The Canon Foundation in Europe was established on 22nd December, 1987 by Canon Europe N.V., Canon’s European Headquarters for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Canon in Europe.

This milestone was celebrated not only with one-off festivities. A permanent contribution to society was founded with the aim of strengthening mutual understanding between Europe and Japan.

Board and Advisory Board

The Board of Directors was appointed by the Board of Management of Canon Europe N.V., as is written in the statutes of the Foundation. This Board of Directors brought together an Advisory Board in order to obtain advice on policies and future strategies. The Advisory Board members were sought and found in different European countries and from a number of academic disciplines in order to facilitate the Board of Directors with ideas and expertise from a wide cultural and scientific arena. Also, in this way, the Advisory Board could form a Selection Committee from its members to assess the variety of incoming applications, as there was and is no restriction in field of study.

President and Bureau

The spiritual father of the Foundation, Mr. Richard Burke from Ireland (1932-2016†), was President of the secretariat. As Chairman of the Advisory Board he combined heading the office with strategic advice to the Board of Directors for more than 10 years. Mr. Burke resigned in 1998 from both Boards and as President.