On Sunday, June 22, the Dassai Commemorative Foundation hosted the 2025 Research Grant Award Ceremony.
This year, in addition to research projects, “activities” was introduced as a new grant category. A total of ten grants were awarded: eight for research and two for activities.
The event began with a greeting by Kazuhiko Sakurai, President of Dassai Inc. and Chair of the Foundation, followed by a summary of the selection process by the selection committee. Grant certificates were then presented to the ten recipients in attendance.
【Grant Recipients（Research）】
Chigaya Enoki (Watershed Ecology Team, Watershed Environmental Research Group, Public Works Research Institute)
Project: “Efficient conservation strategies for aquatic plants within river basins considering geographical genetic structure.”
Jungo Igarashi (Earth Science Program, School of Life and Earth Sciences, University of Tsukuba)
Project: “Achieving environmental justice for sustainable river basin development in Penang State, Malaysia.”
Sota Nakajima (Forest Environment Division, Forestry Experiment Station, Hokkaido Research Organization)
Project: “Assessment of habitat networks in watersheds using environmental DNA, considering connectivity among populations.”
Takehito Noda (Associate Professor, Faculty of Contemporary Welfare, Hosei University)
Project: “Policy analysis of small-scale water supply systems supporting community self-governance.”
Rei Itsukushima (Associate Professor, Department of Civil Environmental Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology Graduate School)
Project: “Flood damage reduction and ecosystem conservation in Johor State, Malaysia, via Nature-based Solutions in Monsoon Asia.”
Wong Yong Jie (Lecturer, Department of Bio‑Environmental Design, Faculty of Bio‑Environment, Kyoto University of Advanced Science)
Project: “Next-generation biological wastewater treatment innovation: AI-driven understanding and active control of biological reaction systems.”
【Activity Grant Recipients】
Koji Yoshida (Chairman, Waterside Infrastructure Foundation)
Activity: “Conservation and restoration of water environments around Lake Kasumigaura, and environmental education.”
(Mr. Masato Ono, a regular member, attended on his behalf.)
Takashi Yoshida (Representative Director, River Basin Platform Association)
Activity: “Promoting co-created river basin flood control in Toyama Prefecture with participation from all stakeholders.”
Unfortunately, the following recipients were not able to attend:
Shinichiro Nakamura (Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University)
Project: “Exploring an integrated evaluation framework for basin flood management using socio-hydrology.”
Koichiro Ogushi (Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Saga University)
Project: “Quantitative evaluation of traditional flood control techniques in the Saga Plain considered as indigenous knowledge, and future watershed flood management.”
The ceremony continued with outcome presentations given by last year’s recipients:
Professor Yoshihisa Akamatsu (Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University)
Theme: “Towards biodiversity net gain: watershed‑wide fish and insect diversity assessment.”
Using environmental DNA quantitative metabarcoding, they aim to develop innovative models that estimate aquatic biodiversity across watersheds based on presence, absence, and density.
Mr. Akira Wada (Senior Researcher, Riverfront Research Institute)
Theme: “Case studies for social implementation of micro‑scale nature restoration in waterside areas.”
Targeting environments where diverse flora and fauna can live and breed, this research promotes collaborative, enjoyable, handcrafted local conservation initiatives into real-world practice.
Mr. Soya Uetsuki from the Innovation Research Lab at Dassai Inc., who participated in the research, also took the stage to share reflections.
The ceremony closed with remarks from Hiroshi Sakurai, Chairman of Dassai Inc. and selection committee member.
Afterwards, awardees, committee members, and related parties joined a reception at the same venue. The event featured a toast with Dassai 45 Nigori Sparkling, led by Professor Ōki Ōta from the University of Tokyo, creating a warm and congenial atmosphere.
The gathering concluded with a formal “ippon‐jime” by Koichi Tsukahara, Representative Director of the Riverfront Research Institute and selection committee member.
Moving forward, the Foundation plans to continue the research grant program in FY 2026 and will announce the next call for applications in due course.
We look forward to receiving applications from all interested parties.