English

Application Guidelines (Fellowship Support Program)

日本語/English

Niigata University Fellowship Support Program Application Guidelines

for 2023 (Additional Openings)

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Information session https://youtu.be/Kluprn4FV5A
 ※It was held on 10th of January, 2023.
 Note: Some of the contents are current as of January 2023. Most of the contents of the support remain unchanged.

■Activities of senior fellowship students →フェローシップ生の紹介

■Activities related to career development programs → PhDリクルート室 開催記録

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Application Guidelines:
Fellowship-Support-Program-Application-Guidelines-for-R5 (Additional Openings)

Application documents
(1) Application Form for Financial Support for Niigata University Doctoral Course Students
(2) Statement of Reason for Application for Financial Support for Niigata University Doctoral Course Students (Fellowship)
(3) Letter of Recommendation for an Applicant for Financial Support for Niigata University Doctoral Course Students

Purpose

In order to develop doctoral talents capable of innovating in the wide area among industry, academia, and government and acting globally, Niigata University has established a fellowship program with an aim to improve treatment and help forming career paths of doctoral course students with excellent academic performance. Students accepted for the fellowship program are not only provided with financial support for research concentration and research expenses but also are required to participate in research capability improvement and career support programs. After earning degrees, they are expected to take advantage of the abilities developed during the period of the program to play active roles in various social fields, mainly industrial. We hope that many doctoral course students who fully understand the purpose of the fellowship program and are highly motivated to play prominent roles in science and technology as well as innovation of Japan in the future will apply for the program.
This fellowship program is implemented by Niigata University under the “University Fellowship Program for the Creation of Innovation in Science and Technology” of the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

Eligibility for application

1. The applicant must be recognized as having excellent capabilities and must be wishing to concentrate on research. The applicant must satisfy the following requirements:

<For 2023 application (additional openings)>
The applicant must be the following doctoral programs of Niigata University as of October 2023, and the applicant’s length of enrollment must be within the required range.
・Segment-type doctoral program
A person who entered the doctoral program in April 2023 and a person whose length of enrollment in the doctoral program will be 6 months or more and less than 18 months as of October 1, 2023
(The applicant’s length of enrollment above excludes the period of leave of absence.)

 

The length of support is for up to two years six months; if the length of enrollment exceeds three years, support will not be provided thereafter. However, for a person who has experienced major life events such as childbirth and childcare, the period of support may be suspended or extended, or other arrangements may be made, according to his/her personal circumstances. The project has no limits on age.

The following persons cannot apply:
(1) A student receiving support from the Niigata University Next-Generation Project
(2) A researcher who is enrolled in the Research Fellowship for Young Scientists of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
(3) A student who is recognized to be receiving a stable income as salary, executive compensation, etc. from the university, company, etc. to which he/she belongs, at a sufficient level to cover the cost of living*1
(4) An international student who receives support from the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship and/or support (such as scholarship) from his/her home country

*1 The standard annual compensation for adequately covering living expenses is set at 2.4 million
yen per year.

2. The supported fellowship and major/courses will be as in the following table.

Name of Fellowship Graduate School/Course
Fellowship for Developing Innovational Information Science/AI Talents for Creating the Future

Graduate School of Science and Technology Electrical and Information Engineering
Fundamental Sciences
Advanced Materials Science and Technology
Graduate School of Modern Society and Culture Multisocial Studies
Graduate School of Health Sciences Health Sciences

3. The enrolled student must obey the followings:
(1) Concentrate on the research activities based on his/her research plan.
(2) Apply for the position of Research Assistant at Niigata University after being accepted for the fellowship program.
(3) Take the specified career path formation classes (including networking event with businesses and various seminars). *2
(4) Participate in programs conducted by Niigata University regarding research capability improvement, etc. *3
(5) To have the research progress status checked, submit a research accomplishment report at the end of each financial year.
(6) Take a mentor interview about once in six months.


*2 The career development and growth contents concerning the specified career path formation classes offered at Niigata University include the following:
a. Strengthening abilities to enhance academic-industrial collaboration
Career management seminars (programs focused on changing the way of thinking), career seminars for graduates, PhD recruitment forums (hands-on participation programs focused on bridging the gap between students and corporations), job-based research internships
(The student must earn credits through career management seminars during the period of the fellowship support program, and the student must also participate in a PhD recruitment forum at least once during the period of the program.)
b. Support for the acquisition of transferable skills
Generic skills seminars, the U-go Salon (an event for interdisciplinary exchange hosted by university research administrators), practical presentation skills seminars, hands-on academic writing seminars, events held by graduate student associations and affiliated centers
(The student must participate in the U-go Salon once a year.)

