At The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike (Sakyo-ku, Kyoto) on April 15, a grant presentation ceremony for the Inamori Research Grant, which supports researchers in the natural sciences and the humanities and social sciences, was held. The ceremony was followed by a social gathering for the Seiwa Scholars Society (3S) , which aims to promote exchange among previous grant recipients.
The ceremony was held for the first time in four years since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s theme was “exchange,” and for the first time, poster presentations by 3S members (previous grant recipients) were planned, which led to lively discussions.
The Inamori Research Grants Program was inaugurated in 1985 with the aim of supporting young scholars to carry out their research activities freely and without restrictions in pursuing diversity and originality. Recipients are chosen from a wide range of research areas, across the fields of natural, human, and social sciences. The total number of recipients and amounts turned into 1,829 and 1.81 billion yen including the fifty recipients for 2023.
At the presentation ceremony, Shinobu Inamori-Kanazawa, President of Inamori Foundation, said, “I hope that this grant will provide a new impetus for your research activities through friendship that transcends not only age and experience but also academic disciplines,” and handed the presentation certificate to Midori Akiyama of the Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University as a representative.
Mika Akesaka of the Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration, Kobe University, expressed her aspirations on behalf of the grant recipients, saying, “I would like to use this opportunity to question the relationship between society and my research, and how I can use my research for the greater good of humankind and society.”
Twenty-nine 3S members presented their recent results at the first poster session. Researchers from a variety of fields gathered in front of their posters and devoted their time to discussion.
Yoh Iwasa, Professor Emeritus at Kyushu University and 3S President,
summed up the session by saying, “You may get hints for solving your own problems from talks in fields you thought were completely unrelated to yours. It is important not only to convey the interest of one’s own research in an understandable way, but also to listen with interest to stories about research in completely different fields. I hope that you will continue to be curious about a wide range of academic research.”
At the end of the meeting, a reception party was held, where 3S members and the selection committee members enjoyed the exchange of their talks over meals and drinks with each other.
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