MIKIYA Science and Technology Foundation

The MIKIYA Science and Technology Foundation (公益財団法人 御器谷科学技術財団) is a Japanese public-interest incorporated foundation dedicated to supporting scientific and technological research and development as well as international exchange activities. It was established on 2 November 1990 (the second year of the Heisei era) with the full support of Nitto Kohki Co., Ltd. and its affiliated group, under the guidance of the former Science and Technology Agency (now the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, MEXT), and with the participation of respected figures from relevant fields serving as officers and councillors. The foundation operates primarily as a grant-making body. Its core programmes are subsidies for research and development in science and technology and subsidies for international exchange activities. According to its official website, by fiscal year 2024 it had provided support to 417 research and development projects and 205 international exchange activities, with total grants exceeding 440 million yen. This cumulative record illustrates the foundation's long-running role in seeding and sustaining research efforts and cross-border scientific cooperation in Japan. On 1 April 2012 the foundation received accreditation from the Cabinet Office and transitioned to the status of a public-interest incorporated foundation (公益財団法人), a legal category for organisations recognised as serving the public interest under Japanese law. It continues to publish annual grant guidelines and results, and it renewed its website in March 2023. The foundation remains active, issuing calls for applications for its research and development and international exchange grants on an annual basis. As a foundation rather than a commercial manufacturer, the MIKIYA Science and Technology Foundation does not sell products; its "offerings" are grant programmes and financial support for researchers and international exchange participants. Its identity is closely tied to its founding sponsor, Nitto Kohki, and to its public-interest mission of contributing to socioeconomic development and welfare through science and technology.

The MIKIYA Science and Technology Foundation was established on 2 November 1990 (Heisei 2). Its creation was made possible by the full support of Nitto Kohki Co., Ltd. and its related group, together with guidance from the former Science and Technology Agency (the predecessor in this policy area of today's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) and the participation of authoritative figures from the relevant scientific and technological fields who served as officers and councillors. The foundation was founded with the aim of contributing, even in a modest way, to broader socioeconomic development and welfare through support for science and technology. From its inception, the foundation's work has centred on two grant programmes: subsidies for research and development in science and technology, and subsidies for international exchange activities. Over the decades these programmes have provided seed and support funding to a large number of projects. According to the foundation's own cumulative figures, by fiscal year 2024 it had supported 417 research and development projects and 205 international exchange activities, with total grants exceeding 440 million yen. A significant institutional change came on 1 April 2012, when the foundation received accreditation from the Cabinet Office and transitioned to the legal status of a public-interest incorporated foundation (公益財団法人), thereby adopting the name 公益財団法人 御器谷科学技術財団. This status reflects its recognition as an organisation serving the public interest under Japanese law. The foundation has continued to operate its grant programmes annually, publishing application guidelines and results each fiscal year. It renewed its website on 31 March 2023, and it has continued to update its grant guidelines for subsequent fiscal years, including FY2024, FY2025 and FY2026. Its stated intention is to build on its past record and aim for further enhancement of its activities.

• Foundation established with the support of Nitto Kohki and its group, under the guidance of the Science and Technology Agency.

• Accredited by the Cabinet Office and transitioned to a public-interest incorporated foundation (公益財団法人 御器谷科学技術財団).

• Website renewed.

• FY2024 grant guidelines for research and development and international exchange updated.

• FY2025 grant guidelines updated.

• FY2026 grant guidelines updated.

A grant-making public-interest foundation supporting science and technology research and international exchange in Japan.

• Research and development grants

  Subsidies for scientific and technological research and development projects.

• International exchange activity grants

  Subsidies for international exchange activities.

1. 1公益財団法人 御器谷科学技術財団mikiya-zaidan.or.jp
2. 2MIKIYA Science and Technology Foundation - Wikidatawikidata.org