1. Overview

The Tokyo Consortium held an online meeting of the "Working Group on Strengthening University-Centered Ecosystem Hubs" on December 26, 2022. Participants from universities, private companies, and local governments discussed collaboration between universities and private companies, related challenges, and future prospects.

2. Event Implementation Overview

The Need for Collaboration Between Universities and Private Companies in the Tokyo Consortium

The number of startups in Japan is relatively low compared to major countries overseas, necessitating the cultivation of talent capable of creating startups. Key factors contributing to the scarcity of entrepreneurship in Japan include "fear of failure" and "lack of entrepreneurs in one's immediate circle," suggesting a need for role models for individuals interested in starting businesses.Given the limited number of startups originating from universities, it is essential for universities to collaborate with private companies in fostering startups, rather than relying solely on their own resources. As a first step to promote university-based startup creation, this Working Group discussed approaches for collaboration with private companies in entrepreneurial education, which serves as the entry point.

Discussion between Private Companies and Universities

(1) University's opinion

The university explained its current initiatives in entrepreneurship education, after which we received feedback regarding collaboration with private companies.

Regarding future collaboration with private companies, we received numerous opinions expressing a desire to continue working with private companies to promote entrepreneurship education. Furthermore, it was mentioned that there is a need to consistently collaborate from entrepreneurship education through to startup creation, and that deepening collaboration between universities and private companies, as seen overseas, is necessary.

On the other hand, various challenges in collaboration were also mentioned. For example, cases where insufficient internal personnel have prevented progress to the stage of developing programs in partnership with private companies, and cases where a unified university-wide entrepreneurship education program has not been developed, resulting in overlapping curricula across different faculties, were cited as issues.

Regarding the future development of collaboration within the Tokyo Consortium, we received the opinion that it is necessary to establish forums for discussion while taking into consideration information sharing, creating points of contact between universities and private companies, and providing opportunities for debate and idea generation within the Tokyo Consortium.

(2) Opinions of Participating Companies

Companies shared examples of their current collaborations with universities and offered opinions on future partnerships. Examples of collaborative initiatives included jointly developing entrepreneurship education programs and conducting off-campus lectures. Regarding their intentions for university collaboration, companies expressed interest in implementing off-campus programs at universities and providing opportunities such as proof-of-concept (PoC) testing for student entrepreneurs.

We also received requests to continue holding concrete discussions through university working groups and other venues as we pursue ongoing collaboration with the university.