Education

IRCMS Fellowship Program

IRCMS Fellowship

We'll announce when it opens.

Entry Form
 Overview

IRCMS, the center of excellent 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 Guidelines for AY2023.

The next application information for AY2024 will be available early next year.

 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 selects one of the following eligible laboratories at the IRCMS.
  4. 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).
LaboratoryPI
Stem Cell Biology, Hematology
http://ircms.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/research/hitoshi_takizawa/		 Hitoshi Takizawa
Hematology, Oncology
http://ircms.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/research/goro_sashida/		 Goro Sashida
Early Embryogenesis
http://ircms.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/research/guojun_sheng/		 Guojun Sheng
Hematopoietic Stem Cells
http://ircms.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/research/terumasa_umemoto/		 Terumasa Umemoto
Oncology, Mouse Model Research
http://ircms.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/research/masaya_baba/		 Masaya Baba
Neuroscience, in vivo imaging
http://ircms.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/research/hidenobu_mizuno/		 Hidenobu Mizuno
Cardiovascular Medicine
http://ircms.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/research/yuichiro_arima/		 Yuichiro Arima
Proteostasis in Stem Cell
http://ircms.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/research/kenichi_miharada/		 Kenichi Miharada
Chromatin Organization in Immune Cell Development
http://ircms.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/research/daisuke_kurotaki/		 Daisuke Kurotaki

*Click PI's name to contact

For April Enrollment　For October Enrollment
 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-PBT/-ITP, TOEIC/TOEIC-IP or IELTS.
  5. Letter(s) 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.
  • 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 Wednesday June 21, 2023 though to Friday July 14, 2023

 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/

Entry Form
Application Documents
All of the following documents should be in A4 size. IRCMS may request additional
documents if necessary. The total file size for each application should not exceed
5Mb.
1) Application form and CV with the designated format
Download
2) Undergraduate academic transcript (for master applicants);
　 Undergraduate and master academic transcripts (for doctoral applicants);
3) Degree certificate;
4) Official English Test score (TOEFL-PBT/-ITP, TOEIC/TOEIC-IP or IELTS).
5) 1-2 recommendation letters from teachers/mentors.
6) Any additional supporting documents (e.g., awards, publications).
Screening Process & Announcement of the Results
Screening Process & Announcement of the Results
Course
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 details:
http://www.medphas.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/en/medgrad/education_program2/master_course/
Doctoral Course (PhD)
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 details:
http://www.medphas.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/en/medgrad/education_program2/doctoral_course/
Withdrawal of the Fellowship
If the recipient of the IRCMS Fellowship gets another scholarship or fellowship from outside the Kumamoto University, either at the same time or after the start of the IRCMS Fellowship, the candidate can choose to keep one of them, but not both.
Duty of the Fellowship recipient
(1) Each fellowship recipient should have a presentation to show their achievement in the end of the fellowship support.
(2) After enrollment, successful applicants are expected to discuss with supervising PIs and apply for additional financial support.
Admission
The admission to both programs at the IRCMS is centrally organized by the Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Kumamoto University.

Please see their homepage for details:
http://www.medphas.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/en/medgrad/admissions_top/
Entry Form
Contact
Administration Office
International Research Center for Medical Sciences (IRCMS)
Kumamoto University
Email: ircms [at] jimu.kumamoto-u.ac.jp
http://ircms.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/