Filipinos can now apply for 2021 Ajinomoto Postgrad Scholarship Grant

The following is a press release from Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation.

The desire to embark on a postgraduate degree study is usually disrupted with an obstacle along the way – financial situation. Some are unsuccessful in pursuing this dream since investing in a postgraduate education would require financial sacrifice. But this should not stop you from experiencing a new culture, meeting different professionals from all over the world and gaining new skills that will develop you further.

Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) through the Ajinomoto Scholarship Foundation will help you achieve this goal with its 2021 Ajinomoto Postgraduate Scholarship Grant that supports deserving Filipino students who require financial assistance to pursue higher education in the field of sciences.

The Ajinomoto Scholarship Foundation, formerly named as the Suzuki Scholarship Foundation was established in Japan in 1957. The postgraduate scholarship grant which was introduced in the Philippines in 2010 provides a full scholarship in master’s course at specified graduate schools in top Japanese universities including University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Nagoya University, Ochanomizu University, Waseda University, Kagawa Nutrition University and Tokyo Institute of Technology.

The University of Tokyo and Kyoto University are among Japan’s top universities with the former ranking 36th at the World University Rankings 2020 list of Times Higher Education. The list includes nearly 1,400 top institutions around the world, measuring each institution’s “performance across teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.”

As a global company food and amino science company, Ajinomoto aims to cultivate the educational development of prospective students who are interested to continue master’s studies in the fields of nutrition or health sciences. Aspirants may also consider applying in other science courses like Medicine, Engineering, Agricultural and Life Science, Pharmaceutical Science, Frontier Science, Information Science and Technology, Mathematical Science, Biostudies and such.

APC has so far sent 10 Filipino scholars to Japan including 2019 recipient, Ms. Kimberly Castro, who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Pharmacy at the University of the Philippines Manila. Kimberly had always wanted to pursue graduate studies, thus she did not hesitate to apply as a scholar because she felt that there are still “so much to learn, not only academically, but also from other cultures and way of life.”

This turned out to be a great decision for her because she is currently a research student at the Department of Pharmacognosy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University – a prestigious university with access to world-class research facilities.

Kimberly, meanwhile, shared how Ajinomoto Scholarship Foundation has guided her through her journey.

“Having the Foundation as a support is really helpful in so many ways. It is like having a direct guidance, which is really important especially if one is new in an unfamiliar place,” she said.

After she accomplished her master’s program, Kimberly plans to teach in a university and continue her doctoral studies or be a full-time researcher.

“I want to be directly involved in drug discovery and development. I hope to contribute something substantial to the field of pharmacy,” she continued.

Scholarship eligibility

Aspiring applicants to the Ajinomoto Postgraduate Scholarship Grant must meet the followingqualifications:

• Must be a Filipino Citizen
• Must have graduated or be expected to graduate with an excellent academic record (with over 15 years of education completed or expected to be completed) and must receive the recommendation of his/her University President or Academic Advisor or be otherwise qualified to enroll in the university
• Must be under the age of 35 years old on April 1, 2020
• In principle, the applicant must be able to obtain approval of acceptance as either a Postgraduate International Research Student (hereinafter “Research Student”) or a Graduate School Student (Master’s course) (hereinafter “Master’s Course Student”) from the University and be registered as a Research Student or a Master’s Course Student for April 2021 or October 2021
• Must acquire adequate Japanese language proficiency that is required in order to research and study in master’s course, when enrolling as a Master’s course student
• Must file an application and attend selection procedures in the Philippines
• Must be in good physical and mental health, and have a strong motivation for learning
• Must not be receiving other scholarships
• Must show financial need to pursue higher education.
• Must have a strong sense of nationalism, leadership and motivation

Scholarship benefits

• ¥150,000 (approximately P70,500) monthly allowance for a maximum of 1 year as a research student at a graduate school
• ¥180,000 (approximately P84,600) monthly allowance for a maximum of 2 years as a master’s course student at graduate school
• Full coverage of examination, admission and tuition fees
• Full coverage of Japanese language training before going to Japan
• Full coverage of airfare to Japan (two-way ticket)

Scholarship grant duration

• If the recipient enrolls as a research student, scholarship will be provided for a maximum of 3 years (1 year as a research student and maximum 2 years as a master’s course student). The scholarship will be suspended if the recipient fails to pass the entrance exam for a master’s course within a year after arriving in Japan.
• For Waseda University, in principle, scholarships will be provided for 2 years studying as a Master’s Course Student.

Interested applicants may log on to www.ajinomoto.com.ph/whats-new/ for more details on the scholarship grant. Deadline of application is on March 1, 2020. For inquiries, you may contact Ms. Deborah Sales, RND at +(63)2 895-6081, Local 8137 or through email, deborah_sales@ajinomoto.com.  – Rappler.com