, a brief history.

• 1986: The Commission of the European Communities establishes the "European Communities Scientific Training Programme in Japan" with the aim to create a pool of young European researchers and research managers with an understanding of the Japanese research system and the range of contacts necessary to interact fruitfully with Japanese research. Since 1987 STP fellows visit Japanese laboratories for a period of 12 to 18 months.
• 1988: The Science and Technology Agency (STA), an administrative organ of the Government of Japan, establishes the STA Fellowship in order to offer promising young researchers from overseas the chance to engage in research at Japan's national laboratories.
• March 1988: STP fellows create SEP Doo-Soo-Kai (SEP stands for Scientific Exchange Programme, and Doo-Soo-Kai is a Japanese word meaning a graduates' association or an alumni foundation) aiming: - to maintain and create personal contacts between European researchers in Japan; - to be a link between the European Communities and the STP fellows; - to inform and help new STP fellows before their departure, upon their arrival in Japan, and preparing their return to Europe.
• June 1988: First issue of the SEP Doo-Soo-Kai Newsletter.
• February 1990: European scientists and the Commission of the EC express the wish to establish a bond between STP fellows and EC STA awardees. The SEP Doo-Soo-Kai Newsletter invites contributions of STA fellows as a step towards the establishment of a wide cooperation between EC-national researchers in Japan.
• 1992: The name of the STP exchange programme is changed into "European Communities Science and Technology Fellowship" (STF). This change of name is an external sign of the many improvements (such as a Japanese language course and the extension of the fellowship period to 24 months) in the STF programme originating from activities of several generations SEP Doo-Soo-Kai members.
• 1992-1993: The wide cooperation between EC-national researchers in Japan becomes more real because of the involvement of many other European exchange programme researchers in SEP Doo-Soo-Kai's activities.

Yonezawa Lab Main Page

Back to me

What is SEP