Administrators

In response to persistently low interests following the 2008 financial crisis, the Tokyo Foundation and The Nippon Foundation decided in September 2014 to jointly launch a new financial scheme that frees institutions of their fund-management responsibilities. Under this arrangement, Sylff institutions first return the endowment to enable their top students to continue receiving Sylff fellowships. The 20 institutions that elected to participate are listed below. The new scheme continues to operate for these institutions, but the invitation for additional institutions to join has been suspended.

Operation Manual for the Administration of the Sylff Fellowship Program, February 2026

Major Revisions from the Previous (July 2021) Edition

Information on new nominees should be submitted through an online form (one form per fellow). Information on the bank account receiving fellowships should be submitted directly by the fellow, also through an online form. Use these online forms instead of the Excel files used earlier to ensure faster, more accurate, and secure entry of information (see pages 8, 11, and 13).

Click to download PDF.

Downloadable Formats

What’s the Difference with the Conventional Scheme?

The biggest difference is that Sylff institutions will no longer need to invest Sylff funds to generate income. The Tokyo Foundation—the secretariat for the Sylff Association—will award fellowships directly to students nominated by the steering committee of Sylff institutions after confirming the eligibility of the nominees.

What’s the Annual Budget under the New Scheme?

The maximum amount provided for fellowships is $50,000* per institution. An additional $2,500 will be disbursed each year to cover administrative costs. The fellowship amount is intended to be generous enough to enable students to fully commit themselves to their studies. While the new scheme is financed differently, it will maintain the same Sylff values and aims as the conventional scheme.

The following 20 institutions currently operate the Sylff program under the new scheme:
- University of Belgrade (Serbia)
- Charles University (Czech Republic)
- University of Chile (Chile)
- University of Coimbra (Portugal)
- Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia)
- Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (France)
- University of Deusto (Spain)
- Gadjah Mada University (Indonesia)
- Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Switzerland)
- Institute of Political Education, Pedro Arrupe (Italy)
- University of Latvia (Latvia)
- University of Leipzig (Germany)
- Universiti Malaya (Malaysia)
- University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (Austria)
- University of Nairobi (Kenya)
- National Academy of Governance (Mongolia)
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece)
- Ruhr University Bochum (Germany)
- Utrecht University (The Netherland)
- University of the Western Cape (South Africa)



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