Research Fellowship

GUIDE TO THE HITACHI RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP

The Hitachi Scholarship Foundation provides the scholars and researchers in Southeast Asian countries with opportunities to conduct their post-doctorate and cooperative research in the field of science and technology at Japanese universities or research institutes under the following conditions. 

1.      Term of Fellowship

       (i) One to three months for a short-term fellowship

       (ii) Six to twelve months for a long-term fellowship

The fellowship begins on the day of the grantee’s arrival in Japan and ends on the day of departure from Japan. The fellowship cannot be extended, and the grantee must stay in Japan during the term of the fellowship.

2.        Contents of Fellowship

The Foundation will support the following costs and expenses. No financial support is provided to his/her family or dependent.

1)     For a short-term fellowship

(i)  Travel expenses: Economy class round-trip airfare between the nearest airport of the

     grantee’s hometown and the airport in Japan and  travel expenses between the airport

     in Japan and the place of  grantee’s research affiliation

     (ii)  Maintenance allowance: ￥17,000 a day (*) 

         * This rate is applied to the number of nights the grantee stays in Japan.

     (iii)  Research travel allowance: At cost but limited to ￥100,000 (*)

                 * If the grantee wishes to receive this allowance, the travel plan should be submitted 

                   to the Foundation for review in advance. This plan should be related to the proposed

                   research and duly endorsed by the Japanese host scientist. 

 2)     For a long-term fellowship

(i)     Travel expenses: Economy class round-trip airfare between the nearest airport of the

      grantee’s hometown and the airport in Japan and travel expenses between the airport

      in Japan and the place of grantee’s research affiliation.

(ii)  Arrival and return allowance  :   ￥60,000 each

(iii)  Maintenance allowance        : ￥270,000 a month

(iv) Research travel allowance     : ￥100,000

            (v)  Research allowance             :  ￥40,000

       (vi) Housing allowance               :  Maximum ￥100,000 a month

3.     Application and Selection

1)     Eligibility and qualification of applicants

The faculty members of the university who wish to conduct their post-doctorate and  

cooperative research in the field of science and technology at Japanese universities or

research institutes and meet the following eligibility requirements.

(i)  The faculty members belonging to the universities invited by the Foundation

(ii)  Ph.D. degree holder

            (iii) Firm position or profession in the university

(iv) Below 45 years of age

2)     Application procedure

Application shall be endorsed by the President’s office of the university to which the Foundation has offered the fellowship award and submitted to the following address through the said office by November 30, 2005 using the registered mail.  Neither personal nor direct application to the Foundation is accepted.

                 Managing Director

                 The Hitachi Scholarship Foundation

                 4F, Higashi Ochanomizu Bldg.

                 2-29 Kanda Awaji-cho

                 Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0063

                          Japan

Application shall be submitted with all the documents as required below and the application missing any of them will be automatically rejected.  The Foundation reserves the right to request any other additional documents.

3)     Documents required for application

The research plan should be discussed in detail with the host scientist in Japan before making application and reflected to the proposal in the application form.

    The documents required are one (1) original and one (1) copy of :

     (i)   Type written Application Form along with 3cm x 4cm size photograph

     (ii)   Ph.D. Certificate

     (iii)  Letter of recommendation from the head and/or dean of the faculty to which the

           applicant belongs

     (iv)  Letter of acceptance from the host scientist with confirmation on the availability of

           research facilities and materials

     (v)  List of publications by the applicant

     (vi) Proposed schedule for the research

NOTE: The Foundation reserves the right to distribute a copy of the above documents to any person for the purpose of evaluation and selection.  A copy of the above documents will also be distributed to the proposed Japanese host scientists of the finally selected candidates.

4)  Method of selection

        (i)  Preliminary selection

     The Selection Committee of the Foundation will conduct preliminary selection based on

      the application documents.

       (ii)  Interview

     The preliminary-selected candidates will be interviewed by the   representative(s) of

     the Selection Committee of the Foundation at their home countries.

        (iii) Final selection

     The Selection Committee of the Foundation will make final selection after the interview.

       5)  Criteria of selection

    (i)  Support by the senior management of the applicant’s university on his/her post-doctorate

         and cooperative research

    (ii)  Academic performance and achievement by the applicant

    (iii) Proposed plan and significance of research

       6)  Schedule of screening

              End of November            Deadline to submit application

              December – January       Preliminary selection based on the application documents

              February – March          Interview of preliminary-selected candidates at their home   

                                               countries

              April - May                   Final selection

 * The result of selection will be informed to the applicant through the President’s office of 

    his/her university, and the successful applicant is requested to come to Japan before the

   date set by the host scientist in Japan.

4.     Preparation for Entry to Japan

The grantee is required to obtain a valid entry visa from a Japanese embassy or consulate before coming to Japan.

       1)   For a short term of fellowship

 The application should be made to a Japanese embassy or consulate  attaching the Letter 

 of Award issued by the Foundation.

       2)  For a long term of fellowship

  The grantee is required to submit the following to his/her host scientist in Japan and ask him/her to obtain the Certificate of Eligibility.  It usually takes one (1) month to obtain this certificate and this certificate is necessary in application of the visa.

(i)      A copy of passport

(ii)    Three (3) copies of the photograph with 3cm x 4cm

(iii)  Record of past entry into / stay in Japan (incl. number of times of entry)

(iv) Certificate of university staff

(v)     Ph.D. certificate

(vi) List of publications

(vii) Copy of “Letter of Award” issued by the Foundation

5.         Accommodation

The grantee is responsible for finding fully furnished accommodation by himself/herself.

As some universities and institutions have their own accommodations, it is recommended to inquire the host scientist about their availability.

6.       Bank Account

The grantee is requested to open an account at a Japanese bank upon his/her arrival and inform the Foundation of the bank account details sending a copy of bankbook. 

7.        Alien Registration (for a long term fellowship only)

The grantee is required to file application for alien registration within 90 days from the date of arrival in Japan at the municipal or ward office where the grantee resides.

8.        Liaison

The grantee should keep in close contact with the Foundation and keep them informed of any change of his/her address or other pertinent matters.

9.        Report

The grantee is required to submit to the Foundation a report on his/her research and activities in Japan within one (1) month after completion of the fellowship. 

When his/her research is presented for publication or dissemination, the Foundation’s support should be acknowledged in an appropriate way.  A copy of such publication or offprint is requested to be sent to the Foundation.

10.    Insurance

The Foundation will buy the following insurance for the period from the date of the grantee’s departure from his/her home country until the date of his/her return to his/her home country.  However, illness contracted before the grantee’s arrival in Japan, chronic disease and dental care will not be covered.

       (i)  Death from injury     :                 \15 million

       (ii) Treatment of injury   :              Up to \2 million

       (iii) Death from illness     :                 \2 million

       (iv)Treatment of illness   :             Up to \2 million

11.    Compliance with the Laws and Regulations

The grantee must abide by the laws and regulations of Japan.

12.    Suspension or Termination of the Fellowship

The grantees of the Hitachi Fellowship Award are tenable only in Japan and expected to devote themselves full-time to their intended research.  And they shall not be employed in Japan with or without remuneration during the period of fellowship unless such employment has been specifically approved by the Foundation.  The Foundation may withdraw this fellowship and terminate payments if it judges that the foregoing terms and conditions are not observed in good faith.