On September 22, "Tech Startup HOKURIKU" (TeSH), a startup creation platform led by Kanazawa University and Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) with the participation of 13 universities and 3 technical colleges in the Hokuriku region, held an event at TIB (Tokyo Innovation Base) in Tokyo under the theme of "Toward the Creation of Global Startups from the Hokuriku Region. The event was held at TIB (Tokyo Innovation Base) in Tokyo under the theme of "Toward the Creation of Global Startups from the Hokuriku Region." The purpose of this event was to deepen ties between universities and technical colleges in Hokuriku and commercialization promotion organizations in the Tokyo metropolitan area and support platforms nationwide, and to expand the network of companies and support organizations that support startups. In addition to the Tokyo metropolitan area, many participants came from Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui, with approximately 170 people attending the event.
President Takashi Wada gave the opening address. Following this, Yoshitaka Yamamuro, Director of the Commerce, Industry and Labor Department of Toyama Prefecture, delivered a greeting on behalf of HOSTEC (Hokuriku Startup Ecosystem Consortium), and Gaku Mizota, Director of the Industry-Academia Collaboration Promotion Office at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), gave a guest address.
In the first half of the event, following the selection of the three Hokuriku prefectures as a NEXT Global Hub City in June 2025, Takashi Nishiyama, Counselor for Innovation Promotion at the Cabinet Office’s Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, delivered a keynote speech. This was followed by a panel discussion under the theme "Toward the Launch of HOSTEC: The Future of Hokuriku as Envisioned by Key Figures from Each Prefecture."
In the second half of the event, presentations were given by researchers selected for the TeSH GAP Fund. These were followed by panel discussions focusing on the challenges researchers face in the process of commercialization, under the themes "Strategies and Support Systems for Entering the Global Market" and "The Potential of Tech Innovation from Hokuriku."
In addition, a panel discussion was held with platform representatives from Tongali (Tokai Network for Global Leading Innovation) and IJIE (Inland Japan Innovation Ecosystem), under the topic "Strengthening Collaboration Between Hub City Platforms and Regional Platforms: Direction for Enhanced Cooperation in the Third Year of the Program."
The meeting was successfully closed with a speech by President Minoru Terano of JAIST.
Participants commented, "There were presentations by researchers I would like to hear more about," and "I could sense the personalities and enthusiasm of the researchers."
TeSH will continue to support the development of the startup ecosystem in the Hokuriku region and contribute to the revitalization of the ecosystem nationwide.
* For the event report on TeSH’s website, click here.
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President Wada Giving Greetings -
Discussion on Startup Support Strategies in the Three Hokuriku Prefectures and Future Prospects for HOSTEC -
Presentation by Assistant Professor Masafumi Kameya, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kanazawa University Hospital -
Discussion on the Current State of Collaboration among Platforms Nationwide and Future Directions
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