The NSK Blue Prize is an international academic award established by the NSK Nakanishi Foundation to honor researchers who have made outstanding contributions worldwide to the advancement of dental medicine and oral healthcare.
The Prize recognizes pioneering achievements that have contributed significantly to progress in dental medicine, ranging from basic research and clinical innovation to the creation of social impact.
In the selection process, emphasis is placed not only on scientific excellence, but also on how the research has contributed̶or can clearly contribute in the future̶to improving people’s health and quality of life on a global scale.
Through this prize, the NSK Nakanishi Foundation seeks to support and inspire researchers who challenge existing frameworks and open new horizons in dental medicine.
At the same time, the Foundation hopes to convey the essential and enduring value of dental care to society, and to encourage the next generation of researchers to aspire to contribute to humanity.
The NSK Blue Prize represents our long-term commitment to continuing to advance dental medicine for a better future for humankind. It is also a declaration of our intent to foster a future in which innovation, responsibility,and compassion move forward together.
“Blue” is the unwavering symbolic color of the NSK Nakanishi Foundation. It also embodies the Earth, the sea, the sky, and life itself.
Transcending national borders, cultures, and even fields of expertise, Blue was chosen as a color that reflects values shared by all humanity.
Dental medicine ultimately advances toward
the improvement of human health, dignity, and quality of life—
this belief is embodied in the name NSK Blue Prize.
Oral health is inseparable from systemic health, human dignity, and quality of life. The mouth is essential to fundamental human activities such as eating, speaking, and expressing emotion; oral diseases affect well-being throughout life.
Despite its immense medical and social impact, the importance of dental medicine has not been fully recognized.
Advances in dental research contribute not only to improved treatment outcomes, but also to prevention, longer healthy life expectancy, and the reduction of global health disparities.
The NSK Blue Prize was established to highlight the value of dental medicine worldwide and to recognize research that benefits all humanity.
The NSK Blue Prize recognizes pioneering and internationally acclaimed research achievements in the following fields:
Research that expands the foundations of dental medicine through advanced inquiry at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels.
Research that connects basic research findings to clinical practice and opens new horizons in diagnosis and treatment.
Research that expands the reach of dental care through technology, healthcare systems, and social implementation.
Achievements that contribute to longer healthy lives and improved quality of life, with global public benefit.
The Prize emphasizes not merely academic achievement,
but the creation of value for all humanity.
The NSK Blue Prize is awarded to researchers who demonstrate exceptional scientific standards and have made major contributions to the advancement of dental medicine and dental care.
Originality, rigor, and sustained research achievements at the highest international level.
Research that has significantly advanced scientific understanding, technology, or clinical practice in dental medicine, or opened a meaningful new direction.
In the spirit of "Blue," the nominee has contributed, or demonstrates clear potential to contribute, to the improvement of health, well-being, and quality of life of people around the world.
Recognized regardless of nationality, institutional affiliation, or field of specialization, while upholding high research ethics and social responsibility.
Recipients of the NSK Blue Prize receive the following honors.
Honoring 3 researchers each year
JPY 10 million / recipient
Commemorative Trophy
Award Certificate
Recipients will be invited to the award ceremony held in Japan.
Recipients will also deliver a commemorative lecture at the ceremony.
Recipients of the NSK Blue Prize are selected by an independent international selection committee to ensure the highest standards of academic excellence, fairness, and integrity.
Committee members are selected based on outstanding research achievements, international trust, and high ethical standards. To ensure the independence and fairness of selection, directors and employees of Nakanishi Inc. do not serve as selection committee members.
This Committee operates in accordance with the following principles.
Independence: Academic judgments are made independently of commercial, organizational, and national interests.
Excellence: Recipients are selected based on the quality, originality, and social impact of their research.
Transparency: All selections are conducted under clear procedures and high ethical standards.
The Committee conducts a rigorous review of all valid nominations. Final decisions are made by consensus or majority vote in accordance with the Committee’s rules.
Through this Charter, the NSK Nakanishi Foundation pledges to continue safeguarding the academic credibility and international value of the NSK Blue Prize.