The Matsumae International Foundation is a nongovernmental organization. Its Fund is solely based on donations from many Japanese people who have responded with goodwill to Dr. Shigeyoshi Matsumae’s call.

While many donations have been kindly offered by enterprises and groups, most of the donors are individuals who are sympathetic with the Founder’s ideals, and maintain contributions to the Fund from their limited incomes.

Successful applicants are urged to seriously consider and understand the goodwill of those persons, and ensure that the provided fellowships are utilized effectively.

I. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants of non-Japanese nationality who meet all of the following eligibility requirements are invited to submit the required application documents.

1. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. (Doctorate) degree, or be recognized by the Matsumae International Foundation as possessing equivalent academic qualifications.
2. Applicants must be below 40-years old level at the time of application.
3. Applicants must have sufficient conversational ability in English or Japanese to prevent insurmountable difficulties during their research activities in Japan.
4. Applicants should not have been in Japan in the past and/or in the present.
5. Applicants should have firm positions and professions in their home countries, and should return to their countries on completion of their fellowship stay by the Foundation.
6. Applicants who have previously been invited by the Foundation are not eligible for this fellowship program.
7. Applicants must be of sound health and not physically handicapped in any way which would not prevent from carrying out research in Japan.

II. FIELDS OF STUDY

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

III. PERIOD & NUMBER OF FELLOWSHIPS

At the time of application, please indicate the length of your stay (between 3 to 6 months) from April 2011 to March 2012. The Foundation prefers long stays (such as six months) to shorter (such as three months). The number of fellowships given is about 20.

IV. HOST INSTITUTION IN JAPAN

Applicants are free to select host institutions (university research laboratories, national research institutions or the corresponding facilities of private industry) in which to carry out their research. However, applicants are cautioned that they are obliged to obtain acceptance from such host institutions prior to submitting their applications. The Foundation cannot give counsel or advice to an applicant concerning his/her host institution in Japan.

V. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Applicants should obtain the current issue of the Fellowship Announcement from the Foundation. To obtain the announcement, write to MIF with name and address by postal mail, or by E-mail. Or, download the announcement in PDF-format file from the webpage of the Foundation and print out the Application Form.

The Foundation cannot entertain requests for waivers of the eligibility requirements and other conditions, listed in the Fellowship Announcement, and will not respond to such requests. Application must be submitted from the applicant’s home country. Under no circumstances will an application be accepted from a person already in Japan.

• Fellowship Announcement
• Application Form (.pdf | .doc)

The Foundation never receives applications by Fax or E-Mail.

Applications must be received by the Foundation by August 31, 2010, at the latest.

VI. 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 are not accepted. 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 submitting an application, and reserves the right to request additional documents if necessary. All documents received become the property of the Foundation, and will not be returned. After receiving application documents, the Foundation will send the acknowledgement to applicants by postal mail within one month.

The Foundation will not respond to individual inquiry co ncerning the status/arrival of application documents.

1. Application Form (Applicants should use the original Form provided by the Foundation, or an exact photocopy. A self-made Form is not accepted.) The form is made of two pages. Applicant should attach photograph taken within three months. Applicants should ensure that every item in the application form, without exception, is properly filled in the spaces provided. (Please complete all questions.) Applicants should sign and date in the form.
2. The Research Project. Applicant should describe this document by oneself. This should include detailed information on the purpose, methodology, content of the research, and the schedule of the project. The research project must be discussed in detail with the host scientist, and the planned content must be consistent with the research facilities at the host institution.
3. 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″.
4. Reprint(s) of what the applicant considers to be his/her most important publication(s). If the reprint(s) is unavailable in English, please attach a brief abstract (summary) in English written by the applicant.
5. Personal History (Curriculum Vitae)
6. A letter of recommendation from the applicant’s employer and/or supervisor (e.g. Faculty Dean) testifying to academic ability and achievements, and confirming the availability of study leave covering the grant period.
7. A certified copy of the applicant’s academic certificates (degrees of Ph.D., Master, Bachelor) issued by the university concerned. (These documents should be in English. If the certificate(s) is unavailable in English, please attach the translation in English.)
8. An invitation letter with signature by the host scientist confirming; the period of stay, the research project, the availability of research facilities/materials, and the arrangement of lodging accommodation, under MIF Fellowship Program.

(The format is free. E-mail is not accepted.)

VII. SCREENING & NOTIFICATION OF RESULT OF AN APPLICATION

1. 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.
2. The results will be sent directly to the applicants after the deadline of application, by the end of December, 2010.
3. The Foundation will send a Grant Letter to successful applicants.
4. The Foundation does not issue announcements concerning the screening progress, nor will the Foundation respond to inquiries concerning the status of such applications.
5. When the decisions of the Screening Committee are announced, the Foundation will neither announce the reasons for the decision nor respond to individual inquiry concerning results.

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