Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Nairobi Research Station (日本学術振興会ナイロビ研究連絡センター)
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Nairobi Research Station (日本学術振興会ナイロビ研究連絡センター)
更新日:2014/03/13
On 23rd January 2014, Eastern Africa JSPS Alumni Association held a Workshop on Academic Affairs, Science & Technology at Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya. The seminar was attended by 88 participants (see the list below) mainly researchers and students from Pwani University.
After Executive members of Eastern Africa JSPS Alumni Association arrived the university, they visited Prof.Mohammed S. Rajab, Vice Chancellor’s office of the university, also met Prof. Muniru Khamis Tsanuo (Deputy V.C., Research & Extension) and Prof. James H. P Kahindi (Deputy V.C., Academic and Students Affairs).
The workshop was exiting. Among attendants of the workshop, there are professional researchers who have PhD degrees and young researchers and students.
Professor Shaukat Ali Abdulrazak, CEO of NACOSTI Kenya and Chair of Eastern Africa JSPS Alumni Association, gave encouraging speech to all the attendants. Getting Ph.D. is now attracting many young students and researchers, but doing post-docs in abroad are not yet so popular in Eastern African countries. He enlighten the significance and advantage to do post-docs.
presenters of the workshop
Deputy Vice Chancellor of Pwani University Prof. Muniru Tsanuo presented the research affairs of the university and challenges. An executive member of Eastern Africa JSPS Alumni Association Dr. Dereje Ayalew made a speech about his experience of pos-doc life in Japan, it made attendants relax to think about his/her pos-doc and other chance for farther studies / researches in Japan.
Then, JSPS publicity presentation by Dr. Soichiro SHIRAISHI, the Director JSPS Nairobi invoked various questions. They are; (1) If there are counterpart researchers/professors of any specialty of African researchers, (2) About the eligibilities of each oversea programmes of JSPS, (3) How to connect with counterpart researchers / professors in Japan at the first step. The reply for each is as below.
(1) There are many researchers / professors of the fields fit to specialties of African researchers. For instance, there are professors of Kiswahili studies, African literatures and linguistics. You can search by google or yahoo service and find their web site, try it. Or also you can resister “Japan-Affiliated Research Community Network” by JSPS on the web. Then, your advantage to be this workshop is to connect the members of EA JSPS Alumni Association, they are the ambassadors to connect you to Japanese researchers, they have active networks.
(2) About the guidelines as well as application forms are available on the web. Search by the name of each programme you can see in the leaflet. Liberally interpreted, there is a line before / after 6 years you got Ph.D. degree. If before, you can apply pos-doc fellowship, if after, you can apply short-term and long-term invitation fellowship.
(3) As replied in (1), the first step is search by yourself on the web or take advantage to get active networks from Alumni members. JSPS Nairobi can assist you from the second step, to connect you to certain particular lab or researcher / professor in Japan. Also we can upload your “wanted advertisement” on the website if you sent us your CV and belief research proposal. JSPS also have the joint research programmes such as Bi-lateral Programme (for two years) and Core-to-Core Programme (especially “Asia-Africa Science Platform” for three years), you encourage your professor to connect Japanese researchers / professors and apply them. If you have a position in a university or research institution in your country and wants to get Ph.D. under universities in Japan, you can apply Ron-Paku (Ph.D. dissertation) Programme after you find your Japanese counterpart.
Happy hour in a break
Moreover, there were the introduction of MEXT programme for under graduate. Masters and doctor’s course in Japan which is dealt by Japan Information & Culture Centre in Japan Embassy in Kenya, also of ABE Initiative for master’s course by Japan JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency).
Having a good network with Japanese researchers / professors is one of the most important key for applying JSPS fellowships. Alumni members advised in several ways; keep in touch the Alumni Association members of their institution or their own country; they are the hub of networking.
Group Photo
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Programme
09:30 – 10:00 Arrival and Registration of Participants
10:00 – 10:10 Welcome remarks – Prof. Mohamed Rajab, Vice-Chancellor, PWANI university
10:10 – 10:20 Opening Remarks – EA JSPS Alumni Association Chair – Prof. S. Abdulrazak
10:20 – 10:40 Presentation – Prof. Muniru Tsanuo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Extension), PWANI university
10:40 – 11:00 Health Break
11:00 – 11:20 Presentation on JSPS activities and JSPS Programmes – Director, JSPS Nairobi Research Station
11:20 – 12:00 Discussion
Vote of thanks – PWANI
12:00 – 13:30 Lunch / Depart
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Lists of Workshop Attendants
(Photo by Mr. Said Mwinyi)
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Link
