Below follow some frequently asked questions (FAQ) concerning the application.
THE PROCESS
1. How can I apply?
The application can only be sent to the Foundation electronically. The application can be reached via our homepage at www.sjsf.se . Navigate to your country’s local pages (click your flag). At your country’s local page you will find some basic information and a button to click “To the application”. After clicking you will be transferred to the Application system which is available under the address: https://apply.se/sjsf
**IMPORTANT NOTICE: Our sjsf.se website and the application platform work best when you use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Safari.**
2. When can I apply?
The system is only accessible during the period when it is open for applications. The countries have the following application periods:
Denmark: December 1 to January 31.
Finland: December 1 to January 31.
Iceland: December 1 to March 1.
Japan: December 1 to January 31.
Norway: December 1 to March 1.
Sweden: December 1 to March 1.
Note! Applying to another SJSF country because you have missed your own country’s deadline does not work; we assign applicants to the correct SJSF country based on their country of permanent residence.
3. Are there any Guidelines explaining how to apply?
These are the GUIDELINES to how to apply. These guidelines can also be reached via the homepage sjsf.se, Application form and directly at https://sjsf.se/guidelines-to-apply-to-the-scandinavia-japan-sasakawa-foundation/.
4. Are there different application forms for the six countries?
No, the application form is the same for all six countries. But before entering the application form, you must select an “application round”. There is one such application round for each country every year.
5. How do I start? Registration and activation of an account.
You begin by registering your email address and a password. Note carefully the exact spelling of the used email and password and keep it safe for future use. Then press register.
You will thereafter receive an activation email. You must via this email activate your account before you can proceed with your application.
Once you enter the system you must select the round for your own country (Country+Year).
Note! The SJSF administration cannot, for integrity and safety reasons, provide you with lost data.
Problem solving:
a. No activation email received? Please check your spam folder.
b. Completed your application, but cannot send it? Your session may have timed out. Log out, wait a few minutes, log in again. Then try to send again. All the information that you have typed in your application form is automatically stored, so you will not lose any data by logging out.
c. Cannot login? Check carefully that you have spelled your user name and password correctly.
5. Which language should I use?
Even though the application form is in English and Japanese, you are most welcome to write all your data in your own language (or in English). Finnish applicants (applying to the Finnish section) can write in Finnish, Japanese applicants (applying to the Japanese section) in Japanese and so on. As marked on the application form a few data must be in English (Project title, Name of organization etc).
6. Who is entitled to apply and to which country should the application be submitted?
a) To be entitled to apply you should have a permanent address in one of the six countries. You do not need to have a citizenship to qualify, but you should have a permanent affiliation with the country. Example 1: a guest researcher who has stayed a few years in a country qualifies to apply to that country, while an exchange student (< 1 year=too short) does not. Example 2. A citizen of one Nordic country/Japan who lives/works/has a permanent address in another Nordic country/Japan, should apply to the country in which he presently lives. E g a Swedish citizen since several years living and working in Denmark should submit the application to Denmark.
b) Normally it is obvious to which country you should submit your application (i e which round of applications you should select, e g “Finland 202X”). The general rule is that a Nordic applicant going to Japan should apply in his/her home country, while a Japanese traveling to the Nordic countries apply to Japan. In some (rare) cases of bilateral Japanese-Nordic events, e g if it is considered necessary to invite a Japanese/Nordic person to join a well defined project (as lecturer, artist) the applicant can apply in his/her own country to finance the trip of such an invited person. It is also possible, again in rare bilateral cases, to apply both in the Nordic country and Japan. The organizer of a project (e g an exhibition or performance) applies for local costs in the home country, while the visitor applies for travel costs in his/her home country. Example: An Icelandic museum/university prepares to organize an Icelandic-Japanese exhibition/conference and key lecturer will be a Japanese distinguished expert. The Icelandic part applies for costs for local arrangements in Iceland, while the Japanese expert applies for travel costs in Japan.
Note! Submit your application to one SJSF country only; applying to several SJSF countries will not increase your chances of receiving a grant, but instead only serves to increase the work for the administrators.
7. Can I send cv, project information etc as Attachments?
You will most likely want to upload some attachments in pdf or jpeg format. If you are not used to creating such pdf documents or jpeg pictures it may take some time, please do not wait until the last minute. Ask someone to help you if you feel uncertain about how to proceed. See also below.
