International Program Associate

An International Program Associate (IPA) is a non-Japanese doctoral candidate attending a Japanese or overseas graduate school participating in RIKEN’s joint graduate school program. IPAs conduct research at RIKEN under the supervision of RIKEN scientists as part of work toward obtaining a PhD. RIKEN’s joint graduate school program is based on agreements with a number of Japanese and overseas universities and aims to identify and foster talented young scientists capable of contributing to the advancement of science for the global community.
RIKEN's Educational Partnerships
Japanese Universities
- Tokyo Institute of Technology
- The University of Tokyo (Graduate School of Frontier Science)
- Tokyo Medical and Dental University (Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences)
- Saitama University (Graduate School of Science and Engineering)
- Kobe University (Graduate School of Science/Graduate School of Medicine)
- Yokohama City University (Graduate School of Nano bioscience, Department of Genome System Science)
- University of Tsukuba
- Osaka University (Graduate School of Science/Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences/Graduate School of Medicine)
- Kyoto University (Graduate School of Medicine/Graduate School of Biostudies)
List of RIKEN researchers collaborating in this program
Overseas Universities
China | Nanjing University Dalian University of Technology Hunan University Shanghai Jiao Tong University Huazhong University of Science and Technology East China University of Science and Technology Jilin University Lanzhou University Chinese Academy of Science (IMP, DCP, IHEP) Xiamen University Beijing University of Chinese Medicine University of Science and Technology China Peking Union Medical College Peking University* X'iang Jiaotong University* |
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Taiwan | National Tsing Hua University National Chiao Tung University National Taiwan University / Academia Sinica Taipei Medical University |
Korea | Pohang University of Science and Technology Korea University Seoul National University Kyungpook National University Hanyang University Ewha Womans University GIST(Gwangiu Institute of Science and Technology) |
Mongolia | National University of Mongolia |
Pakistan | University of Punjab Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology |
Indonesia | Universitas Padjadjaran Institut Teknologi Bandung Universitas Indonesia |
Singapore | Nanyang Technological University |
Malaysia | University of Malaya Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Universti Sains Malaysia* |
Vietnam | VNU University of Science Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences |
Phillipines | University of the Phillipines-Diliman |
Australia | University of New South Wales |
Russia | Kazan Federal University Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology |
Romania | University of Bucharest |
Sweden | Karolinska Institutet |
Denmark | University of Copenhagen |
UK | University of York The University of Liverpool* |
France | Universite de Caen Normandie Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 (UCBL) University of Strasbourg Universite Paris-Sud |
Germany | University of Tubingen Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University of Greifswald |
Switzerland | ETH Zurich |
Italy | University of Trento |
USA | University of Illinois at Chicago |
Canada | McGill University |
Brazil | University of Sao Paulo |
*Universities which have strategic agreements with RIKEN
The position of International Program Associate (IPA) was created in October 2006. Under the terms of the joint graduate school program, RIKEN provides the IPA with a daily living allowance and covers the IPA’s housing costs for up to a maximum of three years while they are at RIKEN.
Eligibility
A graduate student enrolled in a PhD program at a Japanese or an overseas university which has entered into a joint graduate school partnership program with RIKEN, or is in the process of entering into an agreement.
Duration
1 to 3 years, in principle.
Compensation
- Airfare (1 round-trip ticket)
- Living allowance (5,200 JPY/day)
- Free on-campus housing, or payment of actual amount of rent for off-campus apartment, up to a maximum of 70,000 JPY/month
- Payment of accident insurance premium
Note: The information shown above is the basic compensation. The portion paid by RIKEN may differ depending on the stipulations in the agreement with the partnering university. However, the compensation for each individual student is as shown above.
Procedures
Within Japan
Since recruitment procedures and required documents differ by partnering university, please ask RIKEN’s Research Personnel Affairs Section(RPAS) for instructions.
The basic sequence of procedures for becoming an IPA from within Japan is as follows:
- 1.Check the list of partner Universities for information of the entrance exam at each University and contact RIKEN’s researchers collaborating with that University.
- 2.RIKEN’s researchers willing to accept the candidate contacts RPAS
- 3.Collect necessary application documents
- 4.Internal screening (Done before submitting application documents to the University)
- 5.Pass entrance exam and become an IPA
Overseas
Calls for applications are issued in April and in October each year. Application documents must be submitted following the instructions in the call for applications.
Note: IPAs may select his/her starting date from October to March of the following year, or from April to September.
The basic sequence of procedures for becoming an IPA from outside of Japan is as follows:
- 1.Directly contact RIKEN’s researchers of interest
- 2.RIKEN’s researchers willing to accept the candidate contacts RPAS
- 3.Apply for IPA at biannual Call of application (in April and October)
- 4.Screening
- 5.After gaining internal approval, become an IPA
Contact
Research Personnel Affairs Section
Human Resources Division, RIKEN
Hirosawa 2-1, Wako, Saitama JAPAN 351-0198
FAX: +81-(0)48-463-3687
Email: ipa-info [at] riken.jp