February 27, 2012
The Slavic Research Center of Hokkaido University is pleased to announce the thirty-fifth round of the Foreign Visitors Fellowship Program for 2013-2014. Foreign specialists in studies of the former Soviet and East European countries, who are interested in spending several months at the Slavic Research Center during the academic year of 2013-2014 (June to March), are invited to submit applications for this program, though requesting kindly the applicants to understand that the program is still tentative due to the state budget for the next fiscal year under the discussion at the National Diet. Therefore, the conditions of your stay in Sapporo might be changed in the case of drastic cutting of the budget.
Before submitting applications, applicants should choose their preferred period of stay at SRC:
- Ten months (from June 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014)
- Five months in Summer (from June 1, 2013 to October 31, 2013)
- Five months in Winter (from November 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014)
Within each period, applicants will be able to name a shorter preferred period. For example, the applicant can select a four-month stay in winter with concrete data such as from November 1, 2013 to February 28, 2014. However, applicants, who would prefer a five-month stay at SRC, are not permitted to name a period including both Summer and Winter dates (for example, applying for a period from August 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013 is not acceptable).
After the selection process, the Slavic Research Center reserves the right to ask nominated applicants either to shorten a requested ten-month-stay to five months or to change the date of the five-month stay at the Center.
The Center undertakes to provide the following:
- One round-trip air ticket (economy-class) between the place of work of a fellow and Sapporo. Fellows are welcome to bring their family, but at their own expense. Fellows must pay shipping and customs clearance charges for their own luggage.
- A living allowance of around 480,000 yen per month. In addition, there is a one-time financial allowance of around 80,000 yen for professional trips in Japan. (Please be aware that the sum of taxation on your income in Japan will depend on whether a Tax Treaty exists between Japan and your country. The treaty will help you avoid double taxation.)
- Accommodation (either a flat in the University’s Foreign Scholars’ Residence or a furnished flat outside the University campus). The kind of accommodation that SRC can provide foreign fellows will depend on the rules of flats in the University’s Foreign Scholars’ Residence which SRC will receive from University Administration in the academic year 2013-2014.
- In both cases you will have to pay monthly rent. Gas, electricity, water, heating and telephone must be paid separately at the university resident (the University’s Foreign Scholars’ Residence has a poor condition for internet connection), but they are included in the case of the flat outside the campus.
- A travel allowance for daily commuting to and from the Center.
- An office at the Center (with the use of a personal computer) and access to all the University and library facilities. No secretarial service is provided.
- The visiting scholar, who will stay more than 2 months, must subscribe to social insurance (health insurance) and pension. The insurance will pay 70% of your medical expenses. If your stay will be within 2 months, you are strongly recommended to subscribe an overseas health insurance in your own country.
- The visiting scholar is expected to spend either 5 or 10 months at the Slavic Research Center, but is free during that period to engage in a limited amount of travel for professional purposes within Japan. Foreign travel must be approved by the director in accordance with the regulations.
The above-mentioned conditions are preliminary and changes may occur when the details of the program are finally determined in the 2013-2014 academic year.
Fellows have the following obligations to the Center:
- The Center will expect fellows to give at least two formal presentations at SRC’s regular symposia or other academic meetings in Japan.
- The Center will further expect fellows to contribute an article during their stay in Sapporo to the Center’s international refereed journal Acta Slavica Iaponica on a subject within the broad confines of Slavic, Russian, and East European studies.
The visiting scholar is also expected to be available for talks and consultation with members of staff and graduate students.
Applicants should submit applications for this program by the deadline (April 30, 2012).
Application form 2013-2014 ( pdf / word )
Each applicant is expected to have at least two letters of reference sent directly to the Center: one letter from the institution to which the applicant is attached, testifying that he or she will be free during the period of the stay in Sapporo, and another confidential letter from a recognized specialist in their field. It is the responsibility of applicants to make sure that letters of reference should arrive at the Center by the deadline. Applications can be sent by E-mail. Letters of reference are to be sent on paper.
The selection will be conducted during June-July 2012, carefully examining the applicants’ research plans, academic achievements, possible contributions to the SRC’s projects and other factors.
Also, preference is given to those who have both permanent academic positions and PhD degrees (or their equivalents).
Applicants will be informed of the selection results by the end of August, 2012.
Correspondence concerning this program should be addressed to:
Head, Foreign Visitors Fellowship Program Professor Kimitaka Matsuzato / Ms Mika Osuga
Slavic Research Center, Hokkaido University Kita-9, Nishi-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0809, Japan
Tel.: (+81) 11-706-2388
Fax. : (+81) 11-706-4952
E-mail: src@slav.hokudai.ac.jp
*Information about the SRC is available through the Internet:
Website: http://src-h.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/index-e.html