The Sweden-Japan Foundation Scholarship

The Sweden-Japan Foundation Scholarship

You will receive a travel grant to study, do research, write your thesis or do an internship in Japan. It is awarded for a stay of between 3 months and 1 years. The grant covers the actual costs of your journey: return flights, insurance, vaccinations and accommodation. There is no fixed amount. When applying, you specify your budget in Swedish kronor (SEK), and the Foundation determines an individual amount up to that figure. You will never receive more than you apply for. Your stay must take place between April of the year in which you apply and March of the following year. The Sweden-Japan Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Stockholm, funds the scholarship to give more Swedes the opportunity to get to know Japan.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are a student or early-career researcher at a Swedish university or university of applied sciences.
• Field of study: Any subject area is suitable, for example engineering, natural sciences, medicine, economics, law, the humanities, social sciences or languages.
• Connection to Sweden: You are a Swedish citizen or a foreign national permanently resident in Sweden.
• Individuals only: You are applying as an individual. Organisations cannot apply. If several of you are working on the same project, each of you must submit a separate application.
• Preferred profile: In recent years, the foundation has focused on university students and graduates writing their final theses (students who work in a company as part of a paid study project, known as ‘ex-jobbare’).

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online via the Foundation’s system at apply.se/sjf. Paper applications are not accepted. The application period runs each year from 1 December to 31 January. Please submit your application in Swedish. Attachments such as certificates, CVs, references and a project description may be in English. You will be notified of the decision by email approximately two months after the application deadline.

How realistic are your chances?

This funding scheme is highly selective. Applicants must have close ties to Sweden, a place at a Swedish higher education institution and a concrete plan for a stay in Japan of at least three months, which means that the pool of applicants is limited. If you fit this profile – particularly as an undergraduate or postgraduate student, to whom the foundation currently gives priority – and you submit a clear, well-budgeted project, your chances are good. A realistic budget is important, as you will only be reimbursed up to the amount you have applied for.