On July 6, the Canon Foundation held its 10th “Pursuit of Ideals” & “Science and Technology that Achieve a Good Future” symposium at Shin-Marunouchi Building Conference Square near Tokyo Station. The hybrid format of this event had all sixteen reporters physically attending the venue and joint researchers and other attendees participating online. The reports consisted of four research results reports, eight third-year research and second-year interim reports, and four summary introductions of first-year research.

Canon Foundation Chairman Hiroyuki Yoshikawa commenced the symposium by expressing his expectations, saying, “Learning is something jointly pursued by all mankind as it evolves over time into something that is right and free no matter who uses it. My hope is that today’s participants, in their capacity as scientists, serve mankind and bring forth knowledge that we can use in the future.”

The results reports for the “Pursuit of Ideals” Research Grant Program consisted of four presentations on food, one of which was “Development of a sound raising system for livestock that does not excessively depend on chemicals” by Associate Professor Yukihiro Ito of Tohoku University. Another was a presentation on electric taste technology by Professor Yoshiaki Miyashita of Meiji University, which lent considerable excitement to the venue by including a demonstration on how the saltiness of miso soup changes.

Additionally, with this series of results reports marking the fifth and final year of the “Pursuit of Ideals” Research Grant Program, general comments on food-related research were also presented. These included a video message submitted by Screening Committee Member Naoko Nishizawa, who was absent that day due to travelling on business overseas but offered her opinions through the video, saying, “I am happy that we were able to support the germinating research of these relatively young researchers and that their efforts proceeded to develop into considerable research afterwards.” Shinichiro Ogaki, Chief of the Screening Committee, offered the following summary: “The research for these grants-in-aid have a breadth that goes beyond the researchers’ original fields of specialty as well as uniqueness, which are translating into the formation of sizeable research domains. I wish to thank all of the researchers involved in these eighteen themes regarding food for their contributions.”

The interim reports and summary introductions for “Science and Technology that Achieve a Good Future” covered highly diversified fields. These ranged from physics and chemistry, as seen in the themes of the creation of artificial elements and the challenge of light storage, to biology, as exemplified by the themes of the understanding and application of transcription programs and new strategies for pest control. The Q&A during the symposium gave way to lively discussion.

Chief of the Screening Committee Ogaki had the final word on the aforementioned interim reports and summary introduction, commenting, “This program asks researchers to paint their research concepts on a white canvas themselves with the aim of addressing social problems. All of these researchers are tackling difficult issues. I believe that the tense relationship between the selected researchers and the Screening Committee as well as the mutual stimulation between the selected researchers themselves will produce research results.”