The Kavli Foundation and the University of Tokyo recently came to an agreement that the Foundation will establish an endowment fund of 7.5 million dollars for the Institute for Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU) to perpetually support its research using dividends of the fund and that the IPMU would be renamed as Kavli IPMU effective April 1, 2012.
The IPMU was established in October 2007 as part of the “World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)” of the Japanese government. By collaborating with the world’s leading scholars in the fields of mathematics, physics, and astronomy, the Institute pursues the most important issues of modern basic science such as dark energy, dark matters and a unified theory (superstring theory and quantum gravity).
Kavli Institute for Physics and Mathematics of the Universe. (Courtesy: University of Tokyo)
The Kavli Foundation based in the United States, sponsors research programs in astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience and theoretical physics at top-level institutes, including Harvard, MIT and Cambridge.
“It is a great honor for the University of Tokyo that the world-renowned Kavli Foundation has chosen IPMU as the recipient of a major donation, and that IPMU will join the Kavli group of research institutes as its newest member. This generous and transboundary donation from Mr. Kavli ensures a stable research fund for IPMU and its benefit will provide a great support of research achievements in the future. In addition, this donation has significantly impacted the way the University of Tokyo should strive in reforming our systems. Capitalizing on this opportunity, we hope to make a giant leap forwards to further growth and progress” said the University of Tokyo President Junichi Hamada.
In 2010, 2011 and 2012, FUTI awarded research grants to the University of California Berkeley Satellite of IPMU. The UTokyo group and the Berkeley group have been pursuing joint research by letting their graduate students and postdoctoral fellows make short-term visits to the other group, and the grants from FUTI are used to support their travel and lodging expenses.
Articles in this newsletter:
- Profiles of FUTI VOLUNTEERS
- NY Icho-kai’s 11th Annual Reception held
- The UTokyo-Yale Initiative Hosted Junior Scholar Conference
- UTokyo-Yale Initiative (TYI) Discusses “Japan and China for Four Decades: Cooperation and Competition since 1972”
- IPMU Becomes a Kavli Institute
- Kagakusha Network Hosts a Seminar on "A Guidepost for Aspiring Global Leaders in Science" on July 22 in Tokyo
- FUTI participates in the “Go Global 2012” Fair at the Komaba Campus
- Reminder: Annual Fundraising Campaign Will End Soon
- Reception in Honor of Prof. Akihiko Tanaka Held
- Eight U.S. Students and Nine UTokyo Students Receive FUTI Leadership Awards
- FUTI’s Board and Advisory Committee Joint Meeting Held
- Mr. Sakurai resigns from the Advisory Committee
- Mr. Shuta Kobayashi becomes Secretary of FUTI
- The FUTI Board appoints Dr. Masako Egawa as a new member
