National Institute of Genetics (NIG)/ Genetics Program, SOKENDAI offers a research internship program for undergraduate and postgraduate students who wish to gain research experience in genetics and related fields in life sciences. Interns will conduct independent research under the mentorship of a host investigator at NIG.
Our program includes training on scientific research, scientific communication, and lab visits to discuss with individual principal investigators. At the end of the program, interns will give a presentation on their experience at the “NIG-INTERN Reports Symposium”. NIG will issue a certificate to those who have successfully completed the program. Interns can also participate in various activities such as graduate program lectures, journal clubs, and seminars by outstanding researchers from inside and outside NIG.
Applicants must be interested in life sciences and be in the prefinal-year at the time of application, i.e. in the 3rd year of a 4-year bachelor’s program, in the 2nd year of a 3-year bachelor’s program, in the 4th year of a 5-year program, in the 1st year of a 2-year master’s program, or in the 5th year of a 6-year program. Students who are interested in enrolling in our PhD program at NIG are encouraged to apply.
* Because of a highly competitive selection process, applications from non-prefinal students and students in a PhD course are not considered.
* The selection is highly competitive. Six highly-qualified students out of over 1,240 applications were selected for 2025. The number of successful applicants varies from year to year.
We accept applications only through the online application system. Please read the “Application guideline” below carefully and follow the instructions.
Application guideline and Online Application
* The online application system opens on December 1, 2025 and closes at noon on January 5, 2026 (Japan standard time, JST).
* Students interested in applying for this program must read, understand and agree to the requirements of the program.
* Due to the overwhelming number of applications, we do not reply to individual queries regarding this website, the selection status, and the results.
Unlike previous years, the NIG-INTERN2026 is not a fully-funded program. The costs will be shared between NIG and participants as follows.
[Costs supported by NIG]
- The round-trip airfare between the intern's place of residence (location of school) and Japan (actual expenses up to 200,000 JPY)
- Travel insurance
[Costs covered by the participants]
- Any amount exceeding 200,000 JPY of the round-trip airfare between the intern's place of residence (location of school) and Japan
- Domestic travel expenses
- Accommodation fee (approx. 70,000 JPY for 39 nights per person) for NIG Guest House
- Living and miscellaneous expenses
June 8 - July 17, 2026
* Requests for shorter or longer periods will not be considered.
* For any internship opportunity other than this program, please contact your potential host PI(s). In such cases, costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of the interns or their sponsoring institutions.
Before you send an inquiry, please check the FAQ below.
Q1:
I’m currently in the 3rd year of a 5 year-dual degree program. Am I eligible?
A1:
No, we accept applications only from students in their prefinal-year at the time of application.
Q2:
I’ll be a prefinal-year student during the intern period but am currently in the 2nd year of a 4-year bachelor’s program. Am I eligible?
A2:
No, at the time of application you must be a prefinal-year student.
Q3:
Which countries / nationalities are eligible?
A3:
We welcome applications from any country / nationality.
Q4:
Am I eligible to apply even if my university is not in the country of my citizenship?
A4:
Yes, the only condition is that applicants must live outside Japan at the time of application.
* Due to the New Year's holiday, our office will be closed from December 27, 2025 to January 4, 2026.
Click on the following links to view past pages, see photos, and read messages from NIG-INTERN.
Message from NIG-INTERN:
