Interdisciplinary Frontier Fellowship Project and Interdisciplinary
Frontier Next Generation Researcher Project
FAQ*For students on the medicine doctoral courses, please interpret "enrolling in a doctoral course" with "enrolling inthe second year of a medicine doctoral course".

Questions and Answers
Q1001 In the previous recruitments, Interdisciplinary Frontier Fellowship had an "Appendix 2"that specified the fields of study in which applicants could apply for each graduate
school and department.
AStarting with this recruitments for application, there is no such restriction. Applicants
who wish to apply to Interdisciplinary Frontier Fellowship apply to the field in whichyour research suits best regardless of the graduate school or major which you belongt
Q1002 I am planning to enroll in a doctoral course in AY2023. Will there be opportunities toapply in April 2023 or later?
A

Those who plan to enroll in the course in AY2023 should apply now, regardless ofwhether they will enroll in their courses in April or October. There is a possibility that
additional applications for AY2023 entrants will be made in April 2023 or later,
depending on the number of the withdrawals after this, but this has yet to be decided.

Q1003 I plan to enroll in a doctoral course in October 2024. I am not eligible to make anapplication in the first round for AY2024. Will there be any later applications?
A

Students who plan to enroll in a doctoral course in October 2024 (or who plan toenroll in D2 in the case of a medicine doctoral course) should apply in the 2ndrecruitment round for AY2024, for which applications are expected to be acceptedaround January 2024.

Q1004 How is any increase in research support grants or research expenses decided?
AThis is determined using the "Annual Activity Evaluation" (Interdisciplinary Frontier
Fellowship Project) or the "QE (qualifying examination)" (Interdisciplinary Frontier
Next Generation Researcher Project).

Q1005 Will the person who prepares the evaluation be my Academic Advisor? Is it possible torequest a recommender other than my Academic Advisor? If so, are there any
restrictions on who can make my recommendation?
ASince it is possible that the Academic Advisor for your doctoral course might not havebeen selected at the time of application, it is permitted for a researcher whounderstands the content of your research so far to write the evaluation, and not justyour Academic Advisor. If you are unable to ask your Academic Advisor to do this forany other reason, please consult the Doctoral Education Consortium individually. Inprinciple, you should ask a faculty member to prepare the evaluation.

Q1006 Is it possible to apply even when I am receiving payments for other scholarships?
AStudents who plan to receive other scholarships at the time support is scheduled tostart should check with the office handling such scholarship for any restrictions on
simultaneous payments.
If you are required to devote yourself solely to a scholarship you are planning toreceive, you may not be eligible to receive support, even if you are selected.
Please refer to Q1019 regarding the treatment of government-sponsored international
students and government-dispatched international students (CSC, etc.).

Q1007 I haven't taken the entrance examination for my doctoral course yet. Can I apply?
A

Those who intend to enroll in a doctoral course at Nagoya University can apply.
If you are selected for a scholarship but do not enroll in the doctoral course (orproceed to the 2nd year of the doctoral course in Medicine)at Nagoya University at
the time indicated in the application form/documents (including failure in theentrance examination), you will lose your qualification as a fellow/researcher at thattime. Please also refer to Q1033 concerning entrance to graduate schools.

Q1008 If a leave of absence is decided during the authorized support period, will there be any
extension of the benefit period?
AThis will depend on the reason for the absence. It is difficult to extend the benefitperiod for personal reasons, but separate determinations are made in cases ofchildbirth, childcare, injury and disease, etc. based on individual circumstances.

Q1009 Are students from master's programs other than Nagoya University also eligible?
AYes.

Q1010 I enrolled in a doctoral course after retirement. Is there an age limit for applications?
A

There is no age limit. However, selection is based on the aims of the project, which
include the development of a variety of career paths for a wide range of outstanding
doctoral candidates.

Q1011 Are international students also eligible?
A

There are no nationality requirements for students to become eligible for support.
However, international students who are expected to receive support through theMonbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship or those who are expected to receive support
from their home countries are not eligible.

Q1012 What happens if you start a business during the support period?
A

Support will continue. However, a student who is deemed to be receiving stable
income, such as a salary or executive remuneration, at a level sufficient to cover living
expenses (based on 2.4 million yen per year, in reference to other projects) will not beeligible to receive funding.

Q1013 Is it possible to receive salaries for work as a TA, RA, or for joint research? Are there
any time limits?
AYou can earn an income for things such as TA, RA, or part-time work as long as it
does not interfere with your activities as a Fellow/Researcher.

Q1014 Would a student be eligible to receive funding if he or she had access to a system thatallowed him or her as a mature student to receive benefits from a company, etc.
sufficient to cover living costs (based on 2.4 million yen per year) but he or she chose
not to receive such benefits?
AThe purpose of this project is to create an environment for students to concentrate on
their research by providing enough funding to cover living expenses. For this reason, if
there is a system through which a student could receive such funding from acompany, etc., he or she would not be eligible to apply under this project.

Q1015 Is it possible to participate in a paid internship during the support period?
AYes.

Q1016 Is it possible to conduct research using external funding during the support period?
A

This is permitted as long as it does not cause problems with activities as aFellow/Researcher.

