Research Funding
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.
Imeripotiwa na AI
In an interview with Le Monde, Philippe Baptiste, French Higher Education Minister since December 2024, apologizes for calling universities a 'bunch of losers' during a Senate hearing. He addresses budgetary constraints preventing student scholarship reforms in 2026 and calls for debate on uneven university funding. The minister denies pressuring the cancellation of a Palestine colloquium at the Collège de France.