Yoshinori Ohsumi Fund

© Nobel Media AB 2016 Photo: Alexander Mahmoud
© Nobel Media AB 2016 Photo: Alexander Mahmoud

The former Tokyo Institute of Technology — the predecessor of the science and engineering fields of the Institute of Science Tokyo — has been producing outstanding research results and developing excellent science and engineering professionals for over 140 years.
We were delighted when Honorary Professor Yoshinori Ohsumi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2016 for his elucidation of the mechanism of autophagy. His achievement provided an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of fundamental research that seeks to explain natural phenomena.
The Yoshinori Ohsumi Fund was launched after his Nobel Prize win to broaden the base of the field of research. Among other things, it does this by providing financial aid to Science Tokyo students to develop Japan's future leaders of science and technology, and strengthening the support of scientists early in their career who are engaged in fundamental research that requires a long-term perspective.

In his Nobel acceptance speech, Professor Ohsumi called for a society that is "able to nurture not only purpose-oriented science, but also science as a core cultural activity." On other occasions, he has expressed concerns about the extreme decline in the fundamental research capabilities of Japanese universities and requested that they provide environments where young people can tackle challenging research topics and support the development of the next generation of leaders.

We established the Yoshinori Ohsumi Fund within the Science Tokyo Fund with a generous donation from Honorary Professor Yoshinori Ohsumi. The goal of the fund is to develop future leaders of science and technology in Japan by providing financial aid to Science Tokyo students, and strengthen the support of scientists early in their career who are engaged in fundamental research.

Science Tokyo aims to become one of the world's top 10 research universities by 2030. We will make every effort to grow the Yoshinori Ohsumi Fund and contribute to the development of science in Japan.

We ask for your kind support for the growth of the fund.

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Use of fund

1.
Financial aid for students (scholarship)
2.
Research grants for early-career scientists
3.
Developing an environment for conducting fundamental research

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Tax benefits

Donations to this fund from individuals are eligible for tax deductions under the Income Tax Act. Corporate donations are fully deductible as expenses under the Corporate Tax Act.
For more information, please see the "Tax Benefits" page.

Activity Reports

AY 2023

2023 Yoshinori Ohsumi Award for Fundamental Research Awarded to Three Researchers

Three researchers received the 2023 Yoshinori Ohsumi Award for Fundamental Research, financial support from Tokyo Tech for researchers under the age of 40 engaged in fundamental research. The award ceremony was held on January 24, 2024.

Yoshinori Ohsumi Scholarship to include category for female students

Tokyo Tech established the Yoshinori Ohsumi Scholarship in academic year 2018 with the aim of attracting outstanding students to the Institute and developing Japan's future leaders of science and technology. This scholarship will soon include a categ...

AY 2022

2022 Yoshinori Ohsumi Fund for Fundamental Research Awarded to Two Researchers

Two researchers received the 2022 Yoshinori Ohsumi Fund for Fundamental Research, financial support from Tokyo Tech for researchers under the age of 40 engaged in fundamental research. A ceremony for awarding the recipients with their letter of selec...

Special webpage for 2016 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine

Learn more about Honorary Professor Yoshinori Ohsumi and his prize-winning research into the mechanisms of autophagy

Special webpage for 2016 Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine

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