December 2017

JSPS

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

BRIDGE Fellowship Program
FY2018 Application Guidelines

1. Purpose

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) provides opportunities for overseas
researchers who have conducted research activities under JSPS International Fellowships
for Research in Japan or other JSPS programs to re-visit Japan to create, sustain and/ or
strengthen research collaborations with Japanese colleagues. The objective is to build
strong networks among researchers in Japan and other countries through a variety of
activities. These include former JSPS fellows visiting their past host institutions in Japan,
or coming to Japan to plan or implement joint research projects and seminars, to offer
training or lectures for young researchers, or to prepare or attend scientific conferences
and research meetings.

Researchers invited to Japan under this fellowship program are called “BRIDGE Fellows.”
Based on applications by individual researchers, candidates are recommended to JSPS’s
Head Office by JSPS alumni associations and JSPS overseas offices or the
JSPS-designated official in the Japanese Embassy for countries without a JSPS overseas
office. Hereinafter a JSPS overseas office or a JSPS-designated official in a Japanese
Embassy will be commonly referred to as a “JSPS office,” and the alumni association and
JSPS office as “alumni association/ JSPS office.”

2. Applicable Fields

All fields of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences are included under this
program.

3. BRIDGE Fellow Eligibility

To be eligible, a researcher must meet both of the following requirements.

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(1) Be a researcher who has experienced research in Japan under a JSPS program and
who is currently a regular member of an officially recognized JSPS alumni association
(2) Agreement by host researcher to all seven items of support in Form B (Agreement by
Host Researcher)

* Upon receiving a recommendation from an alumni association/ JSPS office, JSPS

contacts the proposed host researcher in Japan. If a proposed host says that he/she
cannot provide the support stipulated in Form B or cannot host the fellow, JSPS will not
be able to accept the recommendation. Therefore, candidates should communicate fully
with their proposed hosts before applying.

* Researchers who have already been supported under the BRIDGE Fellowship Program
within the last 5 years (FY2013-FY2017) are ineligible for this award.

* Each alumni association/ JSPS office has its own screening criteria as “PROVISION b)
Screening Criteria”. Applicants should check before applying.

4. Host Researcher Eligibility

In principle, researchers who are employed full time or classified as such at one of the
Japanese research institutions listed below are eligible to host a BRIDGE Fellow.
(1) Universities, inter-university research institutes
(2) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) facilities and
other institutions engaged in scientific research
(3) Technical colleges
(4) Institutions designated by the MEXT
* Eligible institutions under (1)-(4) are listed at:
https://www-kokusai.jsps.go.jp/jsps1/kikanList.do (Posted only in Japanese)
* Definition of ”full-time employment” is according to the regulations of the host
institution.
* There are cases when researchers not employed in a full-time position may be eligible.
Such persons must be eligible to apply for Grants-in-aid for Scientific Research
(KAKENHI) and their affiliated institution must judge them able to implement the
project and must provide an appropriate research environment (e.g., laboratory,
equipment, personnel) for it.

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5. Number of Fellowships Awarded

Total of around 42 for FY 2018. Quotas will be announced to alumni associations/ JSPS
office.

* The number of quotas allocated to alumni associations may change based on the extent of
the collaborative relationships they have created, sustained and/ or strengthened with
Japanese researchers/ institutions. The results of each BRIDGE visit are to be recorded
in reports prepared by both the Fellows/ host researcher and the nominating committee
of each alumni association/ JSPS office. These reports are used to evaluate the visit along
with the collaborative relations created, sustained or strengthened through it.

6. Visit Period and Dates

(1) A period from 14 to 45 consecutive days

(2) Under this recruitment, revisits are to start during the following period:
1 July 2018 through 31 March 2019

7. Terms of Award

(1) A round-trip air ticket (based on JSPS regulations)

* JSPS cannot reimburse BRIDGE Fellows for a ticket that they have purchased by
themselves.
(2) Daily maintenance allowance of ¥15,000
(3) Overseas travel insurance coverage
(4) Research support allowance
* This allowance covers cooperative research-related expenses. Application is made by the
host researcher through his/her institution. This allowance may be applied for in an
amount of up to ¥150,000.

