Call for Applications for the Utilization of the Research Support Staff System for FY2026
*The Japanese version is the authoritative version, and this English translation is intended for reference purposes only. Should any discrepancies or doubt arise between the two versions, the Japanese version will prevail.
Hiroshima University implements the Research Support Staff system as one of the approaches for realizing diversity in the research environment, with the aim of supporting researchers so that they can balance their research work with life events.
Purpose
This system aims to support our researchers in balancing their work with life events by assigning Research Support Staff to work under the direction of the supported researchers when they have difficulties in securing enough time for their own research due to child birth, childcare and/or nursing care.
Eligibility
Applicants eligible for support under this program shall be those who conduct their research at Hiroshima University and who fall under one of the following categories: faculty (meaning professors, associate professors, lecturers, assistant professors, and research associates), academic research staff (limited to senior research managers, associate senior research managers, chief research managers, and research managers), or full-time education/research contract personnel (limited to specially appointed faculty, contributing faculty, hospital assistant professors, specially appointed research managers, researchers, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Research Fellows, hospital physicians, and collaborative research laboratory faculty).
Applicants must also satisfy the eligibility requirements (1) through (4) that are detailed below:
| 1. | Those who fall under one of the following: | |
| – | pregnant at the time of application | |
| – | caring for a child aged 11 or younger (or who will turn 12 before March 31 of the fiscal year in which support will be provided) | |
| – | caregiver of the applicants’ parents and/or children who are living together with the applicant, and who have been certified as requiring long-term care (including individuals certified as requiring support) | |
| 2. | Those who fall under one of the following: | |
| – | have a spouse/partner (*The definition of “partner” is based on Policies and Guidelines at Hiroshima University for Respecting Gender and Sexual Diversity.) who is working full-time | |
| – | have a spouse/partner but live separately | |
| – | do not have a spouse/partner | |
| *Only for male applicants: those who have a spouse/partner who is working full-time as a researcher at a university, a university’s joint-use facility, or an incorporated administrative agency, etc. | ||
| 3. | Those not on maternity leave, childcare leave, long-term home care leave, or any other leave. (Note that for those with a spouse/partner, the spouse/partner must also not be on any of the aforementioned leaves or any other leave.) | |
| 4. | Those who have not acquired external funding of five million yen or more over a period of one year. | |
Details of Support
The hours of support provided by the Research Support Staff shall not exceed 7 hours per day and 10 hours per week. The total number of support hours during the support period shall be capped at 230 hours and shall be determined within the total budget allocated for hiring support staff.
In principle, a single Research Support Staff member shall be assigned. However, it is possible to assign multiple Research Support Staff members as long as the total support time provided by each Research Support Staff member does not exceed 10 hours per week.
Research Support Staff
Research Support Staff Candidates
Candidates for Research Support Staff must have the necessary abilities and qualities to carry out the work requested by the researcher who is applying for the use of this system, and must meet one of the following two requirements of (1) or (2). Note that the researchers who are applying to use this system are required to find and choose their own Research Support Staff candidates, however, they cannot choose their own relatives as Research Support Staff candidates.
| 1. | Students enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate school at Hiroshima University (master’s courses, doctoral courses, and professional degree courses only) |
| 2. | Those outside of Hiroshima University (limited to university graduates) |
Status of Research Support Staff
Research Support Staff shall be classified as part-time Education and Research Support Staff, and shall belong to the same graduate school, etc. that the supported researcher belongs to.
Duties of Research Support Staff
Research Support Staff shall be engaged in research assistance work that is necessary for the research activities of researchers, such as experimental assistance, research data analysis, statistical processing, document preparation, and literature surveys. However, clerical work related to university administration and clerical work for conferences is not considered research assistant work.
Research Support Staff shall be engaged in research assistance work under the supervision of the researchers at predetermined locations (in principle, limited to campus facilities).
Working Hours for Research Support Staff
The upper limit of working hours per week for Research Support Staff is 10 hours. However, if the Research Support Staff member is a student enrolled at Hiroshima University, please check to see if they are working part-time at other laboratories inside the University and the number of hours they are working, and consider setting the total working hours per week in a way that ensures that the student’s own studies are not interfered with.
The working hours per day shall be 7 hours or less and in general, shall be undertaken anytime between the basic working hours of 8:30 and 17:00. Depending on the situation of the research assistance, it is possible to request the Research Support Staff to work during hours other than between the basic working hours of 8:30 and 17:00, but not between the late-night hours of 22:00 and 5:00.
