Japan's universities and research institutes have long had to make do with few philanthropic donations. Strict laws governing university finances, and the lack of a philanthropic tradition, have discouraged the gifts that serve Western institutions so well.
But change is coming. This week, the University of Tokyo unveils the country's first institute named after a foreign donor: the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe.
The announcement adds Norwegian philanthropist Fred Kavli's name, along with a US$7.5-million endowment, to one of Japan's most successful institutes. (nature.com)
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