8/23

Update[Submission Deadline: Monday, September 26 (17:00 JST)]
Academic Year 2023
Okayama University Science, Technology, and Innovation Creation Fellowship(OU Fellowship) [Type A] [Type B] Application Guidelines
Okayama University is calling for applications for the Okayama University Science,
Technology, and Innovation Creation Fellowship [Type A] [Type B] for FY2023. The OU
Fellowship was established to assist students enrolling in the doctor’s course and to cultivate
young researchers capable of promoting Okayama University priority research fields with theintention of cultivating researchers capable of playing important roles in science, technology andinnovation 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[Type A] 1st year student (2nd year student for four-year doctor’s course): Approx. 10 students
2nd year student (3rd year student for four-year doctor’s course): Approx. 1 student
3rd year student (4th year student for four-year doctor’s course): Approx. 1 student[Type B] 1st year student: Approx. 8 students
2nd year student: Approx. 2 students* For details, please refer to "2. Qualification Requirements”.
2. Qualification Requirements* Please select your desired order for [Type A] and [Type B] on the application form.
If you are eligible to apply for only one of the two types, please check only the applicable type.
[For Both Type A and B]
Applicants for the OU Fellowship for FY2023 must fulfill the requirements listed below, behighly motivated to learn and concentrate on conducting research.
Working individuals are also eligible to apply for both Type A and B. However, those who
fall under any of the following 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.

[Type A]
Program
Doctor’s Course

Graduate Course
Graduate School of Humanities andSocial Sciences
Graduate School of Natural Scienceand Technology (Excluding Divisionof Earth and Planetary Materials
Science)
Graduate School of Health Sciences
Graduate School of Environmental andLife Science
Graduate School of Medicine,
Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences(Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences)

Requirements
・Students who are scheduled toenroll in April 2023 (Including
individuals planning to takeentrance examinations forgraduate programs) *1
・Students who are scheduled toenter their second year in April
2023 *2・Students who are scheduled toenter their third year in April
2023 *2

[Submission Deadline: Monday, September 26 (17:00 JST)]

Five-year Doctor’s
CourseFour-year Doctor’s
Course in the Fieldsof Medicine,Dentistry, andPharmaceuticalSciences

Graduate School of Interdisciplinary
Science and Engineering in HealthSystems
Graduate School of Natural Scienceand Technology (Division of Earth andPlanetary Materials Science)

Graduate School of Medicine,
Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences(Excluding Division of PharmaceuticalSciences)・Students who are scheduled toenter their third year in April
2023 *2・Students who are scheduled toenter their fourth year in April
2023 *2・Students who are scheduled toenter their fifth year in April 2023
*2
・Students who are scheduled toenroll their second year in April
2023 *2・Students who are scheduled toenter their third year in April
2023 *2・Students who are scheduled toenter their fourth year in April
2023 *2[Type B]
Program
Doctor’s Course

Five-year Doctor’s
CourseFour-year Doctor’s
Course in the Fields
of Medicine,
Dentistry, andPharmaceuticalSciences

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

Graduate School of Medicine,
Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences(Excluding Division of PharmaceuticalSciences)

Requirements
・Students who are scheduled toenroll in April 2023 (Includingindividuals planning to takeentrance examinations forgraduate programs) *1
・Students who are scheduled toenter their second year in April
2023 *2・Students who are scheduled toenter their third year in April
2023 *2・Students who are scheduled toenter their fourth year in April
2023 *2・Students who are scheduled toenroll in April 2023 (Includingindividuals planning to takeentrance examinations forgraduate programs) *1・Students who are scheduled to[Submission Deadline: Monday, September 26 (17:00 JST)]
enter their second year in April
2023 *2*1 Including students admitted in October 2022.
*2 Including students who entered the relevant year in October 2022.
If you have any inquiries about qualification, please contact us as shown in “9. Contact/Addressto Send Your Application.”
3. Amount of Support /Duration[Type A]OU Fellowship Type A consists of research encouragement funding and research budget. The
amount to be provided is as shown below.
(1) Research Encouragement Funding: 1,800,000 yen per year (150,000 yen per month)* 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: 600,000 yen per year
* To be distributed after submission of the research plan to the OU Fellowship Office every academic year.

