Ibaraki Tech Planter 2024

• organizing

  

Regional Development Partners

support

Grand Prix Name

8th Ibaraki Tech Plan Grand Prix

Location

Tsukuba International Congress Center

Date & Time

Saturday, February 8, 2025, 13:00-19:00

Application period

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 - Friday, December 20, 2024

Participation Target

Finalists, partners, researchers in academia, students, middle and high school students, etc.

organizing

Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.

timeline

12:30-13:00

inauguration

13:00-13:25

Greetings from the Organizer

13:25-13:45

keynote speech

13:45～14:30

Finalists' Presentations (1) to (3)

14:30～14:40

break

14:40-15:25

Finalists' Presentations (4) - (6)

15:25-15:35

break

15:35-16:20

Finalists' Presentations (7) - (9)

16:20-17:20

Lightning Talks and Poster Sessions

17:20-18:20

Awards Ceremony/Closing Ceremony

18:30-19:00

information exchange meeting

• 

  head judge

  Representative Director, President and COO, Liverness, Inc.

  Shuichiro Takahashi

  He joined RIVANES from the time of its establishment and launched the educational material development business and the agri-business. After completing graduate school, while continuing his research activities as a faculty member at the University of Tokyo, he established a research institute at RIVANESS and built the foundation of the R&D business. In 2010, he was appointed as Representative Director. Born in Ibaraki Prefecture.

• 

  Growth Manager, UntroD Capital Japan K.K.

  Taro Kinoshita

  Graduated from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology with a degree in Applied Chemistry. After working for a chemical manufacturer in research and development of polymer materials and planning and promoting new medical materials business, he joined Realtech Holdings (now UntroD) in 2017. Involved in the founding of Patent Booster, a patent acquisition support service, and Tokyo Nucleic Acid Synthesis. Focusing on seed and early stage startup investments, he will serve as program manager of the SBIR program of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry from 2022.

• 

  Managing Director, Kikuchi Seiki Co.

  Masahiro Kikuchi

  After graduating from university, he worked for an automobile parts manufacturer and a major machine tool manufacturer before joining Kikuchi Seiki. He was involved in the manufacture of approximately 15,000 parts and developed a customer-oriented, proposal-based sales approach. He also introduced 3D CAD/CAM, acquired ISO 9001 and JIS Q 9100 certification. He also developed a database to accumulate know-how at the manufacturing site, and has been involved in the dehumanization of the production site. In recent years, he has launched a new business, the development of "nano-satellite structures. He is currently engaged in joint research and development of space-related parts in cooperation with local companies, universities, and support organizations, and is working as a manager with the aim of expanding his company's products overseas.

• 

  President and Representative Director, Glocalink Inc.

  Yoshinobu Osaka

  He completed his graduate studies at the Graduate School of Business Administration, Keio University. He was seconded to Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and served as a specially-appointed researcher at the Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, and ACCEL Program Manager at the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). He was appointed President and Representative Director of Glocalink, where he remains to this day. He has a proven track record of providing hands-on support to pre-startup teams and investing in and fostering venture companies immediately after their establishment. He has been actively involved as an advisor and board member of various companies.

• 

  Senior Chief Expert, Research and Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd.

  Shinji Yamada

  In the company's R&D group, he manages R&D related to materials, batteries, electronics, quantum applied technology, regenerative medicine, and brain science. In addition, as director of the Basic Research Center, he opened a joint research center with the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Hokkaido University in 2016, and with the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster the following year, promoting industry-academia collaboration activities toward social innovation. He is also the general area coordinator of "Challenge Field Hokkaido," a project to create an industry-academia fusion center under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

• 

  Secure Services Office, IT Innovation Division 2, Focus Systems, Inc.

  Yuka Oshima

  In 2021, he joined Focus Systems, Inc. He has promoted the spread of information security products such as data encryption, and content security products such as copyright protection for still and moving digital data. He is also involved in the planning and promotion of services that utilize IoT devices, and is currently pushing forward in parallel with efforts related to the promotion of collaboration with startups and academia.

• 

  Assistant Manager, Kanto CS Section 1, East Japan CS Department, Creative Solution Center, Field Service Management Division, Industry Business Headquarters, Fuji Electric Co.

  Hiroyuki Tomita

  Joined Fuji Electric Co. Assigned to Store Distribution Business, Food Distribution Division. He was transferred to the Construction Facilities Department of a certain convenience store for a total of 6 years (4 years from 2002 and 2 years from 2018), and obtained a first-class construction management engineer (architectural, electrical, and plumbing) while working on outsourcing of new store construction and remodeling. Since his transfer to the headquarters department in 2021, he has been using the aforementioned experience to listen to the problems of customers at factories, buildings, etc., and conduct proposal sales activities.

• 

  Research Officer, Corporate Innovation Support Department, Mizuho Bank, Ltd.

