International Office Medical Faculty & Student / institutional

Medicine does not stand alone with basic and advanced studies.? It is the practice of clinical medicine that truly signifies our studies and helps tackle the challenges of modern times.? Particularly in terms of international medical activities, there is literally a mountain of issues to address in the fields of clinical medicine and public health, including the issues of establishing a solid training system and building social and financial infrastructures.? In clinical training, clinical research is of great importance.? Therefore, it is quite significant that trainees experience in an excellent overseas environment clinical cases that are different from those in Japan both in terms of quality and quantity, and organize such experiences in their studies.

The University of Tsukuba regards it as its mission to nurture creative individuals who can offer innovative and distinct ideas to the world.? With a fine balance between research and education, we operate as a hub station for international research and education.? More specifically, among all national universities, we have the largest foreign faculty and second largest population of foreign students.? We also cherish a long-lived culture of internationalism, which dates back to when the university was still a teacher’s school with the then president, Jigoro Kanou.

Under this principle, in the Medical Division, we have been promoting the Program for Promotion of Independent Research Environment, and an attractive scheme called the Initiatives for Attractive Education in Graduate Schools, as well as the Program for Promotion of Innovative and Organized Postgraduate Education, all of which aim to produce independent and international human resources, and to create an active research environment.

For the field of medicine to be more competitive in the world, it is vital that leaders (mostly professors), young researchers and students have their own distinct roles or responsibilities, and yet make consolidated efforts as a team.? Therefore, researching and nurturing human resources are inseparable matters and should always be two sides of the same coin.

In this project, assistant professors, research associates and postdocs, as well as graduate and undergraduate students can all share their experiences through debriefing and grow together, which will help the two sides further intertwine.

In university laboratories in Japan, excellent teachers and students are constantly doing world-class research.? However, their communication skills in the English language are often not good enough to convey their accomplishments to the international community and therefore fail to enjoy a well-deserved reputation.? This mostly attributes to the fact that most teaching staff and students in graduate schools are Japanese and everything is carried out in the Japanese language.

In order to change this situation, the biggest and only solution is to introduce the English language to the campus life as an official language.? And to this end, there should be more foreign teachers, and more than 20 % of all graduate students should be non-Japanese.

Another challenge is to improve the discussion skills of researchers and students.? Their communication skills in academic discussions are behind those of their foreign counterparts and thus far from the international standard.? The lack of their skills stems from not only the lack of linguistic abilities but rather from the lack of motivation and attitude to debate throughly.

Therefore our goal is to create an environment within the country where both Japanese and foreign researchers and students can stay in close contact, have thorough academic discussions in a constant and systematic manner, and advance and evaluate science.

A completed application form (no more than 2 pages) should be submitted to the International Office on the 4th floor of the department building.? The application form must be accompanied by a resume(the same format used when entering the University of Tsukuba), a letter of recommendation signed by the head professor of your research team, a letter of invitation from the hosting institute,(free format), a list of all of your achievements and a duplicate (or a photocopy) of two of the most prominent papers you have written.

The screening of faculty members and doctoral researchers is carried out by the scholarly committee of the medical department.? Applicants must submit an application form in English.? And the decisions are made based on the information provided in the application form, which includes the applicant’s name, the name of the proposed institute, acquaintance with the host researcher, the proposed term of stay, research objectives, the expected research result and its significance, past research accomplishments and information on whether a research fund has been granted.? Also, the application form must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a concering professor.

As for the graduate students, the screening is done by the postgraduate professorial committee.? Candidates need to provide information including his/her name, the name of the proposed institute, acquaintance with the hosting researcher, the proposed term of stay, research objectives, the expected research result and its significance, experiences in international conferences, research accomplishments, the significance of this project in his/her future study, total credits earned, proof of linguistic, proficiency (TOEIC, Eiken, intermediary evaluation of doctoral thesis, etc.) and a letter of recommendation from his/her research advisor, which are all taken into consideration in the screening process.? However, the most important factors in the selection of individuals and the decision on the term of research are the candidate’s potential as a researcher and his/her research plan.? The project periods are basically for one year during the second year, or a period between July in the third year and October in the fourth year.

As for medical personnel, the general clinical education center evaluates the candidates on the basis of their academic achievements such as research papers, case reports, as well as their clinical skills and linguistic proficiency.? Successful candidates must also have a clear goal and a high level of awareness.

In many cases, host researchers either belong to the same entity as the mentors of the travelers, or are co-researchers of the travelers themselves, which ensures the security of the dispatched travelers as well as the quality of their study.? Also prior to departure, the dispatched members are required to be insured by travel insurance and/or liability insurance.

1)What is the proper name for the project?

The official name for the project is:

Institutional Program for Young Researcher Overseas Visits

２）How much money will be granted for the stay and the airfare?

A total of around 210,000 yen a month will be paid to faculty, graduate students and residents. Up to 200,000 yen will be covered for an airfare. Any cost exceeding 200,000 will be the responsibility of the traveler.

３）Does the actual departure date have to be the same as the date stated on the application form?

The actual departure and return dates do not necessarily have to be the same as those written on the application form so long as the actual duration of the stay is no less than two months. Please inform us if there should be a change in the duration of your stay.

４）How do I obtain an English version of proof of income required by the host university.

Proof of earnings can be issued by the General Affairs Division.? An English version takes a little longer to issue, so please be sure to allow enough time.

5）Does the university recommend any specific health insurance?

The university does not recommend any specific health insurance.? It is left up to the responsibility of each individual to find and obtain health insurance.

6）How will the salary in Japan be calculated during the stay?

The salary will be calculated and paid normally.