Kyoto University professor Susumu Kitagawa, a co-winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry, called for long-term financial support for basic research during a news conference in Stockholm. He noted that it takes around 25 years for basic research to yield practical results, highlighting the mismatch with Japan’s 10-year funding system. Meanwhile, the University of Osaka and Kyoto University have launched funds to support the fields of Japanese Nobel laureates Shimon Sakaguchi and Kitagawa.
At a news conference held at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm on Sunday, Kyoto University professor Susumu Kitagawa, one of three co-winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry, addressed Japan’s research funding system. He stressed the need for long-term financial support for basic research, stating that it takes around 25 years to produce results and apply them practically. Kitagawa pointed out that Japan’s predominant 10-year funding cycles fall short of this timeline.
In related developments, the University of Osaka and Kyoto University have established dedicated funds to bolster the research areas of Japanese Nobel laureates Shimon Sakaguchi and Kitagawa. The University of Osaka launched the Shimon Sakaguchi Research Support Fund on October 10, focusing on regulatory T cells (Tregs), the discovery for which Sakaguchi received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The fund will support key initiatives, including training young researchers. Akihiko Takagi, a specially appointed professor at Osaka University’s Immunology Frontier Research Center, said: “The applications of Tregs are advancing, and going forward, even more funding will be required. We also want to expand support for young researchers.”
At Kyoto University’s Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, where Kitagawa is based, donations are being solicited for an existing fund dedicated to metal-organic frameworks, the porous materials he developed that earned him the chemistry Nobel. These efforts aim to sustain the laureates’ groundbreaking work and nurture future scientists.