FY 2024 Shimadzu Prize Ceremony Held
A ceremony for presenting the FY 2024 Shimadzu Prize, Shimadzu Research Promotion Awards, and Research and Development Grants was held at the Hotel Okura Kyoto on February 18. The purpose of prizes, awards, and grants presented by the Shimadzu Science Foundation is to fund and promote R&D related to science and technology.
Note: The indicated titles and positions of recipients were current when the application for the corresponding prize/award/grant was received, unless indicated otherwise.
The ceremony was attended by 117 people, including recipients and Shimadzu Science Foundation personnel involved
Shimadzu Science Foundation: Promoting Science and Technology for 45 Years
The Shimadzu Science Foundation was established by Shimadzu Corporation with matching funds in June 1980. The purpose of establishing the foundation was to “engage in funding and promoting research and development activities in order to help promote the advancement and welfare of Japanese industry.” Since then, it has primarily focused on presenting awards to meritorious individuals and providing research and development grants to young researchers.
To date, the foundation has presented a total of over 70 awards and issued grants for over 600 R&D projects. The current Chairman of the Shimadzu Science Foundation, Hiroyuki Sakaki, is also a 1994 Shimadzu Prize recipient (research topic: Research on Measuring Quantum Effects in Semiconductor Nanostructures). Professor Shinya Yamanaka (currently Director Emeritus & Professor, the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University) also received the same prize in 2008 for “Predicting Biological Responses by Artificial Pluripotent Stem Cells.” Then in 2012, he also received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Logo of Shimadzu Science Foundation
There are two main functions of the Shimadzu Science Foundation, which are “awarding meritorious individuals and providing research and development grants.” Shimadzu Prize and Shimadzu Research Promotion Award, established in 1981 and 2018, respectively, are given to meritorious individuals. The Shimadzu Prize recognizes individuals who have achieved prominent results in basic research or application/practical utilization of science and technology, especially involving scientific measurement. On the other hand, the Shimadzu Research Promotion Award recognizes researchers aged 45 or younger who have achieved original results in basic research or the research of applications/practical utilization of science and technology, especially involving scientific measurement, and for which the research is expected to achieve significant advancement.
Research and Development Grants are mainly intended for innovative research in science, technology, or new fields involving scientific measurement, and are given to help fund researchers up to 45 years old who work at a research institution in Japan. In FY 2024, 23 projects were selected for the grant.
Shimadzu Prize Given to Professor Takeharu Nagai of The University of Osaka
The University of Osaka Professor Takeharu Nagai (right) with Shimadzu Science Foundation Chairman Hiroyuki Sakaki
The 44th Shimadzu Prize for FY 2024 was awarded to Professor Takeharu Nagai (Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, The University of Osaka) for “Research to Identify the Vital Functions of Life Based on Development of Fluorescence and Bioluminescence Measurement Technologies.” The prize is given to recognize the development of bioluminescent proteins that generate high-luminosity bioluminescent light in a variety of colors based on the phenomenon of bioluminescence, which is observed in fireflies, jellyfish, fungi, and other organisms.
Fluorescence imaging, which uses excitation light to induce light emission from molecules, is a useful technique for investigating the functions of biological molecules and cells in the body. However, that excitation light can have various effects on the activities of cells in samples. Therefore, Professor Nagai has focused on using bioluminescence, which does not involve excitation light, to develop many different original luminescent proteins based on modifications made by cleverly utilizing the physicochemical properties of bioluminescence. Among those results, he received especially high praise for the innovativeness of luminescent biosensor development based on bioluminescent proteins that emit bright light in a variety of colors.
Prize Acceptance Speech by Professor Nagai (given in Japanese)
Shimadzu Research Promotion Awards were awarded to Professor Masatsugu Toyota of the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Senior Research Scientist Hiroshi Imada of Cluster for Pioneering Research, RIKEN, and Associate Professor Daiju Ueda at the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University.
Professor Masatsugu Toyota of the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University
Awarded Topic: Development of Real Time Imaging Technology for Visualizing Plant Response to Mechanical Stimulation
Senior Research Scientist Hiroshi Imada of Cluster for Pioneering Research, RIKEN
Awarded Topic: Development of Optical Fusion Probe Microscope Technology and Research of Quantum Conversion in Molecular Systems
Associate Professor Daiju Ueda at the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University
Awarded Topic: Research on Using Artificial Intelligence for Scientific Measurements of Medical Images
Comments by Shimadzu Science Foundation Employee
Shimadzu Science Foundation is a non-profit foundation established in 1980 and officially certified as a public interest incorporated foundation by the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan in 2012. In addition to administering the Shimadzu Prize and Shimadzu Research Promotion Awards (merit-based awards), the foundation also administers research and development grants.
Officers, judges, and others involved in administering the prizes/awards are appointed from among well-known people in the industry, previous prize/award winners and grant recipients have been active in their respective fields. The foundation is committed to continue engaging in activities for achieving the purpose of establishing the foundation, which is to “promote the advancement and welfare of Japanese industry.”
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