*3 The student must participate in data collection and technical training relating to data science and be involved in planning and managing symposiums on data science (at least once during the period of the fellowship support program).

Planned number of enrollments

  Year category

Name of Fellowship

Number of applicants

2023 application
(additional openings)

Fellowship for Developing Innovational Information Science/AI Talents for Creating the Future

2

Support period

The support period will be up to two years six months from the commencement of support in October 2023. If the length of enrollment exceeds three years, support will not be provided thereafter.

Support details

1. Financial support for living and research expenses.
(1) Financial support for research concentration (amount for covering the living expenses):
Payment of 150,000 yen/month is provided once in two months.
(2) Research expenses: 200,000 yen/year.
For the financial support for research concentration, when the student is financially supported by “Niigata University Doctoral Program Scholarship” and/or independent scholarship and other support programs provided by majors and other institutions (excluding the lump-sum entrance fee) or has received research grants for research assistants, the provided amount will be 1.8 million yen minus the scholarship(s) or the grants.
*This is because under the fellowship support program, part of the financial support for research concentration is paid as the above-mentioned scholarship(s) or the research grants for research assistants.
2. Assistance and suggestions provided by a mentor for forming the student’s career in academia or business.
3. Contents provided by PhD Career Support Office, such as seminars for acquiring generic skills.
4. Exemption from enrollment fees (in the case of enrollment after being accepted for the fellowship program) and tuition (after being accepted). (A separate application is required.)

Application documents

1. The following application documents ((1) to (3)) must be submitted:
(1) Application Form for Financial Support for Niigata University Doctoral Course Students
(2) Statement of Reason for Application for Financial Support for Niigata University Doctoral Course Students (Fellowship)
(3) Letter of Recommendation for an Applicant for Financial Support for Niigata University Doctoral Course Students
2. The applicant must submit the documents (1) and (2).
3. The applicant must find a recommender who knows the applicant well and ask him/her to submit the document (3). (If possible, the recommender should be the faculty member who has accepted the applicant in the doctoral program.) It should be noted that the applicant is prohibited from confirming the content of the recommendation document.
4. The application documents ((1) to (3)) in the prescribed forms must be downloaded from above on this page

If fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or other misconduct is detected in the application documents, a strict response will be taken.

Application procedures

    1. The applicant must submit the application documents (1) and (2) to fs-spring@gs.niigata-u.ac.jp.
        The applicant must convert the documents to the PDF file format, place them in a zip file, add the password “drshien_2023+” to the file, and submit it
        by email. The subject of the email must be “
    Application for Financial Support for Niigata University Doctoral Course Students ([Applicant’s name]).”
       
    The applicant must use an email address that is being used currently and will be used during the period of enrollment and after the completion of the doctoral program.

    2.The recommender must submit the document (3) to fs-spring@gs.niigata-u.ac.jp.
       The recommender must add the password “drshien_2023+_suisensho” to the document, and submit it by email. The subject of the email must be “Letter of  
       Recommendation for Financial Support for Niigata University Doctoral Course Students ([Applicant’s name (Student’s name)]).”

    Application period

    From Friday, July 7, 2023 to Thursday, July 13, 2023 (no later than this date)

    If you do not receive an email confirmation of receipt of application in three days (not counting Saturday, Sunday, and holidays), please contact us by phone using the contact information below.
    Please note that applications will not be accepted after the deadline under any circumstances.

    Screening policy

    (1) The applicant is willing to concentrate on research.
    (2) The applicant has excellent research abilities.
    (3) The ongoing research content is excellent and further growth can be expected.
    (4) The applicant has a promising future as a researcher and in terms of research planning.

    Screening and notification of results

    Screening consists of two stages at our screening committee: The first screening is application document screening, and the second screening is an interview. The applicant who passed the second screening will be enrolled on the fellowship support program. We will notify applicants of the results of the first screening by Thursday, August 10. The second screening is scheduled Thursday, August 24, Monday, August 28 or Tuesday, August 29. We will notify applicants of the results of the second screening by Wednesday, September 6. If the quota of the program is not filled by the end of the final screening, or if some successful applicants decline, additional applications may be considered.

    These notifications will be sent to the email address provided on the Application Form. (The applicant must provide an email address that is being used currently and will be used during the period of enrollment and after the completion of the doctoral program.)

    Other matters

    The number of successful applicants and details of support may be subject to change due to the Japanese government’s budgetary appropriations or other reasons.

    Contact information

    Niigata University Fellowship Administrative Office / Niigata University Administrative Office for Support for Pioneering Research Initiated by the Next Generation
    (Student Affairs Division)
    Phone number: 025-262-6110
    Fax number: 025-262-6991
    Email address: fs-spring@gs.niigata-u.ac.jp