Salary for Research Support Staff
As Research Support Staff shall be classified as part-time Education and Research Support Staff, the following hourly wage amounts shall apply.
| 1 | Doctoral course student at Hiroshima University | JPY1,499 |
| 2 | Outside of Hiroshima University (limited to those who have master’s degree/s and/or doctoral degree/s) | JPY1,499 |
| 3 | Undergraduate or master’s course student enrolled at Hiroshima University | JPY1,370 |
| 4 | Outside of Hiroshima University (university graduates, excluding those who belong to the aforementioned item 2) | JPY1,370 |
Employment Period of Research Support Staff
From June 1, 2026 (planned) to February 28, 2027
Please apply for the specific period within the above timeframe during which you require support.
Since the employment period is arranged in month-long units, please ensure that the support period begins on the first day of a month.
(If the necessary employment procedures fall behind schedule, the start date may be delayed.)
Application Deadline
Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Application Method
Please submit the application documents in both of the following two ways.
| 1. | Online submission via Microsoft Forms: | |
| Of the documents listed below within “8. Application Documents”, please submit the Application Form (Form1), Work Plan (Form3) and various certifications via the Microsoft Forms URL below. | ||
| ［Microsoft Forms URL:］ https://forms.office.com/r/6GKZsjBTQk | ||
| After reviewing the contents of the application, each applicant will be sent an e-mail notifying them that their application has been received. *If you do not receive an e-mail notification within three days (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) after submitting your application documents via the aforementioned Microsoft Forms URL, please contact the CAPWR Office via the details listed below within “12. Contact Information for Application Submissions and Inquiries”. |
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| 2. | Submission by university internal mail service, or in-person: | |
| ・ | [If the Research Support Staff candidate is a student at Hiroshima University] Consent Letter from the Candidate’s Supervisor (Form2) |
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| ・ | [If the Research Support Staff candidate is from outside of Hiroshima University] CV of the Research Support Staff candidate |
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| ・ | Employment Certificate for Applicant’s Spouse/Partner (Form4) | |
Application Documents
| 1. | Application Form (Form1) | ||
| 2. | Documents regarding Research Support Staff | ||
| * | If an applicant employed on April 1, 2026 is unable to secure a candidate for the Research Support Staff position by the application deadline, please contact the CAPWR Office using the details provided in Section “12. Contact Information for Application Submissions and Inquiries”. | ||
| a. | If the Research Support Staff candidate is a student enrolled at Hiroshima University | ||
| – | Letter of Consent (Form2) | ||
| * | If the candidate is a foreign student, please also submit a copy of their residence card (both sides) in order to confirm their length of stay, status of residence, and eligibility to work as a Research Support Staff member | ||
| b. | If the Research Support Staff candidate is from outside of Hiroshima University | ||
| – | CV (format does not matter.) | ||
| – | Certificate of education (diploma, degree conferment certificate (master/doctor), etc.) | ||
| * | If a certificate of education has previously been submitted for the same candidate in connection with any Support Staff appointment since 2017, resubmission is not required. | ||
| – | If the candidate is a foreign national, please also submit a copy of their residence card (both sides) in order to confirm their length of stay, status of residence, and eligibility to work as a Research Support Staff member | ||
| 3. | Working Plan (Form3) | ||
| 4. | Various Certifications | ||
| * | Please submit the following documents depending on the reason for your application. | ||
| (1) | Pregnancy: | ||
| – | Copy of Mother and Child Health Care Notebook | ||
| – | Spouse’s/Partner’s Certificate of Employment (Form4) | ||
| (2) | Childcare: | ||
| – | Certifications which prove the child’s/children’s age, e.g., copy of child’s/children’s Health Insurance Card/s, etc. | ||
| – | Spouse’s/Partner’s Certificate of Employment (Form4) | ||
| (3) | Nursing Care: | ||
| – | Proof of nursing care certification e.g., copy of Nursing Care Insurance Card/s | ||
| – | Spouse’s/Partner’s Certificate of Employment (Form4) | ||
Number of Selections
Around 10 (this may vary depending on the budget.)
Selection Process
(The results of the selection process is planned to be e-mailed to the applicants in early May 2026.)
Points to Note after Selection
1. Submission of Research Support Staff’s Work Log
Users of this system should request their Research Support Staff to record their tasks within a work log every month. The users of this system also should submit each month’s work log to the CAPWR Office by the 5th of the following month.
2. Submission of the System Use Report and the Research Support Staff Questionnaire
After the support period under this program has ended, users of this program are required to submit the System Use Report (Form 5), and their Support Staff are expected to complete and return the Questionnaire (Form6).
We will not accept any further applications for this system from the users that did not submit this report.
Frequently Asked Questions
- FAQ regarding the Research Support Staff system and call for applications for the utilization of the system
Contact Information for Application Submissions and Inquiries
CAPWR Office
Research Promotion Group,
Department of Research and Academia-Government-Community Collaboration Support,
Office of Research and Academia-Government-Community Collaboration
Internal Mail Box Number: 06
E-mail：ura-women※office.hiroshima-u.ac.jp （Please replace ※ with @.）