Keio University established the Office for Open Innovation in November 2018 with the stated aim of “Creating a smart society to support healthy longevity in the era of centenarians,” following the adoption of the AY 2018 “Open Innovation Development Project” to further expand industry-government-academia collaboration.
On Tuesday, July 23, the Office for Open Innovation hosted a training session on fostering start-ups and venture enterprise at Keio University at the North Building Conference Hall in the form of a preparatory session with the Asia Mission of Chubu Industrial Engineering Association (hereafter Chubu IEA).
Following a greeting by the head of Chubu IEA’s Asia Mission, Tsukasa Nishimura (Representative Executive Director/Executive Vice President, Daido Steel Co. Ltd), Professor Tojiro Aoyama, Keio Provost (Research) and Director of the Office for Open Innovation, delivered the opening address.Next, Kohei Inaba from the Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry gave a lecture titled “Status and Orientation of Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration in Japan.” During his lecture, Mr. Inaba gave detailed explanations on Japan’s positioning within innovation worldwide and venture enterprises originating at universities, while presenting extensive data on industry-government-academia collaborations. Subsequently, Naoto Sugiyama, General Creative Manager for Open Innovation gave an overview of the Office and conveyed his hopes that they would swiftly and steadfastly promote open innovation by leveraging the numerous strengths of Keio University. An opinion and Q&A session with those present also took place during the talk taking in various perspectives. Participants then transferred to Shin-Kawasaki Town Campus (K2), where Kohei Ohnishi (Keio Global Research Institute [KGRI] Project Professor/Vice Center Director at the Haptics Research Center) and Takahiro Mizoguchi, Representative Director and CEO of Motion Lib, Inc. gave an overview and demonstration of real haptics.
All the participants at the training session were intently absorbed in both the lectures and demonstrations, with interactions deepened through the exchanges of opinions, ensuring that the session played its part in establishing Keio University’s platform to pioneer industry-academia collaboration in Japan.
Around 25 companies took part, with Daido Steel Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation, Pacific Industrial Co. Ltd., and Toyota Tsusho Corporation of particular note.
△Greeting by Mr. Tsukasa Nishimura (Chubu IEA, Asia Mission Head/Representative Executive Director & Executive Vice President, Daido Steel Co. Ltd)
△Lecture by Mr. Kohei Inaba (Assistant Chief, Industry-University Collaboration Office, Innovation and Industry-University Collaboration Division, Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
△Overview by Naoto Sugiyama (General Creative Manager for Open Innovation)
△Scene from the lively Q&A session