Deadline: January 22, 2017
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the Government of Japan in cooperation with the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) have established a United Nations/Japan Long-term Fellowship Programme on Nano-Satellite Technologies for nationals of developing countries or non-space-faring nations. The Programme will provide extensive research opportunities in nano-satellite systems through the use of the nano-satellite development and testing facilities available at Kyutech.
Every year this “Post-graduate study on Nano-Satellite Technologies (PNST)” Fellowship Programme will accept up to two students in the Masters course (2 years duration) and up to four students in the Doctorate course (3 years duration). Successful participants will be awarded a master or doctorate degree after successful thesis defence. The successful candidates will enroll in the Space Engineering International Course (SEIC) after passing an official entrance examination by the Graduate School of Kyushu Institute of Technology.
Fellowship
- Each fellow will receive a grant under Japanese government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) scholarship (Research Students) of about 145,000 Yen per month for the duration of their fellowship study (2 or 3 years) to cover housing, food, local transportation, and other expenses (actual scholarship amount is subject to change);
- Each fellow will be provided, according to his/her itinerary and route as designated by MEXT, an economy class air ticket between an international airport in the country of his/her nationality and Narita International Airport or Fukuoka International Airport;
- Fees for matriculation, tuition and entrance examinations will be paid by Kyutech.
Eligibility
Applicants should:
- Be nationals of developing countries or non-space-faring nations (countries without an established substantial capability to develop space technology/launch space objects);
- Be duly nominated by their institutions;
- Be born on or after 2 April 1982;
- Have the academic and professional background required by the specific fellowship programme. Candidates seeking a Master degree are expected to have completed studies ending with a Bachelor Degree or equivalent (4 year university degree) in engineering-related subjects. Candidates seeking a Doctorate degree are expected to have completed studies ending with a Master Degree or equivalent (5 years university degree) in engineering-related subjects. Degrees in different technological fields can be considered by the Doctor Commission; and
- Be able to make professional use of the experience gained in the fellowship programme.
Application Process
- Before submitting the completed application documents through the online upload-form, please first complete the electronic registration form;
- After registering for PNST you will receive a confirmation email with the web address where you will download the .doc-versions of the application forms;
- The fully completed application form and other required documents except the referee report forms shall be submitted in electronic format (.doc or .pdf) at the Web address that is in the confirmation e-mail you will receive after registering above, by no later than 22 January 2017;
- Note: Please do not use spaces in your file names when you upload the application package, as the file server cannot handle the files correctly. Use “_” or “-” instead, e.g. “Tom.Smith.14.12.24”;
- There are also rules for naming files and you must follow the rules. Please refer to the CHECKLIST. The Referee report forms should be sent by email to the Post-graduate study on Nano-Satellite Technologies (PNST) ([email protected]) email address by the referees themselves by no later than 22 January 2017 (Sunday, 17:00 JST);
- In exceptional cases where applicants do not have access to electronic mail, the completed application may also be sent by postal mail or through the Office of the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the applicant’s country to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 500, A 1400 Vienna, Austria. For additional details, please also refer to the document “Terms of Participation“.
Important Dates
The timeline anticipated for the selection process of the Fellowship Programme is as follows:
- From August 2016: Dissemination of information on the Fellowship Programme to potential candidates worldwide and application period.
- 22 January 2017 (Sunday, 17:00 JST): Submission deadline – all application documents must be received by PNST except in exceptional cases.
- February 2017: After the first round of selection based on the application documents, the remaining candidates will be notified regarding interviews after 3 February 2017 (Friday, JST).
- February 2017: The first interview based on Skype or telephone will be held on 10 February 2017 (Friday, JST). The second interview based on Skype or telephone will be held between 13 February (Monday) and 17 February 2017 (Friday, JST). All the applicants shall make themselves available for these days. Selection of six successful candidates. At this stage all applicants will be informed about the outcome of their application.
- February-June 2017: Discussion and finalization of research and study plan between the successful candidates and their supervisors.
- March 2017: Selected candidates must send original certificates of graduation and original transcripts with explanation of transcripts to Kyutech. If any documents are written in any language other than English, official translations are also required.
- July 2017: Official entrance exam to Kyutech. Formal admission and administration to obtain student visa.
- August 2017: Travel arrangements for the candidates to Japan and temporary accommodation arrangement for candidates in Japan.
- September 2017: Arrival in Japan and finding accommodation.
- October 2017: Beginning of the Fellowship Programme at Kyutech.
For more information, visit BSTI.
