Estonian Research Council in cooperation with the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) opened a new call for researcher Exchange program to bring one Japanese scientist per yer to Estonia to do research.
In 2002, the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) and the then Estonian Science Foundation signed an agreement according to which the Estonian Research Council is the JSPS’ cooperation partner and representative organization in Estonia. This created an opportunity for Estonian postdoctoral fellows to apply for a scholarship for research in Japan once a year through ETAG. Until now, Estonia has had the opportunity to send one researcher to Japan for up. Now there ETAG and JSPS are making the cooperation bilateral, and the goal of the new program is to promote international cooperation and mutual understanding through research.
Positively evaluated Estonian R&I institutions can invite one Japanese researcher per year to do research in Estonia for 6-12 months.
GRANT APPLICATION FOR THE YEAR 2026
Brief information about the program:
Period of stay
- 6 to 12 months
- The researcher must depart Japan during the period from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027
Field of research
All areas of Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences
Eligibility
- At the time of application, be a full-time researcher (tenure not required) who is eligible to receive KAKENHI grants or a researcher who aspires to hold such a full-time position in the future.
- The candidate must be a citizen of Japan or a foreign national with permanent residency status in Japan.
- Researchers who have obtained a doctoral degree or who are expected to obtain one by 31 March 2026.
Eligible Japanese R&I institutions
- University or Joint research institute
- Organization under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) that conducts scientific research
- National college of Technology
- Other organization designated by the MEXT minister
Eligible Estonian R&I institutions
- Must formally employ the Japanese researcher (at least part-time) with any type of employment contract legal in Estonia
- The Estonian host researcher must hold a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification and have an updated public profile in the Estonian Research Information System (ETIS) by the submission deadline
The grant amount
The amounts given below ensure the grant for salary that the Estonian R&I institution can pay to a Japanese researcher for conducting research in Estonia. In addition, the R&I institution may pay additional salary from other funds. The costs for research work must be covered by the Estonian R&I institution.
- International airfare
- Maintenance allowance: 1,600 EUR/month
- Family allowance: 500 EUR/month
- Accommodations: 1,000 EUR/month (researcher should pay any amount over)
- Expenses for domestic travel in Estonia: 650 EUR/year
Application procedure
- The Japanese researcher must submit the application electronically on the JSPS platform no later than September 5, 2025 at 17:oo (JST): https://www-kokusai.jsps.go.jp/jsps1/idshinsei/index.html
- The Japanese researcher must submit the invitation letter from the Estonian R&I institution with the application.
- The evaluation is carried out by JSPS and who then make a nomination to ETAG.
More information about the Researcher Exchange Programme and the application guidelines in English:
https://www.jsps.go.jp/file/storage/e-tokuteikoku/sinsei_boshu/FY2026_boshuyoko_en.pdf
Information in Japanese: https://www.jsps.go.jp/j-bilat/tokuteikoku/shinsei_bosyu.html
Call contact at ETAG:
Katrin Saar
katrin.saar@etag.ee
+372 5333 5625