KYOTO PRIZE SYMPOSIUM

The Kyoto Symposium Organization is a California 501(c)3 non-profit corporation founded in 2004 to organize and administer San Diego’s Kyoto Prize Symposium. The organization is dedicated to promoting education and expanding the mission of the non-profit Inamori Foundation, and the Foundation’s Kyoto Prize, in North America. Major activities of the Kyoto Symposium Organization include co-hosting the annual Kyoto Prize Symposium in conjunction with San Diego’s major universities; holding an annual benefit gala; and funding the Kyoto Scholarships, which are awarded to high-school seniors in the greater San Diego / Tijuana region who plan to continue their education at an accredited four-year university. In addition to scholarships, the Symposium offers unique educational opportunities through public lectures by the esteemed laureates of the Kyoto Prize, Japan’s highest private award for global achievement. The prize is presented annually in three categories: Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy.The mission of the Kyoto Symposium Organization is aligned with that of the Inamori Foundation, which awards the Kyoto Prize to individuals and groups worldwide who demonstrate outstanding contributions to the betterment of society. All activities of the Kyoto Symposium Organization are intended to uphold the ideals of Dr. Kazuo Inamori, who established the Inamori Foundation and the Kyoto Prize in reflection of his lifelong belief that “Human beings have no higher calling than to strive for the greater good of humankind and society,” and that “The future of humanity can be assured only when there is a balance between scientific development and the enrichment of the human spirit.”