Support Programs

• The proposed research in a foreign country must be academic, non-degree, and directly related to the doctoral dissertation being prepared at the fellow’s home institution. The research can be conducted in any foreign country.
• The proposed research can be conducted at a foreign institution of higher learning, research institute, think tank, non-governmental organization, or private firm; when conducting fieldwork or similar research, a host institution may not be required.
• The primary objective of SRA research should, as a rule, be one of the following:
  • Data and resource collection
  • Interviews and fieldwork
  • Discussions with experts in the country visited
    
    Other activities, such as auditing of courses and seminars, participation in academic conferences, and language learning, are not regarded as legitimate primary objectives, and such applications will not be accepted. These activities may, however, be incorporated into a research project if they are conducted in addition to fulfilling one of the three objectives cited above. Internship, too, is not considered a legitimate primary objective.

 (Note)
 Some Sylff institutions have kindly expressed their willingness to serve as a host research institution for SRA awardees. The list of these schools can be found on the last part of this page.

The applicant should fulfill the following conditions:

• He/she is a current or past recipient of a Sylff fellowship.
• He/she is currently enrolled in a doctoral program at ANY institution of higher learning.
• He/she intends to conduct research abroad that is directly related to his/her PhD dissertation.

The following persons are NOT eligible:

• Fellows who are visiting/staying/living in the proposed host country anytime between the application and the notification of the selection outcome.
• Fellows who, in the past, received an SRA or Sylff Fellows Mobility Program (FMP) award as a doctoral student.
• Master’s degree candidates.

(Notes)
・ Sylff fellows who are currently enrolled in master’s program are encouraged to apply for SRA when they proceed to a PhD program at any institution of higher learning
・ Those whose fellowships were for overseas research may apply, combining such fellowships with an SRA award to enrich their original research plan.

An application should include the following:

• A confirmation letter from the Sylff steering committee at the institution where the applicant received a Sylff fellowship (prescribed form downloadable as Word file)
• Application form (prescribed form downloadable as Word file)
• A letter of recommendation from an academic supervisor at the home institution (prescribed form downloadable as Word file), to be provided directly to the Sylff Association by the supervisor
• A letter of reference from the host organization or (in case the proposed research is not conducted at a host institution) from a professional living in the country to be visited who can assess the relevance of the applicant’s research (no prescribed form, but it must be written on the referee’s letterhead)
• Tentative research schedule (sample downloadable as Excel file)
• Proposed budget (prescribed form downloadable as Excel file)
• Curriculum vitae in English (up to 3 pages)
  
  

Important     
IMCOMPLETE OR LATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE REJECTED UNCONDITIONALLY. The applicant will be notified immediately of the rejection. The application forms will not be returned.          
All application documents must be in English and typed. No handwritten documents will be accepted.

• An application form is accepted only when the following conditions are met:
  • It includes information on the doctoral dissertation and research proposal with a BIBLIOGRAPHY of the works on which the applicant’s research is based.
  • It is submitted as an MS Word document.
    (Note)
    You are requested to write about your doctoral dissertation and research proposal, as well as your nonacademic, leadership achievements. Information on these matters should be as specific as possible. The information provided will not be considered positively if it lacks sufficient detail.

• Plagiarism will be severely penalized. If found, the applicant will be excluded from the Sylff program entirely, that is, he/she will not be eligible for this or any other support services provided by the Association. If the violation is revealed after the disbursement of the award, the violator will be required to return the award to the Association within 30 days of the notification of the violation. The Association will immediately inform the Sylff and host institutions of the violation. Other penalties relating to this violation may be determined and imposed by these institutions.
• All application documents, except the letter of recommendation from the academic supervisor at the home institution, are to be emailed to the Association by the applicant. The letter of recommendation should be emailed by the academic supervisor. There is no need to submit the documents by postal mail.
• The SRA award will be based on the accumulation of anticipated expenditures; it will not be approved as a lump sum. The Association may ask the applicant to revise the budget, even after the research proposal has been approved. When there is unused money after the completion of research and the filing of reports to the Association, the participant must refund the amount to the Association.
  