The period of distribution of the research encouragement funding and the research budget is theperiod, beginning from April 2023 in which the successful applicant is enrolled in the doctor’s course,
five-year doctor’s course, or four-year doctor’s course, which is three years in principle, and must bewithin the standard period of completion.
[Type B]OU Fellowship Type B consists of research encouragement funding, research budget and research
grant (special category) which is additionally provided by the evaluations based on the proposal. The
amount to be provided is as shown below.
(1) Research Encouragement Funding: 1,800,000 yen per year (150,000 yen per month)* 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: 400,000 yen per year
* To be distributed after submission of the research plan to the OU Fellowship Office every academic year.

(3) Research Grant (Special Category): Up to 700,000 yen per year
This research grant is distributed to students who submitted their own proposals and received highevaluations in each academic year based on the submitted proposals.
* The research grant (special category) is additionally provided to OU Fellowship Type B recipients who
submit their own approaches to increase their (1) international perspective, (2) research capability, and (3)career awareness.

The period of distribution of the research encouragement funding, the research budget and theresearch grant (special category) is the period, beginning from April 2023 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 of completion.

[Submission Deadline: Monday, September 26 (17:00 JST)][For Both Type A and B]
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,
the funding and budget may be temporarily suspended, and then restarted after the recipient returns
to school.
[Notes (For Both Type A and B)]
In the case that the applicant for OU Fellowship is the recipient of the following
scholarships, the relevant scholarship amount shall be adjusted that the total annual
amount of the scholarship and OU Fellowship will be maximum 2,400,000 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 thesescholarships for 2023 academic year, please contact to “9. Contact/Address to Send Your
Application (OU Fellowship Office)”.
4. Application Procedure (For Both Type A and B)
Students who have a desire to receive the OU Fellowship funding and budget must fill out andsubmit the following documents:
・Application Form (Submit as PDF)
・Certificate of Estimated Income (For working individuals, etc. who have a regular income)・Evaluation Form (Submit as PDF and must be submitted directly to the OU Fellowship Officeby the person who completes the Evaluation Form)
Submission Deadline: Monday, September 26 (17:00 JST) [No Exceptions]
Address to Send Your Application: OU Fellowship Office * Please submit via email.
ou-fellowship@adm.okayama-u.ac.jp* Please send your e-mail with the title "2023_application_Name".
Applicants must ask their individual advisors (planned) or someone familiar with their research tofill out and submit the designated Evaluation Form. (The Evaluation Form must be submitted directly
to the OU Fellowship Office by the person who completes the Evaluation Form.)
In principle, Application Form and Evaluation Form cannot be replaced once submitted, even if itis submitted before the due date. Please ensure sufficient time to complete the procedures for eachform, and submit them in consultation with your individual advisor.
5. Selection Process (For Both Type A and B)
Successful applicants will be determined through document screening and online interview
conducted by the OU Fellowship Screening Committee. The results of the document screening will
be announced to the 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 forearly November. The results of the online interview will be announced to the applicants by the endof November.
If a successful applicant declines the OU Fellowship, the Fellowship will be awarded to anotherapplicant.

[Submission Deadline: Monday, September 26 (17:00 JST)]
6. Selection Criteria (For Both Type A and B)Okayama University awards OU Fellowships 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 inJapan in 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
7. OU Fellowship Recipient Obligation (For Both Type A and B)
Successful OU Fellowship 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)* Type B requires the recipients to report the progress of research supported by the research grant(special category).

(2) Periodical interviews with mentors (once every two months in principle)(3) Participation in programs related to the improvement of research capability and support forcareer 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.
8. Notes (For Both Type A and B)(1) Successful OU Fellowship applicants are required to submit a pledge to concentrate on research
activities, etc.
(2) Successful OU Fellowship applicants do not have an employment relationship with Okayama
University; however, research support funding or research encouragement funding is listed as
miscellaneous income under tax law and is considered taxable income. Therefore, successful
applicants must file income tax returns.
(3) Research budget and research grant (special category) must be used appropriately under thesupervision of the university (advisor).
(4) The OU Fellowship is a government program, and the OU Fellowship is provided on thepremise that the research encouragement funding (equivalent to living expenses) and researchbudget provided by the fellowship will support "research activities in Japan," as determined by
the government system. Therefore, please note that the fellowship cannot be provided to those
who have not been able to come to Japan due to the status of the COVID-19 infection or otherreasons.
9. Contact/Address to Send Your Application (OU Fellowship Office)Yoshida/Kanemoto, Research Support Office
Email: ou-fellowship@adm.okayama-u.ac.jp
Phone Number: 086-251-8462