The TANAKA Memorial Foundation has opened submissions for its fiscal year 2026 Precious Metals Research Grants, inviting proposals from researchers affiliated with educational and public research institutions in Japan. The application period runs from September 1 to November 30, 2026.
This grant program, now in its 28th edition, aims to foster scientific and industrial development by supporting innovative research and product development related to precious metals. A total of 20 million yen is available across five award categories, with the highest grant, the Umekichi Tanaka Award, offering 10 million yen.
The awards are named after key figures in the foundation's history, such as Umekichi Tanaka, the company's founder, and Ichiro Tanaka, who contributed significantly to the industrial use of precious metals. The Junichiro Tanaka Award, newly established this year, aims to encourage research that explores new potentials for precious metals.
Eligible candidates must propose research that uses or applies to precious metals and contributes to a sustainable future. The foundation defines precious metals as platinum, gold, silver, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, and osmium. Applicants must be affiliated with a Japanese research institution, although their base of activity can be overseas.
The foundation will announce the results on its website by the end of March 2027, with direct contact made to the award recipients. The KIRAMEKI Award is specifically open to researchers aged 37 or younger as of April 1, 2026.
Interested parties must complete an application form available on the TANAKA Memorial Foundation's website and submit relevant research papers and supplementary materials. The foundation emphasizes that research must not be commercialized or planned for commercialization to qualify for the grants.
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