Speaker
Description
Tohoku, northeastern Japan, is home to several major science and technology initiatives, including the International Linear Collider (ILC), NanoTerasu, the ITER Broader Approach (BA) activities, and the Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework. These projects provide local companies with opportunities to acquire advanced technologies, knowledge, and connections with researchers and research institutions.
However, participation in frontier science projects does not automatically lead to new products, new markets, or sustained business growth. Based on a survey of 47 companies in the Tohoku region, we identified two critical gaps in the process of translating frontier science into industrial value: (1) the acquisition and strengthening of R&D capabilities, and (2) the development of market creation and commercialization capabilities.
This suggests that the key challenge is not simply attracting individual frontier science projects, but creating connections among projects, companies, universities, research institutions, startups, and talent across the region.
The Tohoku Economic Federation is therefore exploring a regional innovation system in which ILC and other frontier science projects reinforce one another, while supporting the upgrading of regional companies, the concentration of R&D functions, and the circulation of highly skilled talent.
This presentation will introduce the Tohoku approach and discuss how regional coordination can help transform frontier science investments into sustained industrial innovation, business growth, and international collaboration.