The Sylff Association secretariat has launched a fundraising campaign-How to Give- to help finance COVID-19 Relief for Sylff Fellows. As already announced, this relief is intended to enable currently enrolled Sylff fellows to continue their studies and research toward their degrees without worrying about their finances due to COVID-19. For details, please refer to the relief initiative page.

We are seeking donations to help defray Sylff fellows’ living expenses and encourage them to continue their studies and research at their home Sylff institutions despite the current difficulties.

Donations may be made via bank transfers or through an online system using credit cards. Bank transfers can be made as of today. The online system will be launched and announced shortly. For details, please visit How to Give.

The secretariat hopes that members of the Sylff community, not only Sylff fellowship recipients but also others affiliated with Sylff institutions, will take this opportunity to show their support for current fellows and increase their engagement with our community.

Fellows eligible to receive support have been identified in collaboration with the Sylff steering committees of all 69 Sylff institutions.

(Campaign closed on November 13, 2020.)

The Sylff Association secretariat is pleased to announce that disbursement of relief funds to Sylff fellows has begun.

More than 300 fellows were identified as eligible for COVID-19 relief* by the steering committees of Sylff institutions. They will be contacted by the secretariat regarding the details of the relief, equivalent to three months living expenses.

This initiative is intended to enable currently enrolled Sylff fellows to continue their studies and research toward their degrees without worrying about their finances due to COVID-19.

In a related matter, we will soon make an announcement on ways that members of the Sylff community can join and support this initiative by making donations.

* Fellows eligible for COVID-19 relief are those who are currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral program at their home Sylff institutions and who will still be enrolled in the degree program at that institution in September 2020. If you meet this eligibility criteria but have not been contacted, please inquire about your status with the Sylff steering committee of your institution. Also please read the FAQs at https://www.sylff.org/covid-19-relief-for-sylff-fellows/.

The Sylff Association secretariat will provide emergency financial support to all fellows whose efforts to earn a degree have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also asking members of the Sylff community for donations to help finance this initiative.

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected universities around the world. Some fellows have told us that financial and other difficulties have forced them to interrupt their studies and research. This is a serious concern, since earning a degree is the first step in building a career. The aim of this emergency support program is to help defray fellows’ living expenses and encourage them to continue their studies and research at their home Sylff institutions.

We are currently identifying eligible fellows* in collaboration with Sylff steering committees at all 69 Sylff institutions. We have received information from many institutions, as of June 10, 2020, and would appreciate the remaining institutions to respond promptly so that support can reach those who need it.**

Transfer procedures and other details will be communicated to Sylff institutions when the process of identifying eligible fellows is completed by mid-June. A report will also be made on this website for the Sylff community.

At the same time, we will later announce on the website how members of the Sylff community may offer donations to help finance the program. The secretariat would be grateful for any support you can give to ensure that fellows can continue their studies in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

*Fellows eligible for emergency support are those who are currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral program at their home Sylff institutions and who will still be enrolled in the degree program at the same institution in September 2020.

**The following Sylff institutions have provided information requested by the secretariat (as of June 10, 2020).  in alphabetical order

The American University in Cairo
Ankara University
Ateneo de Manila University
University of Belgrade
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
University of California San Diego
Charles University
Chiang Mai University
University of Chile
University of Coimbra
Columbia University
Comenius University in Bratislava
Conservatoire national superieur de musique et de danse de Paris
University of Deusto
El Colegio de Mexico
Fudan University
Gadja Mada University
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
University of Helsinki
Howard University
Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Corvinus University of Budapest, Debrecen University, Eötvös Loránd University, University of Pécs, and University of Szeged
Inner Mongolia University
Institute of Political Education “Pedro Arrupe”
Jadavpur University
Jagellonian University
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jilin University
University of Jordan
The Juilliard School
Keio University
Lanzhou University
University of Latvia
University of Leipzig
University of Malaya
Massey University, Auckland University of Technology, Lincoln University, University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, University of Otago, University of Waikato, and Victoria University of Wellington
University of Michigan
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
University of Nairobi
National Academy of Governance
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
University of New South Wales Business School
University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Portland State University
Peking University
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Ruhr University Bochum
University of Sao Paolo
Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski”
University of the South Pacific
University of Texas Austin
Uppsala University
Utrecht University
Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City
Waseda University
University of the Western Cape
Xinjiang University
York University
Yunnan University

Voices Vol.7 (7.1MB.)

