Daiwa Foundation funds projects ranging from indigo dyeing to copper mining

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation has published details of grants awarded to support UK-Japan projects in its latest funding round (September 2016).

One researcher from Durham University will travel to Kyoto University to develop the novel academic discipline of hominoid evolutionary thanatology (how funerals and death rites developed from apes to humans), resulting in a keynote paper and a multidisciplinary workshop in Kyoto in March 2017. The Foundation will also support a textile artist to acquire skills in natural Japanese indigo dyeing from three master craftsmen, resulting in the building of a natural dye vat, booklet and exhibition. The NHK Symphony Orchestra will perform in London for the first time in 16 years as part of its 2017 European tour with support from the Foundation.

A number of Daiwa Foundation Awards are given to large-scale collaborations between British and Japanese institutions. Researchers from University of Exeter, the Natural History Museum and Akita University will test a range of new mineralogical exploration tools to assess the prospects of finding porphyry copper deposits in Japan, potentially revolutionising the Japanese mining industry. University of Central Lancashire and J.F. Oberlin University also received a Daiwa Foundation Award to support reciprocal visits by young researchers to discuss how best to provide services for young disabled children in the UK and Japan.

A complete list of projects supported in the latest funding round, with amounts granted, can be seen at the Foundation’s website:  September 2016 Round, PDF

Background information:

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is a UK charity, established in 1988 with a generous benefaction from Daiwa Securities Co Ltd. The Foundation’s purpose is to support closer links between Great Britain and Japan. It does this by awarding grants and scholarships in all fields of activity; by supporting educational exchanges and other bilateral initiatives between British and Japanese academics and students; and by organising a year-round events’ programme at Daiwa Foundation Japan House in London to increase understanding of Japan in the UK. The Foundation is represented in Japan by its Tokyo office. Further information about the Foundation and its activities is available at www.dajf.org.uk.