Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Research Internship Program 2019, Japan

Publish Date: Nov 09, 2018

Deadline: Nov 15, 2018

Research Internship

In addition to the OIST Doctoral Program, seminars, and workshops, the OIST Graduate School offers education and research opportunities through a system of undergraduate and graduate placements as Research Interns. These short-term placements as a Research Intern give a select few talented students the opportunity to gain experience in a particular laboratory or to learn a specific technique. They work under the direction of a Professor at OIST and contribute to the research activities of OIST.

Places for Research Interns are awarded four times a year on a competitive basis, with the application period months in advance.  

Eligibility 

Those eligible to apply include students enrolled at graduate or undergraduate programs in universities, colleges, junior colleges, and vocational schools in Japan or overseas, or recent graduates of such institutions. Currently enrolled students must have approval from their home institution.  If you are currently a student, please confirm with your institution.

Duration

The tenure of Research Intern placements is between 2 and 6 months, typically 10 to 12 weeks. Tenure will not normally be extended. Interns may not take extended leave during their time at OIST, and are expected to work full time on their project.  Internships may begin and end at any time during the year, but application deadlines depend on the desired starting date of the internship (see below for details).

Support

Allowance

OIST provides living allowance, commuting support where necessary, and accommodation either on campus or nearby. Successful applicants will receive a Living Allowance of 2,400 JPY per day (weekends excluded) while at OIST.  

Travel Expenses

OIST will pay for one direct roundtrip travel for Research Interns between the home university or institution and the research unit or other facility where the internship will take place (usually Okinawa). The travel dates must be as close as possible to the term of the placement.  Travel for successful applicants is arranged by the OIST Graduate School. 

Other Support

The Student Support Section of the Graduate School will provide support for Research Interns at OIST with matters such as housing, visa acquisition, insurance procedures, and local registration. OIST regrets that support for dependents, family members, and persons other than the student is not available. 

Application Procedure

Research Intern places are awarded four times a year on a competitive basis. Deadlines for application are listed in the table below. Selection is highly competitive, and depends on suitability of the intended research, a student's academic background, and available funding and space. Professors accepting students under these programs will review the student’s qualifications, research capabilities, and academic training in a comprehensive manner. Information is available below regarding research units that can provide research intern positions in any year, and the type of projects offered.  Please keep in mind that listed numbers indicate maximum availability, and only a small number of the total open positions are filled in each round.  

The applicant is notified of the receipt of an application within an hour of submission.  Applicants will then be notified of the outcome of their application once a decision has been made. [As some of these notifications are automatically generated, please check your bulk or junk mail folders if you do not receive an expected notification to your inbox.]  OIST Graduate School will send the application result by email, typically within 3 months after the submission deadline.  For successful applicants, confirmation of internship participation must be made months in advance as ample time must be allowed for the issue of a visa and other necessary Japanese government documentation.

Required Application Materials

We suggest you first download this HANDY WORKSHEET to guide your preparation of the application, as you must enter all details in the application form at once and cannot resubmit an application.  Please fill out and submit the following materials to apply for the program: 

1) Curriculum Vitae Sheet - OIST CV SHEET

2) Personal Statement - STATEMENT SHEET

3) Academic Transcript - Upload a scan of your current academic transcript in PDF format. Unofficial partial transcripts are accepted for those who have not yet graduated.

4) Recommendation Letter - A letter of reference from an academic or research professional familiar with your work is required.  Please consider that the request for a recommendation letter will not be sent until your application is submitted, so keep this in mind as you plan your application timeline. The application system will ask him/ her directly, using the email contact details that you provide.  Depending on account settings, our automatically generated email may be filtered to junk or bulk mail, so in case of a delay, please notify him/ her  to check beyond the inbox to insure timely processing of your recommendation letter.  Please arrange for the consent of that person before submitting their details in the form.  Be sure to also confirm the e-mail address before entering it in the web-form. Applicants will be automatically notified by the application system when a letter of recommendation is received.  

5) ID Photo - Upload a recent photo, showing your face from the front in standard passport orientation (image must be in JPG format, and less than 5 MB).

Application Deadline

All application documents, including the letter of recommendation, must be sent by the deadline listed below for your intake dates.  Application periods correspond to time ranges in which your internship starts. (The deadline for your application depends on the day you plan to start your internship.  For example, if you plan to start May 1, your "Desired Starting Date" is in the range of Apr 1- Jun 30, so the deadline is Nov. 15).  

Actual internship periods may include parts of two or more separate intake periods (for example, you could request an internship that lasts from March 1- May 10).

Desired Starting Date Range
(the internship may extend beyond this period; this is your desired START date)

Jan 4 - Mar 31 Apr 1 - Sep 30 Oct 2019- Mar 2020 from April 2020
 Application Period Aug 1 - Sep 15 Oct 15 - Nov 15 TBA TBA
Approximate Date of Result Announcement mid to late October late December to early January TBA TBA

Regulations

Applicants who intend to import biological or hazardous material for their research are urged to insure that such import is in compliance with all regulations of their home country, any country of transit, and of Japan, and to complete all necessary paperwork for importation well ahead of time.

Detailed regulations pertaining to matters of payment, intellectual property rights, attendance, health and safety, and other matters have been drawn up and will be made available to successful applicants.

For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.


This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:

https://groups.oist.jp/grad/research-interns?fbclid=IwAR2V2q6uqOl5A_7SWnsvsLJqz96xiUkCLHO6MTmNZeLyrY3to5H_qcLtH8g

Similar Opportunities


Disciplines

Science

Technology

Study Levels

Research

Eligible Countries

International

Host Countries

Japan