The Sylff Association secretariat is pleased to announce the publication of the seventh edition of Voices from the Sylff Community as a PDF file and in print format.

The latest edition contains 25 articles uploaded on the Sylff website between June 2018 and October 2019. Eighteen were submitted by the awardees of various support programs. They offer valuable hints on how the awards can be used to further fellows’ research and social engagement activities. You will also find reports, including many photos, of the 25th anniversary ceremonies and related events at nine universities in China. Rounding out the booklet are two pages of photos featuring the many outstanding fellows whom members of the Sylff Association secretariat met in 2018-19.

The booklet can be downloaded as a PDF file here.

We Want to Hear Your “Voice”

We are always eager to learn about the academic achievements and social intiatives of all fellows. Please send your contributions to the Sylff Association secretariat (sylff [a]tkfd.or.jp) to be shared through the Sylff website and Voices booklet. (replace [a] with @).

Guidelines for writing a Voices article can be downloaded here.

*     *     *

Voices from the Sylff Community 
April 2020, Vol. 7

CONTENTS

The Sylff Association Secretariat is deeply concerned about the alarming spread of COVID-19, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. We are also concerned about fellows who are engaged in or have been selected for funding to undertake activities under a Sylff Support Program, as well as those planning to apply in fiscal 2020 (April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021). We intend to minimize the potential impact of the coronavirus to Support Program participants and candidates by adopting a flexible approach, as outlined below.

Current Participants of a Support Program

If the current situation prevents you from completing your activities as proposed under any Support Program, either partially or entirely, please contact sylff[at]tkfd.or.jp (replace [at] with @) to share details and discuss ways to deal with the situation.

If You Are Thinking of Applying

1. Sylff Research Abroad (SRA)

We plan to conduct two selections rounds in fiscal 2020, but we are postponing our announcement due to uncertainty caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Please check our website and our Sylff News updates for announcements on when we will begin accepting SRA applications.

2. Sylff Leadership Initiatives (SLI)

If you submit an SLI application after April 1, 2020, and are selected for a grant but cannot complete your project, either partially or entirely, please consult with the Sylff Association Secretariat. Projects may be postponed for up to one year from the original implementation date. If this deadline cannot be met, we will ask the SLI fellow to terminate the project for the time being and settle the project budget. If an opportunity to carry out the original plan appears at a later date, we will, as an exception, accept a reapplication and consider funding the project under a new plan.

3. Sylff Project Grant (SPG)

Screening of SPG applications after April 1, 2020, may be delayed due to factors that could make implementation of the SPG proposal impossible. If the review is cancelled, applicants will be asked to submit a new application with a reorganized plan and schedule when the COVID-19 situation stabilizes.

4. Local Association Networking Support (LANS)

A LANS application submitted after April 1, 2020, will be duly reviewed and accepted if it meets LANS requirements. However, LANS organizers may need to reschedule or cancel their plans during fiscal 2020. We will accommodate postponements of events up to March 31, 2022 (end of fiscal 2021). LANS organizers may retain the budget disbursed by the Secretariat up to this date, but we may need to reexamine the amount awarded to account for any changes in the number and locations of participants.

We want to help fellows make the most of the Support Programs even at this difficult time. Please note, though, that there may be delays in reviewing your applications, including for Support Programs not cited above. We ask for your understanding and hope you’ll keep posted of updates.

Contact sylff[at]tkfd.or.jp (replace [at] by @) if you have any questions or concerns.

https://www.sylff.org/support_programs/sra/

The Sylff Association secretariat is pleased to announce the 18 recipients of SRA awards in the second selection round for fiscal 2019. In this round, we again received outstanding applications for research in various specialized fields from fellows all over the world.

We reviewed all applications carefully from the perspectives of eligibility, the feasibility of the proposals, and the relevance of the proposed research to the applicants’ academic pursuits. The awardees in this round were at different stages of their research, some taking advantage of SRA to collect fundamental data for their doctoral dissertation, with others using the opportunity to verify their findings and receive further advice from overseas experts.

We received a record number of quality applications this year, and this has resulted in a record number of awardees. The secretariat is delighted to learn that more Sylff fellows are taking advantage of this support program, and we are also grateful to Sylff steering committee members at each Sylff institution for their cooperation in encouraging fellows to apply.

Congratulations to all the awardees! We send them our best wishes and hope their research abroad will be fruitful in further advancing their doctoral research. The 18 awardees are as follows:

* Listed in alphabetical order.

