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Almost 2.5 months ago, I approached a professor in Japan to be my host supervisor for JSPS fellowship. I also sent him my research proposal and he asked me to do some correction. In the mean time, I got busy with multiple other works (research paper writing, examinations etc) and therefore it is taking almost 2 months to give him my updated proposal.

My questions are, 1.Is it normal to contact host after such a long time? 2.If he has already decided to host someone else already (due to my delay), is there still scope for him to host another JSPS fellow (i.e. me ?)

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Firstly, it is important to understand that there are 2 categories of JSPS Postdoc: one for Japanese applicants and another for foreign applicants.

UPDATE: The previous text was incorrect: according to last year's FAQ posted on JSPS site, it says there is only a limit in terms of simultaneous applications by one host researcher, but there is no limit to the number of Postdocs that a researcher can host:

Q2002: If I, as a host researcher, am already hosting a fellow, may I also apply to host another fellow? A: Yes, you may. There is no limit placed on the number of individual fellows that a researcher may host. However, the hosting of multiple fellows should be done in a way that is not disruptive to the hosting system. As many researchers must be supported under the program with limited financial resources, limits are placed on the number of applications that may be submitted at one time. Please check the Application Guideline in advance.

Nevertheless, this fact does not have a significant effect on the rest of my answer: just because a professor is allowed to receive multiple people does not mean that they will necessarily accept anybody. Some professors may decide that they only have time, resources and patience to accept one single person, or even no one at all.

In fact, I know one case where a professor had already accepted one JSPS applicant, and refused to accept anyone else from a different category, unless the applicant was strongly recommended by some trusted fellow colleague.

To be blunt, you should not have taken so long to reply. At the very least, within the first month you should have sent a short email to apologize for the delay, and give an approximate timeframe for submitting the revisions. By waiting so long, you are at risk of sending a strong message to the professor that you have given up, or that you are not taking the JSPS application very seriously, or that you have moved on to something else. Just because the professor has discussed the proposal with you in the past, this does not give you any excuse to neglect your duty to keep him informed about your situation. In any case, you should urgently contact the professor, give a sincere apology for the delay, and ask if he is still able to accept you as an applicant.

The only person who can confirm whether you can still be accepted as an applicant is the host professor, so you should contact the person as soon as possible.

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  • I don't understand. If a fellowship can last for more than one year (can it?) then, can a professor add up to two new researchers each cycle or only maintain two at a time?
    – Buffy
    Commented Feb 3, 2023 at 14:05
  • Thanks for bringing this up, my original answer was based on what Japanese professors had told me years ago, but it seems that at some point the rules have changed. My apologies for the incorrect info.
    – djohn
    Commented Feb 3, 2023 at 14:29
  • Makes more sense now, thanks.
    – Buffy
    Commented Feb 3, 2023 at 14:32
  • Thank you for your response, it helped a lot. Yes, I am trying to send him the updated proposal as soon as possible
    – Lishachulisha Magenta
    Commented Feb 4, 2023 at 14:24
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The other answer is not correct, the JSPS application guidelines explicitly say that

Each applicant (host researcher) may submit up to three applications. However, if an applicant submits more than one application, s/he should assign them a priority order.

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    This answer seems to be about applicants. The question is about (host) professors. Clarify?
    – Buffy
    Commented Feb 3, 2023 at 13:16
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    @Buffy It appears JSPS uses the terms "applicants" for "host researchers" and "candidates" for "invited overseas researchers". The link also clarifies that "Applications must be submitted to JSPS by a host researcher in Japan via the head of his/her university or institution.".
    – Anyon
    Commented Feb 3, 2023 at 13:55
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    @Anyon, then their remains the issue of "submitting" multiple applications vs supporting more than one, especially in terms of the prioritizing requirement.
    – Buffy
    Commented Feb 3, 2023 at 14:02
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    @Buffy Yeah. I also saw that the FAQ Q2002 indicates "there is no limit placed on the number of individual fellows that a researcher may host", but that the application guidelines may limit the number of applications submitted at one time. The quote given in this answer is about the rate limit.
    – Anyon
    Commented Feb 3, 2023 at 14:09

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