Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers, 2014

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is offering international award for young agricultural researchers. Applicants must be engaged in research and development in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and related industries in developing countries. Candidates should be non-Japanese researchers under 40 years old as of January 01, 2014, belong to a non-Japanese research institute or a non-Japanese university. The award winners will be invited to Japan to receive their awards personally and present their research results and achievements. Application should be submitted till June 13, 2014.

Study Subject (s): Award covers all research areas in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and related industries in developing countries, including the industry sectors of food, forestry and fisheries, and the fields of environmental, forestry and marine sciences. Basic research and socioeconomic fields are also covered.
Course Level: Award is available to undertake research programme.
Scholarship Provider: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF)
Scholarship can be taken at: Developing Countries (applicants will be invited to Japan to attend the commendation ceremony and accept their awards and cash gifts).

Eligibility:
-Must be foreign researchers doing research activities outside Japan;
-Must be under the age of 40 (as of January 01, 2014);
-Must be engaged in research and development in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and related industries in developing countries;
-Must be able to attend the commendation ceremony. (Travel expenses shall be borne by the organizer.)

Scholarship Open for International Students: Foreign researchers can apply for this award.

Scholarship Description: This annual award, which began in 2007, is organized and presented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan. Its purpose is to increase motivation among young researchers contributing to research and development in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and related industries in developing countries, which is promoted by Japan for the benefit of those countries. Up to three young researchers who have shown outstanding performance in research and development, and outstanding research achievements that will lead to future technological innovation.

Number of award(s): Up to three award winners will be named.

Duration of award(s): Not Known

What does it cover? The award winners will be invited to Japan to receive their awards personally and present their research results and achievements. The winners will be bestowed a testimonial by the Chairman of the AFFRC during the commendation ceremony and will also receive a cash prize of US$5,000 each from JIRCAS.

Selection Criteria: The award winners will be decided from among the final applicants by the Chairman of AFFRC based on the outcome of evaluation and selection carried out by the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will give consideration to the following perspectives in evaluating and judging the applicants’ performance and research achievements for this award:
-The research and development have shown abundant originality.
-Achievements in the research and development have been objectively evaluated, e.g., by  being published in academic or technical journals.
-The research and development have provided consideration for the development of agriculture, forestry, fisheries or related industries in developing countries in terms of dissemination and commercialization.
-The research and development have shown potential for great development and for leading to future technological and methodological innovations, even when it might not be fully completed or not diffused enough at the present time.

Notification: Awarding Ceremony will be in November, 2014.

How to Apply: Applicants should apply by post.
-Applications must be prepared according to the “Instructions in the Preparation of Application Forms” and submitted by the recommending institute by post. Moreover, word-processed files of each form must be submitted by the recommending institute via e-mail as they will be used for the preparation of a short-list.
-Only one researcher can be recommended from each institute, including its branches.
If an institute recommends two candidates or more, the Secretariat will ask the institute to choose one. If the institute does not respond by the due date, all applications from that institute will be excluded.
-The application must include supporting materials that substantiate the candidate’s achievements, such as the applicant’s most important research papers (three items), technical handbooks, patent applications or utility models, newspaper articles etc., and the entire publication list directly related to the applicant’s research.
-Applications that are insufficient or incorrect will be excluded from the evaluation.

Scholarship Application Deadline: The application deadline is June 13, 2014.

http://www.jircas.affrc.go.jp/english/young/yi2014_index.html