Milos Markovic, a PhD student in law at the University of Belgrade in Serbia, is currently conducting research at the University of Tokyo on the distinctions between legal principles and rules. His research project in Japan, funded by Sylff Research Abroad, consists primarily of conducting interviews with judges, attorneys, and professors.

To facilitate his research, the Sylff Association secretariat introduced him to Masahito Monguchi, a trustee of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research, where the secretariat is located. Monguchi is a former president of the Nagoya High Court—one of eight high courts in Japan—and spent five years at the Supreme Court, where he was involved in many important decisions as a judicial research official. He also worked in the Cabinet Legislation Bureau of the Japanese government and has firsthand knowledge of the legislative process. He is currently an adviser for one of the country’s biggest law firms.

Markovic visited him on December 16, 2019, at his law firm and discussed several court cases where legal norms appeared to conflict. Monguchi explained the approach used to resolve these conflicts, drawing on his own experience. He also referred Markovic to related cases that could be expected deepen and enrich his research.

Markovic also dropped by the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research and met with Sylff Association program officers and with Charles Crabtree, a senior data scientist at the Foundation. Crabtree explained the major structural issues that Japanese society is facing, such as population aging and workforce gender imbalances, and offered to introduce other experts in Japan to help Markovic’s research.

Markovic, standing far right, during his visit to the Sylff Association secretariat.

On November 12, 2019, Japanese ambassador to Jordan Hidenao Yanagi invited the president of the University of Jordan, Professor Abdel-Karim al-Qudah, members of the Sylff steering committee, and 10 Sylff fellows from the university to his residency. It was the first time that so many fellows from the last 15 years came together to be with the president of the University of Jordan and faculty members.

From left (front row), Dr. Hadeel Yaseen (Sylff steering committee member), Dr. Tayseer Abu Odeh, President Abdel-Karim al-Qudah, Ambassador Hidenao Yanagi, along with other Jordanian Sylff fellows and embassy staff.

Since 2003, 20 graduate students at the University of Jordan have received a Sylff fellowship, and they have gone on to positions of great professional responsibility and leadership. Many of these fellows now work as lawyers, judges, university professors, social leaders, school teachers, and researchers.

A message from the secretariat of the Sylff Association was read out, which made special reference to a conference organized by Sylff fellow Tayseer Abu Odeh in July. All attendees extended their heartfelt gratitude to the Sylff program and the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research for funding their academic studies and postgraduate initiatives.

Ambassador Hidenao Yanagi spoke on educational and academic collaboration between the Japanese government and the University of Jordan, while Professor Abdul-Karim al-Qudah made remarks on bilateral educational cooperation between the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research and the University of Jordan.

On behalf of Jordanian Sylff fellows, Tayseer Abu Odeh made a speech on the ways in which Sylff fellows benefitted from the fellowship personally and collectively: “To anyone who cherishes the hope that education is the most powerful and effective tool to humanize and develop society and the government, the process of sustainable development seems to be a genuine national priority. This is precisely what makes the Sylff Association unique and dynamic. Not only does it support fellows during a limited period of time, it also offers support and guidance throughout their careers.”

The evening was a great opportunity for Jordanian Sylff fellows to get to know one another and to reinforce their ties with their alma mater. The event was covered on social media by the University of Jordan (Arabic only). 

The Sylff Association secretariat is grateful to Ambassador Yanagi for providing this valuable opportunity and to Professor Abdel-Karim al-Qudah for his presence at the occasion.

Sylff Association Chairman Yohei Sasakawa (front row, center) is flanked by Yue Zhang (left) and Aya Oyamada. Second row, from left, are Misa Tanaka, Sanae Oda (executive director), Yoko Kaburagi (director), Mari Suzuki, and Tomoko Yamada. Standing, from left, are Yumi Arai, Keita Sugai (director), and Ikuko Ohkubo.

Since the launch of the Sylff Association, we have been strengthening our continuing support for fellows and encouraging closer interaction among all Association members. These efforts are now bearing fruit, and in 2019, Sylff Leadership Initiatives grants enabled four fellows to channel their expertise and resources into bringing about positive change in society. Twenty fellows were invited to Japan to participate in the concluding spring session of the Sylff Leaders Workshop 2018-19 focusing on the “Future of Food Production in 2030.” The Local Association Networking Support program helped finance a second gathering of fellows at Jadavpur University, India, and the University of Nairobi, Kenya, enabling fellows to connect with those from different years.

