Takeda Science Foundation

The Takeda Science Foundation (公益財団法人武田科学振興財団) is a Japanese public-interest foundation whose stated purpose is to support and promote research in science and technology, spread scientific thought, and thereby contribute to the advancement of science, technology and culture in Japan. It was established in 1963 using an endowment donated by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, inheriting the Takeda Medical Prize award program begun in 1954 by Rokudai Takeda Chobei on the initiative of Godai Takeda Chobei. Its main activities have included awarding grants to research institutions and researchers and supporting foreign visiting researchers, and in 1978 it opened Kyuyo Shooku as a library and archive for materials donated by Takeda Pharmaceutical and the Takeda family.

The foundation traces its origins to 1953, when Rokudai Takeda Chobei, president of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, acting on the initiative of Godai Takeda Chobei (Takeda Wakei), decided as a commemorative project for the company's 170th anniversary to confer awards for outstanding research in Japan's natural sciences; from the following year, 1954, the Takeda Medical Prize and other awards began to be presented. In 1963, to further develop these activities and to add grants to research institutions and researchers in science and technology as well as support for foreign visiting researchers, an endowment was donated by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, and the Takeda Science Foundation was established, inheriting the Takeda Medical Prize award program. In 1964 it began scholarship support for foreign visiting researchers, with its first grant going to a researcher from Taiwan; support for researchers from Thailand began in 1966, the Philippines in 1971, South Korea in 1972, China in 1981, and Indonesia in 1982, and in 1983 support was extended to researchers from countries other than those in Asia (GII). In 1977, Rokudai Takeda Chobei donated 3,825 volumes of herbal and medical books and rare Oriental studies works, including three National Treasures and six Important Cultural Properties; in 1978 the foundation received a further donation of 17,325 volumes of herbal and medical books, including two Important Cultural Properties, from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, and on April 28, 1978 opened Kyuyo Shooku as a library and archive for the permanent preservation of these materials and their use by researchers. In 1980, following the bequest of 10 million shares of the company by Takeda Akio, the foundation's financial base was strengthened, and in November 1980 it decided to expand research grants and their fields and to hold life science symposia, held in even-numbered years. The first international symposium on life sciences was held in 1982, and life science research grants began in 1989. In 1992 it received 4,258 volumes including the Takeda family documents, Murakami family documents, Senshin Bunko (additional) and Hata Bunko. In 1998, marking the 20th anniversary of Kyuyo Shooku, a commemorative symposium was held and twice-yearly (spring and autumn) research meetings began. In 1999, marking the 35th anniversary of its founding, it established a new award fund as part of its research grant activities to support research on circulatory diseases. In 2001 it created the Pharmaceutical Sciences Symposium, first held in October 2001, thereafter held in odd-numbered years, with the Life Sciences Symposium in even-numbered years. In 2004, marking the 50th anniversary of the Takeda Medical Prize, it created new programs including Specified Research Grants, Symposium Research Incentives, High School Science Education Promotion Incentives, and Kyuyo Shooku Research Incentives. In 2005, marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of founder Rokudai Takeda Chobei and the 25th anniversary of the deaths of him and Takeda Akio, it carried out Takeda Memorial research grants (clinical research grants, foreign student support grants, pharmacognosy research grants) and planted an apricot tree in commemoration. In 2006 it created Specified Research Grant [I] for research institutions and Specified Research Grant [II] for researchers, and began holding research grant presentation ceremonies.

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