Panasonic Education Foundation Holds Grant Awards Ceremony and Startup Seminar for the 52nd Practical Research Grant Program
Speech at the award ceremony
On May 29, the Panasonic Education Foundation held the grant awards ceremony and startup seminar for the 52nd Practical Research Grant Program in Tokyo. A total of 135 participants attended both on-site and online, including this year's grant recipients, representatives from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), selection committee members, and educational technology researchers serving as the Foundation's expert advisors.
The Foundation invites applications each year for "practical research" aimed at addressing educational challenges through the use of ICT. This year, 69 projects were selected from 224 applications, including four Special Research Designated Schools and 65 general grants. Since the program began in 1975, the Foundation has supported approximately 3,650 projects in total, equivalent to around 10% of elementary and secondary education institutions across Japan.
At the ceremony, Ms. Hiroko Asahara, Counselor at the Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau of MEXT, who is responsible for developing digital learning infrastructure, delivered a keynote presentation. She explained the future direction of the GIGA School Initiative, which aims to provide one digital device per student and enable individually optimized learning, as well as the review of learning content and methods toward 2030 and beyond in line with the next national curriculum guidelines.
A newly introduced poster session also provided an opportunity for the previous year's grant recipients to share their research outcomes and challenges. During the startup seminar, grant recipients and expert advisors joined theme-based discussions on topics such as the use of generative AI and the assessment of inquiry-based learning. A networking session followed, creating a valuable learning forum where participants could present their work, exchange ideas, and build connections.
Poster session
startup seminar
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