Support for Research and Scholarly Activities

In 1984, Kyocera supported the creation of the non-profit Inamori Foundation, which was established to recognize and support creative activities in science and culture and to encourage a deepening and enhancement of the human spirit. The Foundation's activities are designed to contribute to the peace and prosperity of mankind. Since 1985, Kyocera has assisted in the management of the annual award ceremony for the Kyoto Prize, an international award program of the Inamori Foundation.

To encourage research in fine ceramics, Kyocera-endowed chairs were established in the United States at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1984), Case Western Reserve University (1984), and at Washington State University (1985). Kyocera also made a donation to Alfred University in 2005, which created a fund to establish both the “Fine Ceramics / Nanotechnology Laboratory” and the “Inamori Kyocera Fine Ceramics Museum” in Alfred, New York.

Kyocera provided the funds and technology required for scientific research undertaken by the Japan-China Yangtze River Civilization Survey in China when it started in 1995. In addition, Kyocera participated in excavation and research at the ruins of Long-maguchen Baodung site in the upper reaches of the Changjiang River, among other sites. This research yielded results which led to rewriting the histories of ancient civilizations around the world.

In 1997, Kyocera established a fund to support Kyoto University's overseas assignment program for lecturers and graduate students. The program was founded to mark the University's centennial anniversary and is designed to promote international academic exchange.

To contribute to the development of fine ceramic technologies and the future of the industry, the Kyocera Museum of Fine Ceramics was established on the second floor of the corporate headquarters in Kyoto when it opened in 1998. The museum features exhibits showing the historical development of fine ceramic technologies created by Kyocera and a library housing a collection of books on fine ceramics. In 2001, a second Kyocera Museum of Fine Ceramics was opened in the company’s Kokubu Plant in Kagoshima Prefecture.

In 1998, Kyocera donated to Japan’s National Museum of Anthropology 12,806 volumes of British parliamentary documents (dating from the 19th century), encompassing some 8 million pages and regarded as one of the world’s most valuable resources for the study of modern history. The documents, now known as the Kyocera Collection, were transferred to the Center for Integrated Area Studies at Kyoto University (CIAS) in 2006.

The Kyocera Administration Course opened at Kagoshima University’s College of Engineering in 1999. In 2005, Kyocera took part in founding the Inamori Academy of Management & Technology, which was developed from the Kyocera Administration Course to expand course lectures to all other facilities. The academy is designed to contribute to society by fostering true business leaders who will play a major role in Japan and Asia in the future, and by educating students about Kyocera’s management systems and philosophy.

In 2001, Kyocera and Kazuo Inamori, its founder, established the Inamori-Kyocera Western Districts Development Scholarship Fund to aid financially disadvantaged university students in western China who demonstrate academic excellence and strong personal character. The goal of the Fund, which awards scholarships to 240 university students at 12 universities each year, is to foster new leaders who will help develop this area by employing scientific technologies.