What is it?

Vulcanus in Japan started in 1997. The program consists of industrial placements for EU / SMP Pillar students. It starts in August and ends in March. The whole program is undertaken in Japan. The students follow:

  • a seminar on Japan

  • a two-month intensive Japanese language course

  • and then a six-month internship in a Japanese company

Program objectives

The objectives of the program are to get acquainted with the range of advanced technologies employed by a leading Japanese host company, to learn Japanese and to understand and appreciate Japanese culture with a view to an enriching eight-month experience abroad, to provide an opportunity for students to interact with Japanese business and people.

Are you eligible?

At the time of application, the candidate must be:

  • an EU / SMP Pillar citizen

  • a student in engineering or scientific fields

  • a student at an EU / SMP Pillar University

  • enrolled in at least the fourth year of studies and the penultimate year of PhD at the time of the application

  • enrolled for 2024/2025 academic year and able to provide a certificate of enrolment at the university valid until at least 1 month prior to the starting of the program (the program starts on August 2025; the certificate must be valid at least till July 2025)

  • able to participate in the entire programme

  • not in the need to write the thesis project on the activities carried out during the internship in Japan

How to apply?

Who pays what?

This program is financed by the Eu-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and the Japanese host company. The students are awarded a grant (around € 8200, in principle to be paid in Yen) to cover the cost of travel to and from Japan, personal insurance and living expenses in Japan. There is no charge for the language course and seminar, and accommodation is provided free of charge during the course and seminar and the company internship.

Selection criteria

Applicants are selected on the basis of their academic record and the opinion of their tutors, their knowledge of written and spoken English, their motivation, their attitude to EU-Japan relations and their ability to adapt to a different culture.

The Program is promoted every year in November. The final say lies with the Japanese host companies (for more information click here). Eu-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation invited Politecnico di Milano to join for the first time in 1997/98; since then more than 30 students of Politecnico di Milano have participated into the Program. More info about the Program, the application and the required documents are available on EU-Japan Centre website.

Students have to send their applications directly to EU- Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation in Bruxelles, not mediated by the Career Service or the International Relations Office of the University.

N.B. The Career Service can only provide the candidate with the compulsory document n^6 required for the application (System of grading): you can request it via email to careerservice.international@polimi.it

About Contact Details of INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OFFICE OF YOUR UNIVERSITY required at point H-B of the application form.

  • Name of person in charge: Career Service

  • Telephone number: +39.02.2399.2535

  • Email: careerservice.international@polimi.it

  • Address of the office: P.zza Leonardo da Vinci, 32 – 20133 Milano (MI) – Italia

Applications’ session for 2025-2026 will expire on January 20th 2025.


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