We were also pleased to receive visits by many fellows to our office, as detailed in 11 Sylff@Tokyo articles—the highest number to date. We also carried a report on a chance meeting between two fellows from different universities at a third Sylff institution.

Follow the links to the Sylff News articles uploaded in 2019:

News from the Sylff Website

Support Programs

Sylff Leaders Workshop

Final Presentations of all 20 participants at the final session of the Leaders Workshop 2018-19.

(1) Stefan Buchholz, Ayo Chan, Evgeny Kandilarov, and Eleni Konstantinou

(2) Kabira Namit, Anna Plater-Zyberk, Nermeen Varawalla, and Trisia Angela Farrelly

(3) Susan Rachel Banki, Nomingerel Davaadorj, Maria Adelasia Divona, and Jennifer Dysart

(4) Ronya Foy Connor, Rosangela Malachias, Andrew Prosser, and Nuruddeen Mohammed Suleiman

(5) Iker Imanol De Urrutia, Beverley M. Thaver, Dejan Soskic, and Michaela Guldanova

Sylff Research Abroad (SRA)

SRA Awardees for Fiscal 2019, First Round

SRA Awardees for Fiscal 2018, Second Round

Sylff Leadership Initiatives (SLI)

SLI Awards for Projects to Ensure a Democratic Election and Protect Indigenous People’s Rights

Influential Figures Attend University of Jordan Forum to Discuss Violence against Women

SLI Awards for Projects to Empower the Local Community and Facilitate Climate Justice

Local Association Networking Support (LANS)

JU-SYLFF LANS Meet 2019

25^th Anniversary of Sylff in China

Sylff’s Silver Jubilee in China (4): Four Universities Celebrate 25th Anniversary in 2019

Sylff Worldwide

News of notable achievements by Sylff fellows around the world.

Dec 18

A Chance Sylff Encounter, Far from Home

Dec 17

Three Bochum Fellows Organize International Conference on Forced Migration

Oct 18

Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu Named among the Most Influential People of African Descent

Jul 29

Fellow’s Book Highlights Plight of “Invisible, Incarcerated” Women Prisoners in India

Sylff@Tokyo

We welcomed many current and graduated fellows and steering committee members to the Sylff Association secretariat in 2019.

Nov 28

Visit by National Academy of Governance Fellow Nomingerel Davaadorj

Nov 22

A Long-term Engagement with Myanmar’s Land and Natural Resources Issues

Oct 30

Thriving in Utrecht’s International Atmosphere

Oct 30

Latvia Fellow Speaks at Global Security Conference in Nagasaki

Oct 18

The Importance of Promoting Basic Education in Developing Countries

Sep 19

New Zealand Fellow’s Deep Ties to the Sylff Community

July 10

Linking Latin America and Japan through Literature

July 3

Multitalented Erika Mitsui Transitions from Social Science to Music and Now to Medicine

Jun 12

Ruhr-University Bochum Launches “Sylff College”

May 24

Visit by Chile Fellow Paulina Berrios

Feb 6

A Delegation from India Meets with Energy Expert at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research

The secretariat received an email detailing an interesting encounter between two Sylff fellows that we would like to share.

The sender of the email was Bruno Pegorari, a Sylff fellowship recipient in 2017 at the University of São Paulo and originally from Brazil. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales. We recently posted news about his SLI award.

One day, he was introduced to a visiting researcher from Indonesia who, like Pegorari, had an interest in indigenous rights. As they were enjoying their conversation one afternoon in the campus courtyard, Pegorari realized they had one more thing in common—the visiting researcher was also a Sylff fellow!

The fellow he met was Yance Arizona, who received his fellowship in 2011 at the University of Indonesia. He is pursuing a PhD at Leiden University in the Netherlands and was visiting UNSW for his doctoral research. His trip to UNSW was funded by Sylff Research Abroad (SRA).

The secretariat was delighted to learn of the chance meeting between two Sylff fellows who had both left their home countries to pursue doctoral studies overseas. We are reminded that Sylff is a truly global community!

We laud the fellows’ commitment to cutting-edge research and hope that their findings will have a positive impact on strengthening the rights of indigenous peoples.

We also thank Bruno for sharing news of his meeting with Yance. We always welcome your submissions. Please let us know of any other Sylff encounters!

Yance Arizona, left, and Bruno Pegorari at the University of New South Wales.