  Tomohide Kojima

  Joined Mizuho Bank in 2007. Experienced sales activities for small, medium, and large companies at sales branches in Tokyo and Osaka. With a strong interest in supporting manufacturing companies as a person with a science background, he was transferred to a department providing new business development advisory services to the manufacturing industry through an in-house recruitment in 2012. In the process of supporting business development and exploring new manufacturing processes, he became fascinated by the enthusiasm and sense of mission of startups that aim to solve social issues around the world, and moved to his current department in 2018. Currently, he is struggling to provide funding and growth support to deep tech companies, including university-launched startups.

• 

  Director, Technology Innovation Division, Technology Promotion Bureau, Industrial Strategy Department, Ibaraki Prefecture

  Takahiro Utsunomiya

  He was enrolled in the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tsukuba until March 1998, and joined the Ibaraki Prefectural Government in April of the same year. He has been engaged in business promotion and regional development, and was also seconded to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism for two years. In April 2023, he was appointed Director of the Technology Innovation Division, Technology Promotion Bureau, Industrial Strategy Department, where he oversees support for venture companies in the prefecture, technological development of SMEs, and promotion of local industries.

• 

  Co-Founder, Representative Director and CEO, Endofight Inc.

  Toshiki Kazaoka

  He was engaged in new business strategy planning and implementation support for industry, government, and academia at foreign and domestic consulting firms. After that, he worked in corporate planning for a drug discovery venture, assisted a major IT company in launching its business in Africa, invested in a university startup as a government-affiliated VC, provided startup and management support, and assisted in building a startup ecosystem for a local government.

• Mizuho Bank Prize
  

  Koji Labo Co.

  Presenter] Daisuke Hagiwara

  

  Production of alternative proteins and meat substitutes by yeast

  Against the backdrop of the environmental crisis and other factors, the food industry is in need of alternatives to livestock production. We position koji mold, a traditional fermenting microorganism, as a promising next-generation protein source, and propose an unprecedented alternative meat with taste and functionality that will attract consumers.
•  
  

  Mel Frontier Corporation

  Presenter] Kosuke Fujita

  

  Development of magnesium alloy bioabsorbable medical devices

  Took on the challenge of developing medical devices made of magnesium alloy, which has the characteristic of being "bioabsorbable," meaning that it disappears from the body after healing. The first product, a bone fixation screw, is scheduled to be launched in 2026.
•  
  

  Site Sensing Corporation

  Presenter] Takashi Hirabayashi

  

  External device for automatic drone flight

  Drones have not been put to practical use in industry. Factors: (1) vulnerability to wind; (2) inability to fly automatically; (3) dependence on GPS. We specialize in (1) and (2) and have developed the "GeoPack," an attachment device that can be connected to a drone's flacon to achieve automatic flight without relying on GPS.
•  
  

  Aether

  Presenter] Hee Soo Yin

  

  Contributing to the realization of a secure society by providing state-of-the-art PFAS measurement technology

  Based on the multi-species PFAS analysis method developed by the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), the company will provide analysis services for PFAS concentrations in the environment and living organisms. As an option, we also provide custom-made total support for local governments and companies, from test planning to clarification of the actual status of PFAS suited to each region and business category, to proposals for reduction measures.
• Glocalink Award
  

  Tex-Deli Science

  Presenter] Hiromi Miki

  

  Using images to create a world where everyone can enjoy a delicious meal!

  Although the market for nursing food is expanding due to the aging of the population, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding the changes in the shape of nursing food during mastication. We will use X-ray phase imaging, which can image samples composed of carbon and hydrogen, to observe the shape of simulated food masses, leading to the development of food products.
• Grand Prize and Real Tech Fund Award
  

  Deep BlueGel

  Presenter] Yurina Sekine

  

  Resource recovery and purification to brighten the world's future and oceans!

  We have developed a cellulose sponge material that has excellent water permeability and material permeability by a simple freezing method, and is capable of internal chemical reactions. The material can be applied to resource recovery systems such as seawater uranium recovery and CO2 recovery and conversion to methanol at the same time.
• Awarded hot, high, and gently
  

  laboratory automation

  Presenter] Takato Osawa

  

  Fully automate complex experimental manipulations

  Experimental operations conducted in university and corporate laboratories are still largely unautomated. The applicant has established an entirely unique automation technology and has completely automated even extremely complex wet chemistry operations.
• Focus Systems Award
  

  Public Innovation Co.

  Presenter] Koichi Kawashima

  

  Life Loss Zero Community Development

  Create a community that saves previously unsaved lives (Life Loss) by sharing critical vital data (Critically Vital Data) held by the local government with collaborators.
•  
  

  thermal harvester

  Presenter] Hiroshi Moritomo

  

  True IoT Society Realized by Self-Sustaining Distributed Power Supply

  To realize an IoT society, not only AI-based Big Data processing technology and large-scale, high-speed communication technology for sensor information, but also an electric power revolution in the form of independent, distributed power sources is essential. This is because the management problem of sensor power supplies must be solved in order to realize a true IoT society. The proposer aims to implement (1) low-cost (2) liquid thermoelectric conversion elements that operate near room temperature in every corner of society.