National Institute of Informatics

The Viterbi Admission & Student Engagement (VASE) Office is pleased to invite you to apply for the 1st Call of 2024 National Institute of Informatics (NII) International Internship Program in Japan.

This program is a part of the Viterbi School’s international exchange activities with students. It is aimed to give MS and PhD interns the opportunity to engage in research activities as well as receive guidance in their research from professors at NII.  This incentive program is an opportunity for professional and personal development. Students who are selected for the program receive a funded stay in Tokyo.

Please review the information below for specific instructions for applying to internships at NII. Please note that there yet some remaining COVID-19 epidemic measures in Japan. Please refer to the NII International Internship Program for more details.

Time frame

• Students accepted for the 1st call should finish their internship before end of March 2025. Any exceptional circumstances should be discussed beforehand with your NII supervisor and with the NII International Team. The duration of the internship should also be confirmed with your NII supervisor after acceptance. Internship activities should be for a period of 60 to 180 days (excluding travel time to and from Japan). Students must be able to commit to a minimum period of 2 months. Do not accept an offer if you cannot meet the time commitment.
• Visa application procedure will be instructed to the successful candidates after the selection.

Qualifications

• Applicants must have completed at least one semester at USC
• Applicants must have a minimum 3.8 GPA

Application Procedure

1. Contact NII Supervisor
   • Applicants should first make a contact with an NII supervisor with whom they would like to conduct research ( via e-mail correspondence)  from the following list: NII Research Topics
2. Complete NII International Internship Application
   • After receiving agreement from an NII supervisor on a research topic, fill out the NII International Internship ON-SITE Program Application Form
   • Do not submit your application to NII or the NII Research Supervisor
3. Complete the VASE-NII Application Form via Qualtrics
   • Please upload the NII International Internship Program Application (.xls format)
   • Please include your CV in the application form
   • VASE-NII Application: https://forms.gle/qgSvQh3eLRGyChBP6
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Deadline

• Applications must be submitted by Friday, May 10, 2024

Candidate Selection

• Applications will be reviewed by Viterbi faculty
• Up to Three candidates will be selected for review by NII
• NII will make the final selection of interns

Notification

• Notification to successful candidates will be made in June 2024
• NII will contact VASE, and VASE will notify the candidates.
• If accepted, candidates are expected to maintain their enrollment status at their home institutions for the full duration of their Internships.

Funding

• 5,700 JPY per day as sojourn expenses will be covered by NII while intern students are staying at NII.  This is sufficient to live in Tokyo. Medical insurance will also be provided.
• The sojourn expenses will be covered during their stay at NII only.
• Transportation expenses are not paid.
• Possible expenses due to epidemic quarantine and medical tests are in principle not supported by the Global Liaison Office (GLO).

Overseas travel insurance

• The cost of medical treatment for NII internship students will be covered except certain conditions and injuries (e.g., pre-existing/chronic conditions, dental care, vaccinations, and certain other conditions). Under the terms of the insurance program, students must arrive in Japan at most one day prior to the commencement of their internship, and leave Japan no more than one day after their internship ends.
• NII recommends that interns make provisions for other types of insurance before arriving in Japan. Examples include travel insurance to cover the cost of flight cancellations, lost baggage, and so on.
• Important: By Japanese law any visitor residing in Japan for more than three months must make contributions to the national health insurance program. Internship students are liable for payment of an insurance fee of approximately 1000 JPY per month to the local government of their residence. Students must follow the necessary administrative payment procedures at their local municipal office.

Final evaluation

• At the end of their internship, students are expected to submit an NII International Internship Program Report outlining the outcomes of their project. In writing their reports, interns should take care to respect any restrictions on confidential information or on intellectual property that may have been required by NII or their home institution. After the completion of the internship period and the submission of their report, NII will issue a certificate of completion.
• Important: Acceptance as an NII Internship student is subject to the condition that the student works on the approved project topic, and complies with NII and Japanese government regulations. In the event that these conditions are not respected, NII may take appropriate action that may include the termination of their internship.

Japanese Border Measures

• As of March 30th, 2023, all travelers are requested to pre-register the information required for quarantine procedures via "Visit Japan Web." Please prepare the necessary document before your departure.
• As such, it is highly recommended that all internship students coming to NII be vaccinated as the Japanese Government recommends it in order not to be subject to quarantine at your arrival in Japan.

Consequences of COVID-19 Epidemic

• Due to the unstable status of the COVID-19 epidemic, be aware that it might be the case that the Japanese Government installs further containment periods. We want to inform you that if the situation would become as serious as to threaten your life, we might require you to repatriate to your university or your origin country. Under such situation, the internship student research work would continue as an remote on-line internship.

Questions & Contact Information

If you have further questions regarding the NII Japan Internship Program, please contact Professor Antonio Ortega at aortega@usc.edu. If you have questions or concerns related to your visa/I20/student status while participating in the NII Japan Internship Program, please send an e-mail to Amanda McCraven at amccrave@usc.edu.