公益財団法人第一三共生命科学研究振興財団

https://www.ds-fdn.or.jp/index.html

医歯薬生命系

国際交流助成

※詳細については下記URLを参照ください。

海外留学奨学研究助成｜助成事業｜公益財団法人第一三共生命科学研究振興財団 (ds-fdn.or.jp)

本件担当：国際部国際企画課国際学術係

Daiichi Sankyo Foundation of Life Science

FY 2026 Overseas Study Scholarship Application Guidelines

 Application Period: Sunday, 1 June 2025 to Thursday, 31 July 2025

Field: Medical, and Pharmaceutical Life Sciences.

1. 1. Eligible applicants

(1) Applicants must be Japanese nationals residing in Japan who are actively engaged in basic or applied research in life sciences,particularly in disease prevention.

They must have already obtained a doctoral degree or be currently enrolled in a doctoral program and expected to receive their degree by 1 April 2026.

(2) Applicants must be 35 years old or younger as of 1 April 2025.

However, for those who have completed a 6-year undergraduate program, the age limit is 37.

Applicants whose studies or research have been interrupted due to maternity leave or other reasons may still be eligible.

Please contact the Foundation’s office for details.

(3) Applicants who plan to conduct research at an overseas institution for a period of two years or more.

(4) Applicants whose overseas research begins on or after 1 December 2025.

 2.  Scholarship Criteria

(1) Applicants must obtain a recommendation using the designated forms provided by the Foundation from one of the qualified recommenders listed on the Foundation’s website (in Japanese only).

https://www.ds-fdn.or.jp/recommend/index2.html

Eligible recommenders include deans or directors of the applicant’s graduate school or research institution, or Foundation members such as trustees, directors, or advisors.

Each recommender may recommend only one applicant.

(2) This scholarship is open to applicants who have never studied abroad (excluding short term stays of less than six months or language training).

(3) Applicants who have already secured funding from their overseas host institution equivalent to the “minimum guaranteed amount for postdoctoral fellows” are eligible only

if they are selected and the host institution agrees to provide only the difference between this scholarship and the “minimum guaranteed amount.”

If an applicant receives funding from other domestic foundations or organizations in parallel, the selection will take into consideration the host country’s economic conditions and the “minimum guaranteed amount.”

(4) Eligible research areas include:

① Basic life science fundamental biology, related to diseases mechanism and pathology

② Drug discovery platform research and technology development aimed at discovering novel substance

③ New or interdisciplinary field: Research areas not covered by the above, including social medicine and small scale survey studies

 3. Ineligible Applicants

The following individuals are not eligible for this scholarship:

(1) Applicants who have already secured funding equivalent to the minimum guaranteed amount for the postdoctoral research at their host institutions. See 2-(3) above.

(2) Applicants who are already conducting research overseas as of the selection date (December 2025).

(3) Applicants affiliated with a for-profit organization or a corporate research institution, or applicants planning to study abroad at a private research center or organization.

(4) Recommenders or individuals affiliated with the Foundation (trustees, directors, selection committee members, advisors or past award recipients) and their relatives.

Note: Applicants recommended by someone other than the above may be eligible.

 4. Scholarship

(1) Total Amount: The maximum amount per project is 15,000,000 yen.

（7,500,000 yen per year for two years）

(2) Duration of the scholarship period: 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2028

(3) Number of scholarships: Approximately five awarded across three research fields.

Around 20% of the total scholarships will be prioritized for female applicants.

 5. Application Period: Sunday, 1 June 2025 to Thursday, 31 July 2025

 6. Reference

Please refer to the URL below for an overview of the scholarship (in Japanese only): https://www.ds-fdn.or.jp/support/studying_abroad.html

Recommendations from qualified recommenders must use the Foundation’s designated forms (in Japanese only).https://www.ds-fdn.or.jp/recommend/index.html

Recommenders listed on the Foundation’s website (in Japanese only)

https://www.ds-fdn.or.jp/recommend/index2.html