Selection
The Sylff Association secretariat will screen applicants for eligibility, feasibility of the proposed research, and relevance to current academic pursuits, as well as for the significance of the research in addressing social issues.

Applications are accepted as specified below. Applications should be sent to the Association secretariat by email not later than the following deadlines (Japan Standard Time).

First round
Application deadline                              June 28, 2019  
Notification of selection outcomes      by August 1, 2019
Disbursement of the awards                 September 27, 2019
Research starts                                        after August 1, 2019

Second round
Application deadline                              January 8, 2020 
Notification of selection outcomes      by February 5, 2020
Disbursement of the awards                 March 30, 2020
Research starts                                        after February 5, 2020

(Notes)

• The Sylff fellow is responsible for all communication and arrangements with the prospective host organization, as well as with the Association. Assistance from the Sylff steering committee would, however, be appreciated.
• The selected Sylff fellows are responsible for providing the information requested within the timeframe set by the Association.
• An Agreement shall be signed between the selected Sylff fellow and the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research (which serves as the Association secretariat) for award disbursement. The award will be remitted by the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research to the bank account designated by the applicant.

• All participants must submit the following documents to the Association following completion of the program:
  Final program and financial reports within 30 days of return to home country. (A prescribed form will be provided by the SRA coordinator.) (All receipts of expenses paid with the SRA award must be kept for submission upon request from the Foundation.)
• Recipients are asked to cooperate with SRA’s public relations activities, agreeing to have their name, photo, and program report (either in full or in part) published on Sylff’s website and/or in print publications.

The Sylff institutions listed below have expressed a willingness to host SRA fellows. If you are interested in conducting SRA research at any of these institutions, please contact the Sylff coordinator, as indicated. 

-Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India 
Prof. Shibashis Chatterjee
Sylff Project Director and Professor of International Relations
Email: shibashis.chatterjee[a]gmail.com (replace [a] with @)

-School of Global Policy and Strategy(GPS), University of California, San Diego, USA 
Sylff coordinator at GPS Global Leadership Institute 
Email: darlawilson[a]ucsd.edu (replace [a] with @) 

-University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia 
International Office (attn. Ms. Didi) 
Email: io-ui[a]ui.ac.id (replace [a] with @) 

-El Colegio de México, México, D.F., Mexico 
Prof. Laura Flamand, Vice President for Academic Affairs 
Email: lflamand[a]colmex.mx (replace [a] with @) 

-Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland 
Visiting Programmes 
Email: visiting[a]graduateinstitute.ch (replace [a] with @) 

-Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland 
Sylff Coordinator 
Email: dorota.maciejowska[a] uj.edu.pl (replace [a] with @) 

-University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya 
Professor Lydia W. Njenga, Director, Board of Postgraduate Studies 
Email: lnjenga[a]uonbi.ac.ke (replace [a] with @) 

-Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R.China 
Ms. Hua Zhang, Sylff Program Officer, Graduate School 
Email: zhangh87[a]mail.sysu.edu.cn (replace [a] with @) 

-University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal 
Mrs. Cláudia Plácido, the Head of Unit Assistant 
Email: dri[a]uc.pt (replace [a] with @) 

-Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand 
Mrs. Narumon Noumanong, Head of Research Administration, Academic Services and Foreign Affairs Section, Faculty of Social Sciences
Email: narumonn[a]gmail.com (replace [a] with @)

-Centre for Social Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS), Budapest, Hungary
Dr. Viktor Oliver LORINCZ, Junior Research Fellow, HAS Institute for Legal Studies
Email: Lorincz.Viktor[a]tk.mta.hu (replace [a] with @)

-University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
Sylff Coordinator: Dr. Asier Altuna, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences
Email: asier.altuna[a]deusto.es (replace [a] with @)