Q1017 Is it possible to receive academic awards and other monetary awards (including "cashvouchers" as additional benefits) from academic societies during the support period?
AYes.

Q1018 Is it possible for eligible students to receive scholarships from the Japan StudentServices Organization (JASSO)?
A

This project aims to create an environment in which students can concentrate on theirresearch. Because the nature of this project is different from JASSO scholarships, asa general rule it is possible to receive payments simultaneously in the case of bothloan and benefits-based programs (please consult us separately in cases where asufficient level of living expenses would be provided from a benefits-basedscholarship).
However, regarding AY2023 and after AY 2023 JASSO interest-free scholarship loan
recipients, if they receive support from Interdisciplinary Frontier Fellowship Projectand Interdisciplinary Frontier Next Generation Researcher Project, they can no longer
receive a waiver of the JASSO scholarship loan return. [added 2023.2.1]
Also, some scholarships by JASSO for international students have restrictions forstudents to receive scholarships simultaneously. Therefore, please check with theperson in charge at your graduate school in advance.

Q1019 I am currently enrolled in a master's program as a government-sponsoredinternational student. Can I apply?
A

Even if you are receiving the scholarship at the time of application, you can apply if
you do not plan to receive these during the period of this project.
If you are approved to receive support from a government-sponsored scholarshipprogram or support from a foreign government which does not allow you to receive
the support simultaneously at the time your support is scheduled to start, you should
prioritize receiving support from the government-sponsored exchange program or
support from the foreign government (such as CSC).
Please note that the possibility of receiving or being refused simultaneous payments
depends on the project, so please check with the department in charge of thescholarship in advance.

Q1020 Can I apply under the tuition fee exemption system at Nagoya University during thesupport period?
AYes.

Q1021 Is it possible to receive research support grants or research expenses in the eventthat I am unable to enter Japan due to the impact of COVID-19?
AForeign students who have not yet traveled to Japan will start receiving payments
after they arrive in Japan. We do not backdate support prior to students’ arrival inJapan.

Q1022 The screening results will be announced on April 13. If I become eligible to receive
support under the project from April, AY2023, when and how much will I be paid forresearch support grant of the month of April?
AThe full amount (180,000 yen) will be paid. We will pay you for both April and May atthe end of May.

Q1023 The content of the applicant’s information registration is supposed to match thecontent of the application form. What should I do if the research section title changes
after registration of applicant information but before the application form issubmitted?
A

If there are any changes, please notify the Doctoral Education Consortium in advance.

Q1024 What types of interdisciplinary research are being sought by the project?
APlease see the reference material for examples of interdisciplinary research.

Q1025 Will Fellows/Researchers be employed by Nagoya University?
A

There will be no employment relationship between the University and the successful
applicants. Since the research support grant is not a salary, it becomes"miscellaneous income" under tax law, and you will need to file a tax return by
yourself every year. Please also handle social insurance and pension procedures by
yourself.

Q1026 I was selected on the basis of entry in April 2023, but I then decided to take a leave ofabsence. I now plan to enroll in April 2024, one year later than initially planned. Is it
possible to delay the start of support?
ANo. In principle, The status of Fellows/Researchers will be rejected if their enrollment
is delayed from the time they were originally scheduled for selection. Please re-apply
as a student in the applicable year and undertake screening again.

Q1027 How long is the support period if I am chosen in an additional recruitment round?
ASupport will be provided up to the completion date of your predecessor's support andup to the standard completion period. We will decided this at the time ofauthorization.

Q1028 I was not selected as an interviewee for secondary screening. Will I be notified of theresults of primary screening (document-based selection)?
AThe results of primary screening (document-based selection) are not notified. The
following are both possible: "Cases where the applicant is exempted from secondary
screening and has passed primary screening" or "Cases where the candidate has notbeen selected in primary screening (document and video-based selection)". We will
inform you of this on the notification date for the final result.

Q1029 Will there be an opportunities to apply after enrolling in a doctoral course?
A

As a general rule, we do not plan to select students after they have enrolled in adoctoral course. There is a possibility that additional applications will be accepted in
the event of a vacancy due to resignation, etc., but this does not guarantee any
additional rounds of applications.

Q1030 Can I use figures and formulas when submitting my application form? Do you carryout screening in color or black and white?
A

It is permitted to use diagrams or mathematical formulas if these are needed toexplain the content of the study. However, please consider that the judges havedifferent areas of specialization. Judges decide whether to judge applications in color,
or in black and white, so please ensure that your application can be judged in either
case.

Q1031 The video I used to apply exceeded the prescribed time. Can I edit it or submit it indouble-speed mode?
A

Editing of video times for adjustment is not allowed. Please note that such an
application could be deemed defective.

Q1032 I would like to receive feedback on the content of my screening.
AWe do not disclose the content of the screening.

Q1033 If I am selected for this application, will I be automatically admitted to a doctoral
course?
AThis application is based on the assumption that you pass the entrance examination
for the doctoral course at your graduate school and enter the University.
If you wish to enroll in a doctoral course at our University, please be sure to take theentrance examination conducted by each graduate school separately from thisapplication. Selection under this application does not guarantee admission tograduate schools.

Q1034 Are there any language requirements for applying?
ANo. However, your language level will be confirmed in the annual evaluation/QE
conducted after certification.