Guidelines

1. Commitment

According to its statutes, the German JSPS Alumni Association is commited to promote the scientific exchange between the German-speaking area and Japan. For this purpose, the “Fund for the Scientific Exchange between the German-speaking Area and Japan” (FWADJ) provides a contribution. This was decided in the general assembly of May 13th, 2000.

The FWADJ is promoting scientific exchange by taking care of the travel and congress expenses for Japanese scientists who give lectures at research institutes or at congresses in the German-speaking area, or for preparation or conduct of jointly organized research projects with other scientists within the German-speaking area. “Japanese scientists” means scientists who are working at Japanese research or cultural institutes. The Japanese citizenship is not a prerequisite for funding.

Funding is ony possible when third party funding is not given or insufficient. Especially young scientists who do not yet hold a chair in their institute, are encouraged to apply.


2. Application Entitlement

All regular members of the German JSPS Alumni Association are entitled to apply. Applications by non-members are void. Applications may only be submitted by a JSPS Club member for a Japanese scientist. Applications for a Japanese scientist are also void if the Japanese scientist is a JSPS Club member.


3. Funded Projects

The FWADJ is promoting scientific exchange by taking care of the travel and congress expenses for Japanese scientists who give lectures at research institutes or at congresses in the German-speaking area, or for preparation or conduct of jointly organized research projects with other scientists within the German-speaking area

Funded are travel and congress expenses for Japanese scientists, but only in connection with

  • scientific lectures or colloquia when visiting academic insitutions,
  • participation in conferences or congresses,
  • conduct or preparation of jointly organized scientific research projects or collaborations.

In the context of funding, expenses for travel, accomodation and conference fees can be refunded. Daily rates and honorary incomes are excluded. The funded project must take place in the German-speaking area.

Small travel projects in the German-speaking area or Europe are most likely to be funded. Long-distance travels will only be funded in reasonable exceptional cases and under consideration of the application situation and the available financial resources.


4. Application

4.1. Application Date
Applications can be submitted anytime, however it must be 6 weeks prior to the applied project. The JSPS Club holds 2 selection meetings every year, one in April and one in October. That is why the annual application deadlines are fixed to March 31th and September 30th. Subsequent applications are void.

4.2 Application Documents
An application is to be submitted informal but in written form. It must contain all following details and documents:

  • Name, address and official position of the applicant,
  • the bank account to where the requested funding should be transfered,
  • name, address (in Japan) and official position of the Japanese scientist who is to be funded,
  • if needed, address of the host institute in the German-speaking area, name of the host, duration of stay in the German-speaking area, objective of stay at the host institute, as well as name and address of the institution that pays the costs of the stay,
  • academic curriculum vitae and list of publications of the Japanese scientist (if possible with German or English translations of the Japanese publication titles and journal names),
  • verification of all incurred costs for travel and congress, if possible with comparative offers for air travel fares,
  • in case of a partial funding, a detailed listing of all beared costs by third parties and copies of relevant letters of approval
  • subject of the presentation or research project,
  • abstract of the presentation or research project (maximum 1 A4 page),
  • the following declaration that has been signed by the applicant and includes place and date of writing: “I hereby declare that there are no promotion possibilities for the applied funding from any other research project or other third parties. No additional application for funding of the research project was submitted to any other party. If I do submit such an application, I will immediately inform the German JSPS Alumni Association. I confirm my acceptance of theterms and conditions that are given in the FWADJ guidelines.

Please note that applications can only be taken into account when all application documents are submitted completely and in good time.


5. Approval of Funding

The selection committee that has been appointed by the general assembly of the German JSPS Alumni Association will decide about the approval and the allocated amount of funding, on the meetings of the selection committee and on the basis of all received applications. If the total amount of demanded resources of all applications exceeds the available total volume of the fund, applications will possibly be funded only partially. Applications from young scientists who do not hold a chair will be treated preferentially. The applicant will be informed about the results of the selection committee within 2 weeks.


6. Usage Guidelines

6.1 General Information
The funded resources may only be used for the Japanese scientist, as stated in the application and for the purpose as written in the approval funding. The use of funds for travel expenses of German scientists, for the funding recipient or a transfer of fund on third persons is not possible.

6.2 Reporting Obligation
Upon approval of funding, the funding recipient untertakes to inform the German JSP Alumni Association immediately,

  • when the conditions of funding are discontinued,
  • when significant changes regarding the information in the original application have occured,
  • when additional grants or contributions from third parties have been provided.

6.3 Retrieval of Funding
The applied funding can be retrieved with the funding number after the delivery of approval, but no earlier than 4 weeks prior to the project’s conduct. All original invoices or receipts of purchase have to be submitted, without these payment is not possible. All receipts remain with the German JSPS Alumni Association. Within the limits of the agreed contribution, fundings can only be retrieved up to the actual incurred costs. It is not possible to subsequenty increase the funding framework.

6.4 Conclusion of Approval
Upon receipt of the approval, the funding recipient untertakes to submit a short final report (maximum 1 A4 page) within 2 months after the end of the funded project, and to present the original air travel ticket or boarding card. So long as the funding recipient does not recieve any further messages from the Germany JSPS Alumni Association, the approval is concluded.

6.5 Revocation, Reimburement
The Germany JSPS Alumni Association reserves the right to wholly or partially revoke the funding approval and to claim for reimbursement, if

  • the approval was caused by incorrect or incomplete information,
  • the funding was not used in accordance with the objectives,
  • the paid funding was not in due time, not correctly, or not completely accounted for,
  • the final report and all under 6.4 mentioned original documents were not submitted in due time.


7. General Public

The Germany JSPS Alumni Association makes the FWADJ funded projects accessible to the general public by publication at suitable places, for example in the Club website or in its newsletter. The funding recipient promises to point out the funding of the Germany JSPS Alumni Association in publications (journals or books, for example) that have resulted from the funded project

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