8. How do I finish and send my application?
You can continue to work on your application until you have pressed the button “Send”. After that you cannot change or add anything. Should something exceptional happen (note, exceptional!) you may write an email to the local office in your country and ask the staff there to open up your application again. After that has been done you can continue to work on the application. But remember that you must then again press the “Send” button to get your application registered. After the deadline date for application has passed, no changes or additions will be accepted. Should you receive a grant, and later have to change your contact information, e g your email or get a new family name by marriage, please by email inform the local section office in your own country.
Once your application has been successfully sent to the system you will under My application see that the symbol for application has been closed (it cannot be opened anymore). This is your confirmation. You will not get any confirmation email that your application has been received.
APPLICATION
9. Can more than one person apply on the same application?
Two or more persons can apply together – co-applicants. In such a case, under Name in the Application, give the name of only one person. This person will be the contact person for the Foundation. The name of co-applicants can be written further down on the application form. The same applies if two or more organizations apply together.
10. When should I name a contact person?
This field should be filled in only when the applicant is an organization.
11. Why do I need to keep my email address?
Make sure that your email address is active until the decision email has reached you. If not, you will not get any information about the grant decision.
12. How should I write the project title?
The project title should include words which explain what the project is about. A few keywords. It should be short, no longer than 20 words.
13. Any recommendation concerning the project description?
Start by presenting a summary of the project so that the reader of the application quickly will understand what you want to do. Then proceed to describe the project in this field or in an attachment. Try to keep the project description short.
14. What should be included in the budget?
The SJSF scholarship covers the costs of conducting research or study in Japan, if you apply from one of the five Nordic countries, or research or study in the Nordic countries, if you are applying from Japan. Examples of such costs are: travel, insurance, accommodation, and other living expenses. The budget for which you are applying for the scholarship should be summarized in the given fields.
15. What kind of Attachments may I send?
CV and text documents should be in the PDF-format. Pictures should be in the jpeg format. Only these formats can be uploaded. Please note that there are limitations as to the size of the attachments. If you are not used to producing such documents see advices below.
It is up to you to decide what kind of documents which will support your application and make it competitive. Students should enclose their latest grade transcript.
16. May we send more than one cv?
It is ok to upload the CV of the applicant as well as the co-applicant(s). However, the CVs together may not exceed 2 pages. Should the applicant be an organization, a short summary presenting it should at first be written in the application field, and an attachment describing the organization may be uploaded in the CV field.
17. May I use additional information for providing links?
Here you can for example give a link to film or music uploaded elsewhere on the Internet. At present it is not possible to upload such files together with the application. If you have your own website, you may insert a link to it here.
HOW TO CREATE/CONVERT TO PDF AND JPEG ATTACHMENTS
Most users are probably well acquainted with methods how to produce pdf or jpeg files. For those who are uncertain about how to create or convert files into the requested formats the following examples may be of some help. Please note that the Foundation will not assume any responsibility for the results. Nor is the Foundation staff able to offer support or guidance about how to fill in the application or convert files. Please contact your own IT-support, at work or among friends/relatives.
Procedures may vary between Mac OS and Pc Windows and the version (age) of the software installed on your computer. The following works most of the time.
A Word document can easily be converted into pdf by clicking “Save as” and then in the appearing dialogue frame select the format PDF. Often at the same time, it will be possible to select the resolution (=size of the file). For the evaluators of the applications it is normally sufficient with “Low resolution”.
Another common alternative is to open the Word document (works also for other types of documents) and select “Print”. In the appearing dialogue frame select PDF. In old versions of software the choice can be made by select “Printer”.
If you do not have a converter program, e g from Word to PDF, already installed you may like to use the freeware “Cute PDF writer”. The program can be downloaded free of charge from https://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp.
JPEG
JPEG (or JPG) is the one of the most commonly used formats for pictures. It is used on mobile phones and most digital cameras. Most likely the applicants already have their pictures in the JPEG format. However, it can be necessary to reduce the resolution of the pictures to reach the maximum allowed size in the application system, 2 MB.
Experienced picture or photo editors use special software programs to change the size of the pictures. Very commonly used is Photoshop (to be purchased).
For PC users a simple freeware is “FastStone Photo Resizer”. It can be downloaded from https://www.faststone.org/download.htm . “FastStone Image viewer”, another software which can be downloaded from the same web address is a simple editing and converter program.
On Mac computers it is natural to use the already installed editing program “iPHoto” or the also pre installed editing program “Preview”.
It is also very simple and common to visit a converting page on the internet, upload a picture/file and then convert/scale down to the desired format/size on this internet page. Usually this is a very quick operation. An example of such a converting internet page is https://www.picresize.com/ There are several similar services available on the Internet.
There are as said many alternatives available on the internet.