OU-SPRING
In February 2021, Okayama University established the “Okayama University Fellowship for Science and Technology Innovation” (OU Fellowship), which was adopted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for the “the establishment of university fellowships towards the creation of science technology innovation“.
The purpose of the OU Fellowship is to foster young researchers who will promote research in priority research fields at Okayama University, and to produce researchers who will play a leading role in the creation of science, technology, and innovation in Japan.
In September 2021, Okayama University was selected by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) as a recipient of the “Support for Pioneering Research Initiated by the Next Generation” (SPRING) program and newly established the “OU Fellowship (Type B)”.
As a result, the existing OU Fellowship will be implemented as the “OU Fellowship (Type A)”.
Okayama University will formulate a university-wide strategy for the OU Fellowship and implement the following in concert with the entire university.
・To secure excellent human resources who will advance from master’s course to doctor’s course.
・Improvement of the treatment of doctoral students who will be responsible for the future creation of science, technology, and innovation in Japan
・Support career paths for doctoral students
The two types of fellowships, “OU Fellowship (Type A)” and “OU Fellowship (Type B),” were in operation until FY2023, but the two programs were merged into the new “OU-SPRING (Okayama University Support for Pioneering Research Initiated by the Next-Generation)” in FY2024.
Support in the OU-SPRING
■Support equivalent to living expenses:
2,200,000 yen per year
■Research grant:
400,000 yen per year
■Other support:
Regular interviews by mentors, various seminars, support for overseas activities related to research and career development, exchange meetings, etc.
Eligibility for support, etc.
Eligible applicants are those who are enrolled in doctor’s courses at Okayama University. For details, please refer to the call information.
Those who fall under the following categories are not eligible.
【Those who are not eligible】
(1) Students who have stable income that is sufficient to live on*
(2) Research Fellows (Young Scientists) of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
(3) Students from abroad receiving support through the Japanese Gvernment (MEXT) Scholarship and scholarships from their own countries
* “Stable income that is sufficient to live on” here means 2,400,000 yen/year.
【Reference】
FY2021 Call Information (Not available at present)
OU-SPRING Recipients Breakdown
| 1st year | 2nd year | 3rd year | 4th year | 5th year | total |
| 29 | 30 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 89 |
As of April 1, 2024
【Contact/Address】
Koumoto/Kawaguchi/Kanemoto, Research Support Office
Email : ou-fellowship[at]adm.okayama-u.ac.jp Please replace [at] with “@”.
Tel : 086-251-8462
