On July 14 in the Hall & Conference Square located in the Marunouchi Building, Chiyoda City, Tokyo, the Canon Foundation hosted its “Science and Technology that Achieve a Good Future” Symposium 2023. This event was held in a hybrid format in which fourteen out of the fifteen total reporters were in attendance at the venue and the remaining reporter attended online. Out of the reports made, three were research results reports, four were interim reports for the second year of research, and eight were progress reports for the third year of research (including one report for the fourth year) and for the first year of research.

For the research results reports, reports on the completion of research were presented orally. The fields reported on covered a considerable scope ranging from physics and chemistry as represented by the creation of artificial elements to biology as represented by new strategies for insect pest control and the development of weed control methods.

For the interim reports that followed, reports on progress for the second year of research were presented orally. The fields reported on were wide-ranging in scope, from the challenge of optical storage representing the physics and chemistry fields to synaptic plasticity induction technology for recovering brain functions and the creation of cultivation design information platforms for rice plants representing the biology field, even extending to the development of educational programs for overcoming social division representing the social sciences field. In the Q&A session, members of the Screening Committee posed questions and gave advice from profound perspectives, resulting in lively discussion.

For the progress reports, reports on progress for the third year of research (including one report for the fourth year that had been delayed for a year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic) and for the first year of research were presented with the use of posters. The sheer scope of fields covered by the presentations, which ranged from biology to social sciences, kept the energy of the discussions at a high level from beginning to end.

At the close of the symposium, Screening Committee Chairman Shinichiro Ogaki offered the following comments: “All the presentations were wonderful. In these times of uncertainty as characterized by the likes of the COVID-19 pandemic and war, I feel that in research as well, it is important to tackle new themes rather than keep pursuing existing ones. Alongside taking on new research themes while picturing a good future, I hope you will relay persuasive research results as part of this ‘Science and Technology that Achieve a Good Future’ Research Grant Program.”