Application Guidelines for AY2022 IAfP Short-Term Exchange Program at Kyoto University
(13 May 2022) For the selection process of AY2022 IAfP Short-Term Exchange Program, you need to calculate Grade Evaluation Coefficient (GEC) based on your transcript. Please check the file “Attachment 2” for details.
In 2020, Kyoto University (KU) started the Innovative Africa Program (IAfP) together with Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS). By exchanging students with their partner universities in Africa, the program aims to foster human resources who engage in technological and social innovations to facilitate the realization of sustainable development goals. Under this scope, the program offers fellowships to highly qualified students in fields of research related to African Studies. The program is intended to support 1) students from KU who conduct research or take courses at host universities in Africa, and 2) those coming from its partner universities in Africa to conduct their research and take courses at KU.
Fellowships for African Students in Academic Year 2022 (April 2022 – March 2023)
In Academic Year 2022, the program is accepting approximately 12 students from Africa. The standard period of the fellowship is three months, but it can be for a minimum period of one month up to a maximum of three months between October 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023. By this date, all the students are required to return home. In consultation with their academic advisors at KU, applicants should indicate how many months they plan to spend in Japan. The IAfP can also introduce internship opportunities to African students who wish to do a short-term internship at a private company, governmental organization, or NGO during their three-month stay in Japan. Interested applicants should contact the IAfP Office.
Eligibility
Applicants need to be enrolled as a full-time postgraduate student at one of the partner universities in Africa that have concluded student exchange agreements with KU. For the complete list of the partner universities, please refer to Attachment 1. Their official enrollment needs to be valid at the time of application and throughout the period when they receive the fellowship. Undergraduate or part-time students are NOT eligible to apply for the program. Applicants also need to obtain a confirmation letter from a KU faculty member who can be their academic advisor, as outlined in in the Application Procedure below.
Details of the Short-Term Exchange Program
The Short-Term Exchange Program offers two types of courses before and after successful applicants come to Japan. Under the KU’s system, participants will be registered as Short-Term International Students. The IAfP Office will ask them to submit a short monthly report to review the progress of each course. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some courses may be offered online or canceled if it is impossible to travel to Japan.
Courses offered prior to arrival in Japan
- ONLINE Language Course of Elementary Japanese
The IAfP offers this language course prior to arrival in Japan. All participants are required to complete this course before starting the exchange program at KU. - ONLINE Individual Research Guidance (to be provided by each academic advisor)
All participants are required to have an online consultation with their academic advisors and discuss how to carry out their individual research projects before they arrive in Japan. This online research guidance is a preliminary preparation for the actual research guidance outlined below.
Courses offered after arrival in Japan
- Individual Research Guidance (to be provided by each academic advisor)
All participants will attend their academic advisor’s seminars and other activities related to their research projects at KU. This guidance will be offered in a variety of formats, depending on the circumstances of each advisor, including individual tutoring, regular seminars with Japanese graduate students, and participation in other existing activities. Frequency is approximately once every one or two weeks. - Joint Training Course
The IAfP Office will prepare a “Joint Training Course” for all the participants. It will include a series of events joined together by African and Japanese graduate students to share their learning experiences and cultural knowledge:- Lecture: Innovative Africa and SDGs. Faculty members at the Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies will deliver a series of 15 lectures from different disciplinary perspectives. The lectures will be offered both online and in-person so that the participants can attend the lectures from Africa.
- Joint workshops with Japanese Students,
- Fieldtrips in and around Kyoto to learn about Japanese culture, and
- International conference, which will be held in November/December and conclude with final presentations by the participants.
Application Procedure
The deadline for applications is May 31, 2022. Consideration of the applications takes place at KU. The Selection Committee of IAfP will make final decisions and email the results to successful applicants around the end of June of the same year. The online language course and individual guidance will start shortly after the announcement. The earliest possible date to travel to Japan with the fellowship is October 1 of the same year. Please submit digital copies of the following documents to Kyoto University’s IAfP Application Website (https://forms.gle/7oeh7UxLb2cr86Sv9):
(1) Request for the Admission of a Short-Term International Student (Form 1, Please refer to “Attachment 1” when you writing this)
(2) Application form (Form 2, to be completed by the student. Please make sure to detail your research plan in one or two paragraphs.)
(3) Letter of recommendation (Form 3, to be completed and signed by an applicant’s supervisor at his/her university in Africa.)
(4) Letter of confirmation (Form 4, to be completed and signed by an applicant’s prospective academic advisor at Kyoto University.)
(5) Transcript of academic records
(6) Student ID or another valid document that proves the official enrollment of the applicant in a graduate school.
(7) One passport size photograph of yourself in JPG or PNG file.
(8) Passport (copy of the page containing personal details including name, nationality, photo, and expiry date. It is mandatory to have a passport at the time of application in principle, but please contact the IAfP Office if not).
Stipend and Travel Expenses
The IAfP is sponsored by the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), a government-sponsored non-profit organization promoting international student exchange. The IAfP office will provide a monthly stipend of 80,000 JPY during your stay in Japan. The IAfP will offer additional financial support that covers the costs for the round-trip tickets and insurance. The IAfP will directly administer the payments and notify each successful applicant of the detailed payment procedure. No tuition fees are required.
For any questions concerning the application, please email Kyoto University’s IAfP Office at iafp-exchange@jambo.africa.kyoto-u.ac.jp
FORMS
- Request for the Admission of a Short-Term International Student (Form 1)
- Application form (Form 2)
- Letter of recommendation (Form 3)
- Letter of confirmation (Form 4)
ATTACHMENTS
- Attachment 1 “List of partner universities in Africa”
- Attachment 2 “How to calculate the Grade Evaluation Coefficient for ‘AY2022 IAfP Short-Term Exchange Program'”
*All documents should be scanned and submitted to the designated link:
https://forms.gle/7oeh7UxLb2cr86Sv9