[Submission Deadline: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 (17:00 JST)]
Academic Year 2025
Okayama University Support for Pioneering Research Initiated by the Next Generation(OU-SPRING) Application Guidelines
Okayama University is calling for applications for the Okayama University Support for
Pioneering Research Initiated by the Next Generation for FY2025. The OU-SPRING wasestablished to assist students enrolling in the doctor’s course and to cultivate young researcherscapable of promoting Okayama University priority research fields with the intention ofcultivating researchers capable of playing important roles in science, technology and innovation
creation in Japan.
Okayama University will provide and distribute the living expenses and research budget aswell as provide a wide range of approaches to improve research capability and support career
paths.
1. Planned Enrollment Capacity
1st year student (3rd year student for five-year doctor’s course): Approx. 30 students
2nd year student (4th year student for four-year doctor’s course): few people
3rd year student (5th year student for four-year doctor’s course): few people
4th year student: few people* For details, please refer to "2. Qualification Requirements”.
2. Qualification Requirements
Applicants for the OU-SPRING for FY2025 must fulfill the requirements listed below, be highly
motivated to learn and concentrate on conducting research.
Working individuals are also eligible to apply. However, those who fall under any of thefollowing are excluded:(1) Students who have stable income that is sufficient to live on*(2) Research Fellows (Young Scientists) of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science(3) Students from abroad receiving support through the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarshipand scholarships from their own countries* “Stable income that is sufficient to live on” here means 2,400,000 yen/year.

Program
Doctor’s Course

Graduate Course
Graduate School of Humanities andSocial Sciences
Graduate School of Natural Science andTechnology (Excluding Division ofEarth and Planetary Materials Science)
Graduate School of Environmental,Life, Natural Science and Technology
Graduate School of Health Sciences
Graduate School of Environmental andLife Science
Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry
and Pharmaceutical Sciences (Divisionof Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Graduate School of Interdisciplinary
Science and Engineering in HealthSystems

Requirements・Students who are scheduled toenroll in April 2025 (Includingindividuals planning to takeentrance
examinationsforgraduate programs) *1
・Students who are scheduled toenter their second year in April
2025 *2・Students who are scheduled toenter their third year in April 2025
*2

[Submission Deadline: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 (17:00 JST)]
Five-year
CourseDoctor’s

Graduate School of Natural Science andTechnology (Division of Earth andPlanetary Materials Science)

Four-year
Doctor’s
Course in the Fields ofMedicine, Dentistry,
and Pharmaceutical
Sciences

Graduate School of Medicine, DentistryandPharmaceuticalSciences(Excluding Division of PharmaceuticalSciences)・Students who are scheduled toenter their third year in April 2025*2
・Students who are scheduled toenter their fourth year in April
2025 *2・Students who are scheduled toenter their fifth year in April 2025*2
・Students who are scheduled toenroll in April 2025 (Includingindividuals planning to takeentrance
examinationsforgraduate programs) *1
・Students who are scheduled toenroll their second year in April
2025 *2・Students who are scheduled toenter their third year in April 2025*2
・Students who are scheduled toenter their fourth year in April2025 *2*1 Including students admitted in October 2024.
*2 Including students who entered the relevant year in October 2024.
If you have any inquiries about qualification, please contact us as shown in “9. Contact/Address
to Send Your Application.”
3. Amount of Support /Duration
OU-SPRING consists of research encouragement funding and research budget. The amount to beprovided is as shown below.
(1) Research Encouragement Funding: 2,200,000 yen per year
* In principle, funding is paid every two months.
* Research encouragement funding is provided for living expenses with the intention of helping to enablesuccessful applicants to concentrate on their research.

(2) Research Budget: Approx. 400,000 yen per year
* To be distributed after submission of the research plan to the OU-SPRING Office every academic year.

The period of distribution of the research encouragement funding and the research budget is theperiod, beginning from April 2025 in which the successful applicant is enrolled in the doctor’s course,
five-year doctor’s course, or four-year doctor’s course, and must be within the standard period ofcompletion.
If the successful applicant takes a leave of absence from school, he/she will, in principle, no longer
qualify for funding. However, if the recipient is expected to return to school to restart the research, thefunding and budget may be temporarily suspended, and then restarted after the recipient returns to[Submission Deadline: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 (17:00 JST)]school.
[Notes]In the case that the applicant for OU-SPRING is the recipient of the following
scholarships, the relevant scholarship amount shall be adjusted that the total annual
amount of the scholarship and OU-SPRING will be maximum 2,800,000 yen.
(1) Ohmoto Ikueikai Student Grant(2) Okayama University Scholarship to Support Students in Doctor’s Course(3) Other scholarship provided by a graduate school or division of Okayama University(excluding one-time award for enrollment)
If you have any questions about handling of the applicants who have already received
these scholarships for 2025 academic year, please contact to “9. Contact/Address to Send
Your Application (OU-SPRING Office)”.
In addition, if you are selected for OU-BOOST-AI, you must decline OU-SPRING.

