Japanese Professors Dispatch Program AUN SEED-NET

It is essential for AUN/SEED-Net students to produce high quality master’s or doctoral thesis research of international standard and to complete master’s degrees within two years and doctoral degrees within three years. AUN/SEED-Net Project thus provides thesis research assistance to AUN/SEED-Net students by Japanese Supporting Universities headed by Field Coordinating Universities to achieve such a goal, namely joint thesis research supervision will be conducted at Host Institution by Japanese co-advisors. To facilitate this assistance, Collaborative Research Program has been introduced, in which each Host Institution, in consultation with Field Coordinating Universities, identifies a few well-defined and focused Collaborative Research Themes (or research umbrellas), each of which is a sub-area of research defined by several key words leading to a number of interrelated and progressively conducted possible thesis research topics. Then each research theme/topic will be carried out by AUN/SEED-Net students under joint supervision of Host Institution and Japanese Supporting Universities.

The Japanese Professors Dispatch Program is to support trips of professors from Japanese Supporting Universities, both those who are involved in AUN/SEED-Net Collaborative Research and/or those who have never participated in AUN/SEED-Net activities, to participate in AUN/SEED-Net Regional Conferences / Workshops and/or to visit Host or other Member Institutions for research collaboration which includes several types of activities, e.g. discussion on Research Plan and/or Collaborative Research, supervision of AUN/SEED-Net students, conducting research experiments, site visits, and etc.

OBJECTIVE

• To carryout joint thesis research supervision of AUN/SEED-Net students between Host Institution and Japanese Supporting Universities under Collaborative Research Program scheme.
• To ensure high quality of master’s and doctoral theses (which would lead to reputable international refereed journal publication) and to ensure the completion of the graduate degree within reasonable
  duration (two years for master’s degree and three years for doctoral degree).
  
• To enhance the research collaboration between Host Institution and Japanese Supporting Universities
• To give special lecture(s) or seminar(s) related to his/her recent research results to faculty members and graduate students of the Member Institutions and beyond.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Principal Investigators and Advisors of the Host Institution who supervise thesis research of graduate students under the AUN/SEED-Net Project. Dispatched Japanese professors to HI are encouraged to further to MI too as one connected trip, with the maximum of 3 countries per dispatch. However, it mainly depends on the feasibility of the Japanese professors who are invited. The Non-Host Institution should communicate with Principal Investigators or Head of Host Program at Host Institution for possible arrangement of his/her visit to their Institution.

DURATION

The total duration of each dispatch is normally not more than three (3) weeks.

REQUIREMENTS

The applicant must communicate with the concerned Japanese professor to identify tentative period of dispatch. When Japanese professor visits to Host and Non-Host Institutions, he/she is encouraged to give special lecture(s) arranged by the Institution and/or seminar(s) of his/her recent research results to faculty members and graduate students of the Member Institutions.

APPLICATION

(1) Tentative Overall Plan of Dispatches (ATTACHMENT 1) for the Japanese Fiscal Year 2009 (April 2009 – March 2010)
Head of Department of Host Institution (or Main Facilitating Institution in case of interdisciplinary area) is required to submit the Tentative Overall Plan of Dispatches, which shows the expected number and names of Japanese professors to be dispatched for the whole Japanese Fiscal Year 2009 (April 2009 – March 2010). The Tentative Overall Plan must be endorsed by Dean or Representative of Host Institution.

(2) Individual Application Form for each dispatch (ATTACHMENT 2) must be submitted for each invitation of Japanese professor. It must be endorsed by Head of Department of Host Institution (or Main Facilitating Institution) in consultation with Coordinator of Japanese Field Coordinating University.
**For invitation of Japanese professors to attend AUN/SEED-Net Regional Conference/Workshop, individual application form for each dispatch is not required.

(3) After receiving each individual proposal, the AUN/SEED-Net Project will finalize the dispatch not only to Host Institution (or Main Facilitating Institution) but also possible visit(s) to other
Member Institutions in consultation with the Japanese professor and the Coordinator of Field
Coordinating University.

DEADLINE

1) Tentative Summary Plan of Dispatches (ATTACHMENT 1) – by March 31, 2009
(2) Individual Application Form for each dispatch (ATTACHMENT 2) – at least 3 months prior to the proposed dispatch period.

FURTHER INFORMATION

http://www.seed-net.org/download/JPDP_2009_gl.pdf