Mobile Communication Fund Activities

The DOCOMO Group established the Mobile Communication Fund (MCF) in 2002, which marked our 10th anniversary. The fund is tasked with serving the public interest by providing support for academia, social welfare and other fields. The MCF's main activities are as follows.
The MCF provides grants to community groups that support childhood education and organizations that promote locally rooted social welfare activities, gives scholarships to international students from Asian countries, and awards the DOCOMO Mobile Science Prize for research achievements and research papers on mobile communications technologies. The fund's various activities are reviewed below.

The DOCOMO Mobile Science Prize has been established to encourage young researchers and promote further development of mobile communications technologies in Japan.
The prize recognizes research excellence in advanced technology, basic science and the social sciences, with recipients selected from among researchers affiliated with a Japanese university or research institute.
In fiscal 2010 as well, an awards ceremony was held in Tokyo in October. Two people were granted Excellence Awards, one in advance technology and one in basic science, and two people won Honorable Mention in the social sciences division.

The MCF grants scholarships to international students from Asia to facilitate greater understanding of Japan and help maintain good relations with Japan's neighbors.
The scholarships go to international students from Asia who studying in Japan at their own expense and are affiliated with a master's degree program (or first-term doctoral degree program) at a Japanese graduate school. They must also be engaged in research related to information and communication technology. The scholarship lasts for two years and provides an annual stipend of 1.44 million yen.
Scholarships were awarded to 20 international students in fiscal 2010. The MCF has provided support for 176 students to date.