Our Aim

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation seeks to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between the UK and Japan through financial support for activities in a number of fields, from Arts and Culture to Humanities and Social Issues, from Japanese Language and Sport and Education, from Science and Technology to Medicine and Health.

The Foundation’s Head Office is in London and there is a Liaison Office in Tokyo.

The London office has three annual deadlines for their awards, and the Tokyo office has two annual deadlines. For further details on our grants, please click here.

The next deadline for applications to our UK office is 15th December 2025 for consideration in March 2026.

The next deadline for applications to our Japan office is 30th September 2025 for consideration in November 2025.


News

  • Programmes Executive job vacancy

We are recruiting to the role of programmes executive in the London office. This varied role is essential to the efficient running of the organisation. The role holder reports direct to the chief executive and supports our grant-giving programme through administration and advice and support. Applications by 28 September.

  • New Chair for The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation are delighted to announce that Paul Madden CMG will take on the role of Chair from 22 May 2025. Paul brings extensive and deep experience of UK-Japan relations. He first served at the British Embassy in Tokyo in the 1980s and was British ambassador to Japan from 2017-21. He was also High Commissioner to Australia and Singapore. Since leaving the Foreign Office he has remained very involved with Japan, as a Trustee of the UK/Japan 21st Century Group, a visiting Professor of International Relations at Keio University, adviser to the Japan Studies Centre at the University of East Anglia, and as advisor to several major Japanese corporations and some smaller consultancies. He is also a Trustee on the Board of London University. His book about his experiences in Japan, “Sankyu Japan” was published in 2022.

We are also happy to share that the Earl of St Andrews who is standing down as chair, has kindly agreed to remain involved with the Foundation as our Patron. We are grateful for his many years of dedicated service.

  • New Chief Executive for The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundaiton

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation are delighted to announce that Charles Bodsworth will take over as CEO from 12 May 2025. Charles has lived and worked in Japan and is a Japanese speaker. He previously worked at: Japan House London, Scope, Imperial War Museums and the BBC. He studied English at Cambridge University, Japanese at Sheffield University and was a Daiwa Scholar.

Charles follows Jenny White, who was CEO from 2020-25. GBSF are very grateful to Jenny for all that she achieved during her tenure.

  • Supporting Global Efforts in Antimicrobial Research (AMR)

The escalating threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where common infections may soon become untreatable, has underscored the necessity for a global response. The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation are supporting a new partnership between UK and Japanese researchers at The Sir Howard Dalton Centre at the University of Warwick, the Institute of Development Studies affiliated with the University of Sussex and the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) in Tokyo, with the aim of accelerating the discovery of new antibiotics and preparing for future pandemics through international cooperation and policy development.

‘Japan and UK both have extensive capabilities in antibiotic discovery, drawing on complementary research strengths across academia, industry, and national infrastructure.  Given the acknowledged shortcomings of the existing economic model in incentivising antibiotic discovery and development, there is an urgent need for new international collaborations that will endure over the long term.  We look forward to a productive partnership’.  – Joanna Pitman, Vice Chair, The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.

Read more here: University of Warwick Press Release.

  • Annual Report & Accounts 2023

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation’s Annual Report & Accounts for 2023 is now available to be viewed online. The Report includes a list of all grants awarded in 2023, highlights from recently funded projects, and accounts for the year. The 2023 Annual Report, as well as those from previous years, can be found on the Annual Reports page of the website.

  • The Butterfield Awards and NIHR

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation is now registered as a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Non-commercial Partner organisation for the Butterfield Awards, with projects in receipt of a Butterfield Award therefore eligible for NIHR Clinical Research Network Support.

  • The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Translation Prize

We are excited to announce a partnership with the Society of Authors for a new prize for translations into English of Japanese-language literature. The shortlist 2024 has been announced on 2nd December 2024. Winners of the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Translation Prize will receive £3,000, with the first prize to be announced on 12th February 2025. The next deadline for submissions will be 31st March 2025. More information here.

  • GBSF and SDGs

Our application forms have now been updated to request all applicants identify which of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, their project supports. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.


Recently Funded

More information on projects funded by the Foundation can be found in our Annual Reports.

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation is not responsible for the content of external websites.