4. Application Procedure
Students who have a desire to receive the OU-SPRING funding and budget must fill out and submit
the following documents:
・Application Form (Submit as PDF)
・Evaluation Form (Submit as PDF and must be submitted directly to the OU-SPRING Office by theperson who completes the Evaluation Form)・Certificate of Estimated Income (For working individuals, etc. who have a regular income)Submission Deadline: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 (17:00 JST) [No Exceptions]
Address to Send Your Application: OU-SPRING Office * Please submit via email.
ou-fellowship@adm.okayama-u.ac.jp* Please send your e-mail with the title "2025_application_Name".
Applicants must ask their individual advisors (planned) or someone familiar with their research to fillout and submit the designated Evaluation Form. (The Evaluation Form must be submitted directly to theOU-SPRING Office by the person who completes the Evaluation Form.)
In principle, Application Form and Evaluation Form cannot be replaced once submitted, even if it issubmitted before the due date. Please ensure sufficient time to complete the procedures for each form,and submit them in consultation with your individual advisor.
Please note that applications will not be accepted from applicants who have not submitted all
documents by the submission deadline.
5. Selection Process
Successful applicants will be determined through document screening and online interview conductedby the OU-SPRING Screening Committee. The results of the document screening will be announced tothe applicants by the end of October. Applicants who have passed the document screening will receive
details regarding the online interview. The online interview is scheduled for early November. The resultsof the online interview will be announced to the applicants by the end of November.
If a successful applicant declines the OU-SPRING, the funding and budget will be awarded to anotherapplicant.
6. Selection Criteria

[Submission Deadline: Wednesday, September 25, 2024 (17:00 JST)]
Okayama University awards OU-SPRING to applicants who are highly motivated to learn andconduct research, and they are expected to promote research in the priority fields designated by
Okayama University and to play important roles in science, technology, and innovation creation in Japanin the near future. Applicants are comprehensively evaluated in the following areas:(1) The ability to set innovative research themes supported by creativity and deep insight(2) Exceptional ability to pursue their research(3) High communication ability(4) How you can contribute to research that falls under the "Okayama University Top Priority
Research Fields".
7. OU-SPRING Recipient Obligation
Successful OU-SPRING recipients are obligated to take research ethics education classes specified
by Okayama University, concentrate on research activities based on their own research plans, and pursue
the following items to form their particular career paths after the acquisition of the degrees: (Details will
be announced following selection.)(1) Submission of research progress reports for each academic year (September and March, in thedesignated OU format)(2) Periodical interviews with mentors (about 4 times a year in principle)(3) Participation in programs related to the improvement of research capability and support for career
path (seminars for presentations, transferable skill training, meetings with companies, etc.)(4) Report any changes in the information provided in the "Confirmation of Eligibility to Apply"
section of the application form.
(5) Register with "researchmap", a database-type researchers' directory operated by the National
Institute of Science and Technology Agency (JST)8. Notes(1) Successful OU-SPRING applicants are required to submit a pledge to concentrate on research
activities, etc.
(2) Successful OU-SPRING applicants do not have an employment relationship with Okayama
University; however, research encouragement funding is listed as miscellaneous income undertax law and is considered taxable income. Therefore, successful applicants must file income taxreturns.
(3) Research budget must be used appropriately under the supervision of the university (advisor).
(4) The OU-SPRING is a government program, and the OU-SPRING is provided on the premise thatthe research encouragement funding (equivalent to living expenses) and research budget will
support "research activities in Japan," as determined by the government system. Therefore, please
note that the funding and budget cannot be provided to those who have not been able to come toJapan.
(5) If you become an OU-SPRING recipient, you will not be eligible for the "Return Exemption
System for Outstanding Achievement" of JASSO's Type 1 (interest-free) scholarship.
9. Contact/Address to Send Your Application (OU-SPRING Office)Kawaguchi/Kanemoto, Research Support Office
Email: ou-fellowship@adm.okayama-u.ac.jp
Phone Number: 086-251-8462