Invitational Fellowships for Research in Japan

Invitational Fellowships — 1st Recruitment (Long-term + Short-term)

Supports Japan researchers with structured pathways in long-term international invitation fellowships, from planning to deployment.

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Invitational Fellowships for Research in Japan enable overseas researchers with distinguished records to conduct collaborative research, hold discussions, and exchange perspectives with counterparts at Japanese universities and research institutions. The FY2027 First Recruitment is the only round of the year that accepts applications for the Long-term fellowship tier; both Long-term and Short-term applications are accepted in this call. JSPS administers the programme as part of its broader portfolio of international exchange initiatives, which also includes Postdoctoral Fellowships, the Core-to-Core Program, and the International Joint Research Program.

The application deadline for the First Recruitment is 28 August 2026 by 5:00 p.m. JST, and selection results are published in late December 2026. Successful fellows may arrive in Japan at any point between 1 April 2027 and 31 March 2028. The Electronic Application System opens approximately two months before the JSPS deadline. Crucially, applications must be submitted by the Japanese host institution to JSPS — the overseas researcher cannot apply directly and must first secure a host and a sponsoring researcher in Japan.

Organisations seeking to win this fellowship should identify a strong host institution and sponsoring researcher in Japan well in advance of the August 2026 deadline, as the application is submitted on behalf of the invited researcher by that host. Long-term fellowship applicants who miss this first call must wait until the following fiscal year's first recruitment, since the second recruitment accepts only Short-term applications. Sector coverage is fully agnostic; JSPS supports research across all academic disciplines.