Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research in Japan (Short-term PE)

Postdoctoral Fellowships Short-term (PE) — 3rd Recruitment

Supports Japan researchers with structured pathways in short research stays for international postdocs, from planning to deployment.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research in Japan, Short-term (PE) programme provides researchers from North America and Europe with one to twelve months of collaborative research at a Japanese university or research institution under the supervision of a Japanese host researcher. The programme covers all fields of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The third recruitment for FY2026 is currently open, with an application deadline of 5:00 p.m. JST on 5 June 2026. Applications must be submitted by the Japanese host researcher through the JSPS Electronic Application System via the host institution — the overseas candidate does not apply directly.

The overseas candidate (Fellow) must be a citizen or permanent resident of an eligible country — the United States, Canada, European Union member states, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, or Russia — or must have been continuously engaged in research at an institution in one of those countries for at least three years. The candidate must have obtained a PhD from a non-Japanese institution within six years of the fellowship's start date, or be currently enrolled in a doctoral programme outside Japan and expected to receive their PhD within two years of commencing the fellowship. Researchers who have previously held any JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan are not eligible. Financial support includes a monthly stipend of JPY 362,000 for PhD holders (JPY 200,000 for non-PhD holders), a round-trip economy airfare, and a JPY 200,000 settling-in allowance for fellowships of three months or longer. A research support allowance for collaborative research expenses is also available and is applied for by the host researcher through their institution.

Each host researcher may submit at most three applications per recruitment cycle. Candidates currently residing in Japan at the time of the JSPS deadline are not eligible. The selection process operates through an open call system in which Japanese host researchers identify and nominate their overseas candidates; a separate nominations channel exists through overseas nominating authorities. FY2026 has three recruitment cycles; the FY2027 application guidelines were in preparation as of the FY2026 3rd cycle opening.