RIKEN CBS Summer Internahip Program in Japan 2027

Applications are now open for the RIKEN CBS Summer Program 2027, a neuroscience program held at the RIKEN Wako Campus near Tokyo, Japan. Students can join a two month research internship (June 8 to August 5, 2027), a five day lecture course (July 5 to July 9, 2027), or both. The program is partially funded. Approved applicants can have their accommodation and round trip travel covered, but they must pay for meals and daily living costs themselves.

It is open to graduate students, early postdoctoral researchers, and other applicants beyond high school level who are enrolled in a university or company. The deadline is January 8, 2027, at 9:00 AM JST. The official announcement does not mention an application fee. You can check out BS, MS, PhD and postdoc positions here.

Key Details:

• Program Type: Research Internship
• Host Country: Japan
• Host Institute: RIKEN Center for Brain Science (RIKEN CBS), Wako Campus, Saitama
• Funding Type: Partial funding
• Application Deadline: Friday, January 8, 2027, 9:00 AM JST
• Nationality: International applicants are welcome

What This Scholarship Offers:

• Free accommodation if your financial support request is approved. Interns stay at RIKEN I House, and lecture course students stay at Hotel Toyoko Inn near Wako Shi Station.
• Reimbursement of your round trip airfare, or bullet train fare if you travel within Japan, if your support request is approved.
• A place in a RIKEN CBS research laboratory for two months (Plan A), where you take part in real research with the host lab.
• Hands on experience with the research methods and culture of a leading brain science institute.
• Lectures by distinguished international faculty, from basic concepts to cutting edge research (Plan B).

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Eligibility Criteria:

• You must be enrolled in a university, institute, or company when you apply, and stay enrolled until the program ends.
• If you are on a gap year or not yet enrolled, you must submit a certificate of enrollment from the place you will join during the program.
• You must attend the whole program onsite. Shortened participation is not allowed.
• If you are not a Japanese national, you must have a valid passport.
• If you need a visa to enter Japan, you must get it yourself. Late visas may stop you from joining.
• You must be able to write and present in English.
• To get financial support, you should not have external funding or a salary, and you must request support when you submit your application.

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Programs Available:

The program is built around neuroscience. Internship applicants can choose a host lab in one of these research areas:

• Neurodiversity
• Motor Circuit Plasticity
• Sensory Perception
• Glia Neuron Circuit Dynamics
• Human Cognition and Learning
• Imagination and Executive Functions
• Neural Circuits and Computations
• Distributed Cognitive Processing
• Sleep and Cognition
• Neurodegenerative Disorders
• Brain Intelligence Theory
• Neural Computation and Adaptation
• Circuit and Behavioral Physiology

Host Laboratories for the Internship (Plan A):

• Adrian Moore: Neurodiversity
• Aya Takeoka: Motor Circuit Plasticity
• Hokto Kazama: Circuit Mechanisms of Sensory Perception
• Jun Nagai: Glia Neuron Circuit Dynamics
• Kazuhisa Shibata: Human Cognition and Learning
• Kentaro Miyamoto: Imagination and Executive Functions Team
• Louis Kang: Neural Circuits and Computations Unit
• Lukas Ian Schmitt: Distributed Cognitive Processing
• Masako Tamaki: Cognitive Somnology RIKEN Hakubi Research Team
• Nobutaka Hattori: Neurodegenerative Disorders Collaboration Laboratory
• Takuya Isomura: Brain Intelligence Theory Unit
• Taro Toyoizumi: Neural Computation and Adaptation
• Thomas McHugh: Circuit and Behavioral Physiology

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Required Documents:

For Plan A (Internship):

• CV
• Motivation letter (about 500 words)
• Internship project description
• One letter of recommendation
• Letter requesting financial support (only if you need it)

For Plan B (Lecture Course):

• CV
• Motivation letter (about 500 words)
• One letter of recommendation
• Letter requesting financial support (only if you need it)

All documents must be in English. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

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How to Apply:

1. Check that you meet the eligibility rules and can attend the full program onsite.
2. Choose Plan A, Plan B, or Both. If you want both, select “Both” in one form instead of sending two applications.
3. Prepare all documents in English before you start, because you cannot save a draft.
4. For the internship, contact your preferred lab head in advance with your project idea.
5. Ask your academic supervisor to be ready to write your recommendation letter.
6. Fill in the online form and upload your documents before the deadline.
7. Check your confirmation email. Your supervisor will also get an email with a link to upload the letter.
8. Make sure the recommendation letter is uploaded before the deadline.

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