* The terms of award for fellows indicated above are subject to change.

8. Application Procedure for the Program

Applications are recruited and screened by alumni associations in coordination with their

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affiliated JSPS offices, which recommend candidates to JSPS’s Head Office. Applications
are to be submitted to the place and by the deadline specified by each alumni association/
JSPS office. To ensure effective screening, researchers should include all required
documents with their applications.

(1) Documents to be submitted to the alumni association/ JSPS office

The application and documents submitted by the applicant are screened by the alumni
association/ JSPS office, which sends them along with the required documents
(sub-paragraphs 1) and 2) below) to JSPS’s Head Office via email. Please use the email
address in section 15 “Contacts”.
All paper used in applications should be A4 size. The format prescribed by JSPS is to be
used in writing recommendations. The size and format of the forms should NOT be
altered by applicants.

1) Application documents prepared by applicants (and submitted to the alumni

association/ JSPS office)
(a) Application for JSPS BRIDGE Fellowship (Form A)
(b) Agreement by Host Researcher (Form B)
* Applicants should provide the alumni association/ JSPS office with any other
documents they wish to be submitted.

2) Recommendation documents prepared by applicant’s alumni association in

coordination with the JSPS office
(a) List of Recommendees from BRIDGE Nominating Committee (Form C)
(b) Letter of Recommendation from BRIDGE Nominating Committee (Form D)
(c) PROVISIONS
a) Recruitment Policy
b) Screening Criteria
c) List of Nominating Committee Members
d) Rules for Nominating Committee Members

(2) Recommendation deadline

Alumni associations are, in coordination with the JSPS offices, to submit

recommendations for BRIDGE Fellow candidates to JSPS’s Head Office no later than 14
March 2018.

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 * The above deadline is for alumni association/ JSPS office to submit its
recommendation documents to JSPS’s Head Office. The time frame for applicants to
submit their applications to alumni association/ JSPS office should be earlier.
* Applicants should not submit documents directly to JSPS’s Head Office.

9. Selection Process and Notification

(1) Screening is carried out using criteria devised by the alumni association in coordination
with the JSPS office and approved by JSPS’s Head Office.
* JSPS does not support research projects related to military affairs.

Examples of screening criteria

・ The visit will contribute to creating, sustaining and/ or strengthening scientific
network(s) between applicant’s home country and Japan.
・ The visit is expected to advance research and to spawn new scientific
collaborations.
・ Good pre-visit communication is carried out between the applicant and proposed
host researcher in establishing a concrete activity plan.
・ The plan shows how the visit will contribute to creating, sustaining and/ or
strengthening the scientific network(s) between applicant’s home country and
Japan.
・ The plan articulates ways in which the visit will strengthen academic collaboration
in the future.
・ The applicant and host researcher in Japan have discussed in detail the applicant’s
proposed visit plan prior to the application being filed. The plan is clearly defined
and the host is interested in carrying it out.
・ The applicant is actively involved in alumni activities.

(2) Notification of Selection Results by JSPS’s Head Office

1) An award letter from JSPS’s president and accompanying documents will be sent
to the successful candidates.
Notification date: mid-May
2) Unsuccessful candidates are not notified of their selection results.
3) JSPS cannot respond to individual requests regarding selection results.

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10. Obligation of BRIDGE Fellows and Host Researchers

(1) Fellows are required to submit a post-visit report, using the “Research Report” (Form 7),
to JSPS’s Head Office and the alumni association/ JSPS office within three month after
the end of their visits.
(2) Fellows are asked to mention that they are invited under the BRIDGE Fellowship
Program when giving lectures or other presentations in Japan.
(3) Fellows are obligated during their tenures to concentrate on creating, sustaining and/
or strengthening research and academic networks related to this fellowship program.
During their tenures, Fellows are not to engage in other activities irrespective of
whether they are paid or unpaid activities.
(4) Fellows must not infringe in any way on the human rights of others, including racial or
gender discrimination or harassment or other forms of abuse either in or outside the
host institution during their tenures.
(5) In cooperation with their institution’s administrative office, host researchers are to
provide facilities needed for Fellows to carry out their research activities during their
stay in Japan. When needed, host researchers are also to assist with immigration
processing, securing domicile and other matters related to the fellow’s stay in Japan.
(6) Host researchers are to assure that Fellows are not infringed in any way on the human
rights of others, including racial or gender discrimination or harassment or other forms
of abuse or language or treatment that could be construed as such, during their
tenures.
(7) Fellows and host researchers must follow the rules established by the host institution
and JSPS prohibiting research misconduct, e.g. fabrication, falsification, plagiarism.
11. Measures Against Misconduct and Misuse of Research Funds

