AY 2024
Application Guidelines

JST Support for Pioneering Research Initiated by the Next Generation: SPRINGSU Capacity Building Project Towards a Sustainable Society (S-SPRING)◯ Recruitment 1: Eligible Students (As of 1st April 2024)
Students who have beenenrolled in the program for lessthan one year.

Doctoral Course Students
Doctoral Course Students of
the Graduate School of Medical ResearchStudents who have beenenrolled in the program for
more than one year but lessthan two years.

◯ Recruitment 2: Eligible Students (As of 1st April 2024)
Students who have beenenrolled in the program for
more than one year but lessthan two years.

Doctoral Course Students

Doctoral Course Students of
the Graduate School of Medical ResearchStudents who have beenenrolled in the program for
more than two year but lessthan three years.

◯ Recruitment 3: Eligible Students (As of 1st April 2024)
Students who have beenenrolled in the program for
more than two year but lessthan three years.

Doctoral Course Students

Doctoral Course Students of
the Graduate School of Medical ResearchStudents who have beenenrolled in the program for
more than three year but lessthan four years.

* The period of leave of absence shall not be included in the enrollment period.

March 2024

AY2024 Application Guidelines
SU Capacity Building Project Towards a Sustainable Society (S-SPRING)
Shimane University
1. Purpose

SU Capacity Building Project Towards a Sustainable Society (S-SPRING) (hereinafter referred to as “thisproject”) aims to resolve various issues of the region, Japan, and the world, and to foster doctoral students who will lead a futureknowledge-based society towards the development of a sustainable society in Japan. This project provides financial support tosuch excellent students, and courses for them to acquire the skills required by companies, etc., thereby creating an environment inwhich they can devote themselves to their research without worrying about employment.
It also provides opportunities to enhance students’ research skills under the guidance of outstanding mentors in Japanand abroad, and to interact with doctoral students from different research fields, thereby encouraging the creation ofinterdisciplinary research and broad perspectives towards a sustainable society.
This project will be implemented by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (hereinafter referred to as "JST")SPRING "Support for Pioneering Research Initiated by the Next Generation" and Shimane University.
2. Number of Successful Applicants◯ Recruitment 1: In ca. 7 students◯ Recruitment 2: In ca. 4 students◯ Recruitment 3: In ca. 4 students
Total 15 students
3. Application Requirements
3-1)◯ Recruitment 1: Eligible Students (As of 1st April 2024)
Doctoral Course Students
Doctoral Course Students ofthe Graduate School of Medical ResearchStudents who have been enrolled
in the program for less than oneyear.
Students who have been enrolled
in the program for more than one
year but less than two years.

◯ Recruitment 2: Eligible Students (As of 1st April 2024)
Doctoral Course Students
Doctoral Course Students ofthe Graduate School of Medical ResearchStudents who have been enrolled
in the program for more than one
year but less than two years.
Students who have been enrolled
in the program for more than twoyear but less than three years.

◯ Recruitment 3: Eligible Students (As of 1st April 2024)
Doctoral Course Students
Doctoral Course Students ofStudents who have been enrolled
in the program for more than two
year but less than three years.

Students who have been enrolled
in the program for more thanthe Graduate School of Medical Research
three year but less than four years.
* The period of leave of absence shall not be included in the enrollment period.

