On April 13, a ceremony was held at The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike (Sakyo-ku, Kyoto) for the Inamori Research Grant, which supports researchers in the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. The ceremony was followed by a social gathering for the Seiwa Scholars Society (3S), which aims to promote exchange among grant recipients. As in the previous year, 3S members presented posters and engaged in lively discussions.
The Inamori Research Grants Program was inaugurated in 1985 with the aim of supporting 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 1,879 and 1.87 billion yen including the 50 recipients for 2024.
At the presentation ceremony, Shinobu Inamori-Kanazawa, President of Inamori Foundation, said “I hope that your research will lead to the creation of new ways of looking at things and new technologies, and that the results will eventually be widely returned to society and contribute to building a sustainable society and improving people’s lives.” And the presentation certificate was handed to Abe Yoshiaki of the Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba as a representative. Rei Itsukushima of the Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, expressed his aspirations on behalf of the grant recipients, saying, “I am grateful for the opportunity to interact with researchers from a wide range of fields, and I hope to further deepen my own research through this interaction.”
In the social gathering that followed, twenty-three 3S members shared the appeal of their own research by taking turns for one minute each using a large LED screen on a wall. After that, they presented their posters. 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, “I believe the best way to gain new perspectives is to listen to stories about completely different research topics in other fields. It is essential to be able to convey the interest of your research in an understandable way and to be interested in completely different fields of research.”
At the end of the event, a reception was held where 3S members and members of the selection committee enjoyed a meal and deepened their exchange.
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