Students/Postdocs
Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program
The call for applications is now closed.
Application deadline: November 30, 2023
Program Details
The Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program, offered in partnership with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), provides opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in Canada to pursue collaborative research in Japan. This program allows graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in Canada to advance their own research while promoting scientific progress in both Japan and Canada.
The call for applications will open on October 1, 2024, and close on November 13, 2024, at 5 p.m. PT. Results will be communicated in April of 2025. Applications are awarded competitively and subject to available funding.
Important: Projects must take place during the period set by the JSPS. The dates for the 2024 program are mid-June to mid-August 2025. More details can be found here. Note that dates are tentative and may be subject to change.
Please note that Canadian academic professors are required to submit the complete Mitacs-JSPS application form to Mitacs before the deadline. If you are a student interested in applying for the Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program, you must find a professor at your home Canadian academic institution who will need to obtain endorsement from the Canadian institution before you start your application.
Contact international@mitacs.ca for more information.
Program at a glance
- Open to: graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at Canadian academic institutions in all disciplines
- Participants must obtain their Canadian institution’s endorsement (see the How to apply section for more details)
- Citizenship: Canadian citizens and permanent residents
- Funding: JSPS arranges round-trip airfare and insurance. Mitacs and JSPS provide an allowance for the student or postdoctoral fellow (equivalent to 534,000 yen in total). Host supervisors are eligible for a research support allowance.
- Destination: eligible academic institutions and research institutes in Japan
- Project dates: mid-June to mid-August 2025. Dates are tentative and subject to change.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to read more about the program on the JSPS’s website.
Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program looks forward to welcoming students to Japan in 2025!
Funding
For each approved award, JSPS will provide:
- Round-trip airfare. Flight arrangements are made by JSPS’s designated travel agent based on JSPS regulations.
- Maintenance allowance (equivalent to 534,000 yen in total)
- Insurance during participant’s stay in Japan (full details provided to successful fellows in the JSPS acceptance package)
- A research support allowance of up to 158,500 yen for the host supervisor’s research-related expenses
- No funds will be released if the completed International Pre-Departure Form and/or Mitacs Code of Conduct and Ethics forms are outstanding.
Travel to the destination prior to the approval of the award is not permitted and neither Mitacs nor JSPS is responsible for any costs incurred before the application is approved.
Deliverables
Before departing Japan, participants will be asked to submit a report on the research work they carried out under the Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program. JSPS will provide the report format and instructions directly to participants.
Participants are required to complete a post-program survey, which they’ll receive from JSPS.
Eligibility
Participants
- Cannot undertake a research project at an institution where they have previously completed a degree
- Must be registered as full-time graduate students or postdoctoral fellows at a Canadian academic institution and remain as such throughout the Mitacs-JSPS program. Postdoctoral fellows may apply if their date of graduation from a PhD program is no more than five years prior to the proposed start date of the research project.
- Must be the legal age of majority in Canada (18 years of age or older)
- Must be Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents
- Must meet travel requirements for their intended destination, including visa and/or immigration requirements and associated documentation
- Must be new to the Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program
- Cannot have previously held a Mitacs Globalink Research Award
- Must be available to conduct the research project during the Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program dates (see Schedule on the JSPS website)
Home supervising professors
- Must hold a faculty position at a Canadian academic institution
- Must be eligible to supervise graduate students and hold Tri-Agency funding
- Must be available to supervise during the Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program dates (see Schedule on the JSPS website)
Host supervising professors in Japan
- Must be a researcher who is employed full-time at a Japanese academic institution or research institution. Eligible host institutions include:
- Universities and inter-university research institutes
- The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)-affiliated institutes that conduct scientific research
- Other institutes designated by the Minister of MEXT
- Must be available to supervise during the Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program dates (see Schedule on the JSPS website)
A list of eligible host institutions can be found on the JSPS website.
For more details on eligible institutions, please visit the JSPS website or contact summer@jsps.go.jp.
Award Guidelines
All parties involved with the Mitacs Globalink program must comply with the Canadian home academic institution’s policies regarding the ethical conduct of research and scholarly activities. Any issues or disputes around research or academic misconduct will be subject to the home Canadian academic institution’s processes following their institutional policies.
Participant’s responsibilities
- Make all necessary preparations for travel abroad with the appropriate academic institution office(s)
- Obtain appropriate visa or work permit for the destination
- Provide your pre-departure documentation to Mitacs, as highlighted in our program guide
- Attend any mandatory sessions as required by the home academic institution
- Work full-time on the research project during the project dates set by the JSPS (see Schedule on the JSPS website)
- Submit a final report and exit survey at the end of the project
Home supervisor’s responsibilities
- Adhere to institutional policies for research abroad
- Provide ongoing direction and research support to the participant prior to and during the research project
- Submit an exit survey and sign the final report prepared by the participant
Host supervisor’s responsibilities
- Adhere to institutional policies for visiting researchers
- Provide ongoing direction and research support to the participant prior to and during the research project
- Advise the participant on appropriate travel arrangements and accommodation
- Provide the participant with any necessary documentation to support the visa application
- Ensure the participant has appropriate lab and/or office space and resources during the research project
- Submit an exit survey and sign the final report prepared by the participant
Adjudication
The Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program is competitive with limited awards available. All applications will undergo review by an interdisciplinary team. Proposals will be adjudicated based on the following criteria:
- Quality of the research proposal
- Level of supervision and mentorship committed by the host supervisor
- Strength of recommendation by the home supervisor
- Relevance to society and industry
- Expected benefit to Canada
How to Apply
The call for applications is now closed.
Professors at Canadian academic institutions are asked to contact their local Mitacs Advisor to obtain an application package.
How to apply:
- Review all eligibility and award guidelines
- Before you begin putting together an application, it is the responsibility of the academic supervisor at the Canadian academic institution to obtain support from their institution as confirmed by Office of Research or International Office signature. Canadian academic supervisors can contact their Mitacs Advisor for more information on how to obtain their institution’s support and the application package.
- If the Canadian academic institution is supportive of this project, the Canadian academic professor and/or student will need to identify a professor in Japan who works in the relevant research area. It is the responsibility of the participants to connect with one another. Mitacs cannot connect interested interns with supervisors. A list of eligible host institutions in Japan can be found on the JSPS website.
- Once the application is developed, the Canadian academic institution’s Office of Research Services (or equivalent) will need to sign the application form.
- Collect all remaining required signatures on sections 5 and 6 of application form: participant, home supervising professor(s), and host supervising professor(s). Signatures can be electronic. Mitacs recommends allowing 1–2 weeks to secure academic institution signatures and confirm internal deadlines; participants are responsible for confirming any applicable deadlines with their institutions.
- The professor at the Canadian academic institution must then submit the complete application package to your local Mitacs Advisor.
- Consult with your institution’s international office to determine any requirements for travel and research abroad.
Travel to the destination is not permitted prior to the approval of the award AND Mitacs’s receipt of the International Pre-departure form. Neither Mitacs nor its international partners are responsible for costs incurred before an application is approved.
What happens next
- Mitacs and JSPS will contact participants about their proposal outcomes in April.
- If approved, the student or postdoc provides the completed Mitacs Code of Conduct and Ethics form to Mitacs.
- The student or postdoc departs to Japan and begins the research project.
Please note that awards are offered in partnership with Mitacs’s Canadian academic partners and with Mitacs’s international partners and are subject to available funding.