3-2) Those who understand the purpose of this project and cooperate with the activities of this project.
3-3) Those who are engaged in research related to the development of a sustainable society or are interested in suchresearch.
3-4) Those who do not fall under any of the following as of April 1, 2024
・International students receiving scholarships from their home country or Japan including JSPS scholarships
・Those receiving financial support of JPY160,000 or more per month from any scholarship foundation.
・Those who are deemed to be receiving stable income (JPY2.4 million or more per year) from their university orcompany, such as a salary or executive remuneration, at a level sufficient to cover living expenses.
4. Fellowship Grant (hereinafter referred to as the “Grant”)
Fellows receive the following grants:
1) Livelihood support grant: JPY150,000 per month
In principle, this is transferred to the individual’s account by the end of each month. As this grant isclassified as miscellaneous income, a tax return application is required every year. International students
may not be required to file a tax return by following tax treaty procedures.
2) Research grant:
From JPY 400,000 per year (Recruitment 1: 5 students, Recruitment 2: 2–4 students, Recruitment 3: 2–4 students) .
From JPY 700,000 per year (Recruitment 1: 2 students, Recruitment 2: 0–2 students, Recruitment 3: 0–2 students) .
The university manages research expenses. Expenditures shall be made in accordance with the university’saccounting procedures and research projects.
The amounts of (2) research grant may be increased/decreased for the following year by the evaluation conducted at
the end of the fiscal year.
5. Fellowship Period◯ Recruitment 1:
The fellowship period shall be within the standard term of study or until March 2027, whichever is shorter.
◯ Recruitment 2:
The fellowship period shall be within the standard term of study or until March 2026, whichever is shorter.
◯ Recruitment 3:
The fellowship period shall be within the standard term of study or until March 2025, whichever is shorter.
*The period may be shortened if you fall under any of the conditions specified in 10. Termination of Grant.
*The fellowship period starts from the month when the fellow starts living in Japan after April 2024, regardless of
their nationality.
6. Application Documents
1) Application (Form 1)
Please attach the your pledge.
2) Research outline (Form 2-A, 2-B, 2-C)
3) List of publications (Form 3)
Download the form here: https://www.shimane-u.ac.jp/education/school_info/dr_aid/
7. Application Procedure
All the forms shall be merged into one single PDF document and sent to the following e-mail address.
Submission period: March 13, 2024 (Wednesday) to 12:00 p.m. noon on March 28, 2024 (Thursday) (strict deadline)
Submission destination: dr-aid@office.shimane-u.ac.jp
8. Screening and Result1) Screening
We will conduct the 1st screening (document screening) and the 2nd screening (interview screening). However, some
applicants who pass the 1st screening may, depending on their 1st screening results, be exempted from the 2ndscreening and be accepted based only on the 1st screening. The 2nd screening (interview screening) is conducted forthose who pass the 1st screening (document screening), except for those who are exempted from the 2nd screening.
The interview screening is conducted as detailed below.
1st screening: Forms described in '6. Application Documents' must be submitted following the instructions describedin '7. Application Procedure'.
2nd screening scheduled dates: From April 15, 2024 (Monday) to April 17, 2024 (Wednesday)
Platform for screening: Online (Zoom)
Presentation time: Total 11 minutes (6-minute presentation and 5-minute Q&A session)
Presentation topics: Presentation based on the application forms 2-A, 2-B and 2-CDeadline for presentation materials submission: 12:00 p.m. noon on April 12, 2024 (Friday)
Submission destination: dr-aid@office.shimane-u.ac.jp
Remarks: Applicants will be notified of the URL and the date and time for the interview no later than April 11,2024 (Thursday) to the email address written on the application form.
2) Screening policy
Evaluation items are as follows. Applicants will be evaluated based on individual factors.
i) Applicants must understand the purpose of this project and will be able to carry out active activities inline with the purpose.
ii) Applicants must have appropriate research targets to be completed within the standard period ofstudy.
iii) Applicants must have the potential ability to conduct joint research with leading research institutions
and companies, including those overseas, or to conduct challenging research in interdisciplinary
research areas.
3) Notification of result
All applicants will be notified of the results of the first screening by Wednesday 10 April 2024. Those who pass thefirst screening will be notified of the results of the second screening by 12.00 pm on Tuesday 30 April 2024.
This program is supported by JST. In order to ensure transparency of the project, fellows name and their affiliation
will be disclosed on the university website.
9. Obligations of Fellow
Fellows must fulfill the following obligations.
1) Submission of a report on research for the academic year and a research activity plan for the following year andthereafter.
2) Interviews with mentors in a total of five times or more. Mentors are at least two mentors and more than twotimes a year with each mentor. The list of mentors is shown at the below URL. Additional mentors areacceptable.
List of mentors: https://www.shimane-u.ac.jp/intra/dr_aid/mentorlist_e.html (On-campus portal only)
3) Participation in career development and training
3-1) S-SPRING Camp and collaborative research among fellows (S-SPRING Camp: A two-or three-day
camp for all fellows to acquire various skills such as presentation skills for people in other research
fields and academic paper writing. First-year doctoral students from the Graduate School of Natural
Science and Technology and second-year doctoral students from the Graduate School of Medical
Research will conduct collaborative research among fellows for about six months).
3-2) Corporate internship (60 hours or more) or job-based research internship (about 2 months).
4) Participation in at least one short-term study program or presentation at an overseas academic conference during
the fellowship period (financial support provided up to JPY 500,000).
5) Taking lectures on sustainability science and SDGs (2 subjects)6) Training on the use of public funds and participation in research ethics education designated by theuniversity
7) Participation and voluntary management of the S-SPRING student activity (Shimane University
Ikuseikai: SUI)
8) Cooperation with the survey after the fellowship period (Refer to "12. Obligation to cooperate with thesurvey after the fellowship period ends" below)9) Other matters required by the University
10. Termination of Grant
Grant payments shall be terminated in the following cases.
1) Withdrawal, expulsion, or transfer from the University2) Suspension from the University
3) Poor academic performance4) Failure to report research results for every academic year5) When the reason for not requiring the grant arises
6) When you come to meet any of the items listed at 3-4) of 3. Application Requirements.
7) When the fact that makes you unsuitable as a fellow is revealed.
11. Returning Grant
If a fellow receives the grant even though he/she is no longer eligible for a reason such as termination, he/she must
return to the university the amount for which you are ineligible to receive.
12. Obligation to cooperate with the survey after the fellowship period ends.
This project is operated with the support by JST SPRING. Therefore, surveys may be conducted on participants’current employment status etc. for 10 years following the end of the fellowship.
Please be sure to inform the person in charge at the university of any changes in your contact address, place ofemployment, e-mail address, etc., as we may contact you even after the completion of your fellowship period.
13. Handling of Personal Information
The applicant’s personal information shall be handled in the following ways.
Personal information on record in application documents (name, birthday, sex, etc.) will be used for matters related
to screening, notification results, and fellow activities.
This program is supported by JST. In order to ensure transparency of the project, fellows name and their affiliation
will be disclosed on the university website.
The university will also manage personal information for purposes related to the following: academic affairs offellow (study guidance, improvement of curriculum, etc.), support (internship, etc.), and investigations and research(improvement of selection method, investigation and analysis of aspiration trends, etc.). This information shall not be
used for other purposes or provided to anyone other than those involved in this project.
14. Contact Information
For inquiries about this project, contact the Research Promotion Division, Shimane University.
E-mail: dr-aid@office.shimane-u.ac.jp