Activity Report
The First Round of Societal Issue Discussions (Held on May 31st)
The first round of Societal Issue Discussions was a great success with over 50 members of ICF participating online and in-person. In the first half of the event, the ICF Secretariat introduced societal issues in the Wellness and Water & Food categories, and the participants discussed the issues in groups. The second half of the event was a panel discussion with Maki Sugimoto of Daiwa House speaking on gendered innovation and Takashi Shimada of Sumitomo Life on foot frailty.
The second round will feature group discussion and explore societal issues in the Energy & Environment and Mobility categories. Also, NTT DATA, a Co-Creating Member, will give a talk titled “Societal Issues that NTT DATA Wants to Resolve Through Co-Creation: A focus on regional revitalization”.
NTT DATA is committed to co-creating businesses that can resolve societal issues by identifying them in six areas: well-being for the elderly, well-being for women, regional revitalization, housing, supply chain fortification, and mobility. ICF encourages all to attend and to join in the co-creation process.
[Second round of Societal Issues Discussions]
・Date: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Wednesday, June 14, 2023
・Venue: Mitsubishi Research Institute conference room/Zoom (hybrid of online and in-person sessions)
・Agenda: Explanation of societal issues (Energy & Environment) and group discussions
Explanation of societal issues (Mobility) and group discussions
NTT DATA, “Societal Issues that NTT DATA Wants to Resolve Through Co-Creation: A focus on regional revitalization”
New Insight Report
ICF published an insight report that summarizes the results of the FCP about consumer behavior change for carbon neutrality held from September 2022 to January 2023. This report was created by the ICF Secretariat to compile insights from the FCP.
https://icf.mri.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CN_Insight-Report_230523.pdf (Japanese)
Currently, major countries around the world are trying to eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 by achieving carbon neutrality. In the long term, the development of technologies like carbon reclamation will hold the key, but in the short term, consumers’ behavior change will be important in reaching carbon neutrality. Consumer GHG emissions account for 60% of all emissions in Japan, and behavior change is better positioned than technological development to yield results in the short term.
In this FCP, participants came up with business ideas for the private sector to elicit behavior change in consumers for carbon neutrality and discussed how to implement them. This report presents an overview of the activities and the findings.
New Entrepreneurial Stories of Impactful ICF Members (#31)
In order to tackle societal issues through business, entrepreneurs must have excellent interpersonal skills and strong organizational capabilities. What do they think and how are they trying to achieve the world they want? The ICF has published a series of articles that sheds light on the personalities of entrepreneurs who are striving to resolve societal issues. The goal of these articles is to share with readers the philosophies of and the issues being tackled by these business founders, which in turn should lead to accelerated social breakthroughs in the future. The list of Japanese articles is here.
The new article covers ninpath, which provides services for both fertility treatment and mental health, and joins the ranks of the 30 previously published stories. The list of English articles is here.
Upcoming Activities (June – July)
Sci-Fi Thinking Workshop on Carbon-Neutral Future (July 4th)
Mitsubishi Research Institute and the University of Tsukuba are systemizing the way sci-fi writers think and develop sci-fi thinking, a way of thought that envisions an exciting and revolutionary future for everyone. This workshop on sci-fi thinking will be held to explore a carbon-neutral future. The event is the next activity of the FCP for Behavior Change, which wrapped up its previous endeavors in January.
By thinking about a future where carbon neutrality is the norm through sci-fi prototyping, it will be possible to envision the services that will prevail in this future world, as well as new issues that may arise.
■Date: 3 pm to 5:30 pm on Tuesday, July 4
■Venue: Mitsubishi Research Institute, Nagatacho Head Office/Online (Zoom)
* For details and registration, see:
https://icf.mri.co.jp/activities/activities-13590/
BAP 2023 Application Opens (July)
The ICF’s 9th business acceleration program, BAP 2023 will start in July by accepting applications for business ideas that can resolve societal issues.
The ICF, just as in previous years, is fervently considering new plans for the upcoming year to accompany and support businesses that resolve societal issues and contribute to societal implementation through co-creation, so please stay tuned for more information.
Platinum Career Symposium (June 20th)
Each year, ICF organizes the Platinum Career Awards, which recognize companies that support Platinum Career development based on three key features: a long-term perspective, the independent desire to learn, and the skills to resolve societal issues. A symposium will be held in June to celebrate the fifth year of the series.
On the heels of the covid pandemic, the need for reskilling and human capital management is ever more vital. Professor Yasuhiro Kiyomizu of the Tokyo University of the Arts will give a commemorative lecture entitled “Finding What You Wanted to Do – Art Thinking and Business.” For details, see:
https://icf.mri.co.jp/activities/activities-13427/
・Date: 3:00 pm to 5:15 pm on Tuesday, June 20, 2023
・Venue: Tosho Hall (in the Tokyo Stock Exchange) and online
・Entry fee: Free
・Capacity: 50 people (150 people online)
* Registration will be closed when capacity is reached
・Intended participants: Corporate management, those in charge of human resources or corporate planning, and those interested in novel working styles in the future
<Registration>
In-person participation:
https://mri.smartseminar.jp/public/seminar/view/5558
Online participation:
https://mri.smartseminar.jp/public/seminar/view/5559