It has been 20 years since Uppsala University in Sweden joined the Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (SYLFF), with the goal of developing new leadership for the future. On April 11th, a ceremony to mark this anniversary was held at the university, at which Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, spoke, telling fellowship students, “I hope you will valiantly carve a new path into the future.”

Uppsala University, which was founded in 1477, is the oldest and most prestigious university in northern Europe, having produced eight Nobel laureates. It is also the alma mater of Carl Linnaeus, who is known as the father of modern taxonomy. Uppsala City, in which the university is located, is the former capital of Sweden and has a population of about 180,000. With 45,000 students, it has the atmosphere of a typical university town. (Photo: Chairman Yohei Sasakawa)

The celebration at the university was attended by 50 people, including professors and students. Following Rector Hallberg, Chairman Sasakawa delivered a speech and pointed out that the SYLFF program has reached 68 universities in 44 countries, with more than 10,000 people receiving fellowships. He stated, “The SYLFF Fellows from Uppsala University, who are already blessed with leadership potential, are at the heart of this network. By bringing your knowledge and experience to bear on the common problems that confront us, I believe you will help to move the world in the right direction..” (Photo 3: Chairman Sasakawa handing out certificates)

Following his speech, Chairman Sasakawa handed out certificates to nine new SYLFF fellows. Ms. Marie and Ms. Magdalewa, who were among the new fellows, said, “We have been given a rare opportunity. We want to make use of it to study hard.” (Photo 4: Ms. Marie (right) and Ms. Magdalewa)

The SYLFF program began in 1987. Each university receives an endowment of US$1 million and invests it, with the proceeds being used to provide students with fellowships. Uppsala University received the 2nd SYLFF endowment in 1988. So far, 47 people have received fellowships at the university.