Overview

IRCMS, the center of excellence for world-class research in stem cell, development, aging and cancer, launched the Fellowship Program in 2016. The aim of this program is to provide financial support to graduate students with outstanding academic qualifications and strong motivation to conduct cutting-edge biomedical research through the IRCMS Fellowship under the supervision of host PIs. The successfully selected students are expected to pursue their degrees and graduate studies at the Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, who will also obtain research opportunities at the IRCMS.

Please click here for the Application Guideline fro AY 2025

 Eligibility for Application

1. An applicant who is seeking for admission as a full-time student at the Graduate School of Medical Sciences (GSMS), must apply for the GSMS entrance examination when it opens.
2. An applicant who is already enrolled in the GSMS at the time of application as a self-financed student, however, this excludes students who are taking a leave or repeating a school year.
3. An applicant who is deemed to not receiving a stable income which is sufficient to meet living expenses (more than 2.4 million yen per year).

 Note

• Due to organizational reasons, the laboratory you will be assigned may differ from your academic supervisor's.

 Course Details

(Master Course)
The 2-year master course aims at providing training in medicine and life sciences for researchers, educators and highly specialized professionals graduated from a university other than Japanese medical, dental or veterinary schools or faculties. Through this program Kumamoto University is striving to educate the next generation high-caliber experts who will play leading roles in the areas of medicine, health care and life sciences.
Students are required to obtain at least 30 credits through coursework and research projects. They are required to write a Master's thesis on their research topic and orally defend it at the end of their second year. After the successful completion of the course, Kumamoto University will award the Master of Life Sciences.　
Please see the homepage for more details: http://www.medphas.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/en/medgrad/education_program2/master_course/

(Doctoral Course)
The usually 4-year course aims at providing medical doctors and bioscientists an excellent training to lead successful careers on the national and international stage. The students will obtain a sophisticated knowledge in interdisciplinary studies, acquire cutting-edge skills, and develop a research-oriented mindset during their studies encompassing a flexible mixture of courses, seminars, lectures by experienced doctors, experimental practice and e-learning. Students need to receive at least 30 credits during the course of their studies besides publishing papers relevant to their research and defending them publicly. Students who have fulfilled all program requirements will be awarded a doctoral degree in Medicine or Life Sciences.
Please see the homepage for more details: http://www.medphas.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/en/medgrad/education_program2/doctoral_course/

 Nationality

Open to all nationalities, with sufficient English ability and communication skills.

 Required documents

1. Application form and CV (please click here to download a form)
2. An official academic transcript from the last university attended (at undergraduate or graduate level). If you are already enrolled in Kumamoto University, please submit an official transcript of the last degree program (Bachelor's or Master's) that you have graduate from, as well as an official transcript of your current degree course.
3. An official degree certificate or a statement of graduation of the last university attended. If you will graduate from your current degree course after submitting the IRCMS Fellowship application, you must submit an official statement provided by your university that indicates the date of your expected graduation.
4. Proof of language ability certifying that one of the official English test score such as TOEFL-iBT (score should be 33 or higher), TOEFL-PBT, TOEFL-ITP (407 or higher), TOEIC (L&R), TOEIC-IP (380 or higher) or IELTS (4 or higher).
5. A letter of recommendation from academic supervisor(s).
6. Additional supporting documents if any (e.g., awards, publications).

 NOTE:

• All documents should be submitted to the IRCMS Administration Office by email. (ircms@jimu.kumamoto-u.ac.jp)
• The documents must be written in either English or Japanese created in A4 size. A document written in other than these languages must be accompanied with an English translation.
• Submitted documents will not be returned.
• An application passed the submission deadline is not acceptable.
• An applicant who makes false statements in the documents will be disqualified from taking the selection process or will be disqualified to receive the fellowship even after selection.

 Application Period

From Monday December 2, 2024 though to Monday December 16, 2024

 Application Procedure

1. An applicant must find a prospective host PI from the list above and contact to consult about the admission to the GSMS and the research objectives at the IRCMS before starting the process.
2. The prospective host PI will review the application documents.
3. Initial screening process will be based upon the documents by the IRCMS Fellowship committee.
4. The selected candidates will be invited for online based interview with the committee members.
5. The IRCMS Admin Office will notify you a final result by email.

Support amounts and period

Students selected for the IRCMS Fellowship will be appointed as Research Assistant (RA) or Teaching Assistant (TA), and will be paid maximum up to 90,000 JPY per month for 10 months. A newly enrolled student will receive the salary from December this year due to several HR procedures required to set up a contract. A student who is already enrolled will receive from October this year.   

 NOTE:

• If the recipient of the IRCMS Fellowship receives another scholarship or fellowship from outside the Kumamoto University, either at the same time or after the start of the IRCMS Fellowship, the recipient may choose to keep one or the other, but not both.

 Obligations of Fellowship Recipients

Students should focus on the research activities and have present accomplishments in the end of the fellowship support. Fellowship recipients should actively support events held at IRCMS.
Fellowship recipients should actively support events held at IRCMS.

 Application Period / Admission to the GSMS 

The admission procedures are mainly organized by the GSMS Academic Affairs Section. For more details, please see the website below.

http://www.medphas.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/en/medgrad/admissions_top/

 Office for Submission of Application Documents / Contact for inquiries

Administration Office
International Research Center for Medical Sciences (IRCMS)
Kumamoto University
Email: ircms@jimu.kumamoto-u.ac.jp
http://ircms.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/