Suzuki foundation announces latest scientific research funding

On 15 February 2013, the Suzuki Foundation selected 29 scientific research initiatives to receive fiscal 2012 financial assistance worth a total of ¥39.95 million. The foundation also announced financial support for academic research, bringing its overall fiscal 2012 disbursements to ¥48.68 million.

(1) Financial assistance for scientific research projects in progress

The Suzuki Foundation has decided to support 28 original, advanced scientific research projects on seven fields that are in progress: production-related technologies; environmental and energy-saving technologies; measurement-, control-, and analysis-related technologies; material-related technologies; electronics- and information-related technologies; human engineering and medical technologies; and robot-related technologies. The foundation’s financial assistance for these 28 projects totals ¥29.95 million.

(2) Financial assistance for proposed scientific research projects

As well as supporting scientific research projects that are under way, the Suzuki Foundation selects contemporary problems that it believes need to be resolved, invites proposals for research projects to address them, and selects the most outstanding proposals for funding. It funds each selected project for two years and has selected 14 projects in the past ten years.
For fiscal 2012, the foundation has decided to fund one engineering research for the solution and improvement of car accident victims and accidents by elders entitled “Research on environment recognition and avoidance control systems for car accident avoidance or reduction”, aimed at building environment recognition, mobility prediction, and high-precision obstacle avoidance control systems of automobiles. The foundation will disburse a total of ¥10 million for this project and for the second year of funding for one project that it selected last year.

(3) Other financial assistance and activities

The Suzuki Foundation also conducts a wide range of other activities. Notably, it promotes awareness of research results and further development of research projects by funding symposiums, subsidizing transportation and accommodation for Japanese researchers attending overseas academic meetings, subsidizing programs in Japan for researchers from Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and publishing a foundation newsletter. The foundation’s fiscal 2012 support for such activities totals ¥8.73 million.

About the Suzuki Foundation

Suzuki Motor Corporation established the Suzuki Foundation in March 1980 to mark its 60th anniversary. Thus far, the foundation has supported 1,258 scientific research projects with financial assistance worth a total of ¥1,424.64 million. The latest round of financial assistance for scientific research is the 33rd to be announced by the foundation.

Overview of the Suzuki Foundation