JSPS may revoke BRIDGE Fellowship, suspend allowances (including air tickets), or
require the reimbursement of money already paid if JSPS judges Fellows to have engaged
in any of misuse of research funds, research misconduct (e.g. fabrication, falsification,
plagiarism), unjustifiable acts (e.g. discrimination, harassment), or violation of laws.

12. Roles of Alumni Associations

(1) Widely disseminate fellowship recruitment information to their members.

(2) Establish a recruitment policy, screening criteria, rules for nominating committee
members, and a list of nominating committee members in the form of PROVISION a)

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 through d), and submit them to JSPS’s Head Office for prior approval. When amending
the approved PROVISIONS, changes to the recruitment policy (PROVISION a) must
be approved by JSPS’s Head Office prior to issuing a call for applications, and changes
to the screening criteria (PROVISION b) and the rules for nominating committee
members (PROVISION d) must be approved before starting the screening process.
Minor changes such as to the recruitment period or nominating committee members
(PROVISION c) do not require approval.
(3) Prepare application guidelines, specifying the deadline and place to submit
applications. When doing so, the screening criteria should be included in the
application guidelines to ensure fairness.
(4) Specify the name and address of the person(s) responsible for this fellowship program
at alumni association/ JSPS office in the application guidelines.
(5) Verify that applicants have sufficiently communicated with their proposed host
researchers in Japan and that all the conditions for hosting the fellow’s visit are met.
Recommend candidates selected using the approved screening criteria to JSPS’s Head
Office by the deadline stipulated in Section 8.
(6) Submit Form D to JSPS’s Head Office describing the reason for each recommendation.
(7) Prepare “Report on BRIDGE Fellowship Activities by BRIDGE Nominating
Committee” (Form E) as an annual report and submit it to JSPS by 28 June 2019.
(8) For alumni associations in countries/ region with a JSPS overseas office, carry out the
above functions in coordination with the JSPS overseas office.

13. Handling of Personal Information

Personal information contained in application documents should be strictly managed in

accordance with the pertinent privacy laws of each country.

JSPS handles the personal information of selected BRIDGE Fellows in accordance with the
Law to Protect Personal Information Held by Independent Administration Institutions and
JSPS’s “Personal Information Protection Policy,” and will use such information solely for
the purpose of implementing JSPS programs (including its disclosure to external
companies commissioned to perform data processing and management functions).

The names and affiliations of Fellows and hosts and their reports may be given public
access on the Internet. Fellows may also be asked to participate in surveys aimed at
improving JSPS program. Reports submitted by alumni associations may also be given

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public access on the Internet.

14. Others

(1) A researcher may not be awarded a fellowship under both this program and another
JSPS program at the same time.
(2) A researcher may not be awarded a BRIDGE Fellowship and a fellowship from another
funding organization for a purpose of visiting Japan at the same time.
(3) Incomplete or faulty applications will not be reviewed.
(4) Applicants are to describe the results they obtained in other JSPS program(s) and their
relevance to this BRIDGE fellowship program.
(5) There is a limit of one application per person under each recruitment. This should be
confirmed by the alumni association/ JSPS office when an applicant belongs to two or
more alumni associations.

15. Contacts

Applicants should contact the place designated by their alumni association/ JSPS office.
They should not submit documents directly to JSPS’s Head Office. Only documents
forwarded to JSPS’s Head Office by alumni association/ JSPS office will be processed.

The alumni association/ JSPS office submit recommendation documents to the following
address:
JSPS Fellows Plaza
International Program Department
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083 JAPAN
Tel: +81-(0)3-3263-1869
Email: [email protected]

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