescinded.
(5) Should the recipient, after the periodof stay in Japan has formally been fixed, change it without prior consultationwith the host scientist and the Foundation, and the host scientist rejects thenewly proposed period, the Fellowship may be rescinded.
(6) Should the recipient misrepresenthis/her conversational ability in English or Japanese and, for that reason, berefused by his/her host scientist after his/her arrival in Japan,the Fellowship will be immediately rescinded.
Please address all correspondence to:
THE MATSUMAE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
4-14-46 , Kamiogi, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 167-0043 JAPAN
Fax: +81-3-3301-7601
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