Activity Report
“2nd ICF Online Roundtable Discussion” (Nov. 27 and Dec. 11)
Following the first roundtable discussion focusing on regional revitalization, we held the second discussion focusing on impact measurement, divided into introductory and application sessions.
In the introductory session, Mr. Takatsugu Konno, President of Token Express Co., Ltd., explained the importance of impact measurement of clarifying and conveying a company’s social contributions to its stakeholders.
In the application session, Mr. Tomohiko Morita of NTT DATA Japan Corporation joined us to explain the importance of verbalizing not just the reasons for addressing a societal issue but also clearly detailing specific solutions to your audience suffering from those issues.
ICF will continue to explore this topic in our further activities, and we eagerly welcome the opinions and requests from all our members.
A report and recorded video of the event will be available at a later date.
“Report of COP29 & Carbon Credit Deep-Dive Workshop #3” (Nov. 29)
The third and final session of the Carbon Credit Deep-Dive Workshop, titled “Considering Actions for Creating a Carbon Credit Ecosystem,” was held on November 29. In addition to a panel discussion on the main topic, researchers from MRI who attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku shared up-to-date news from the event.
A brief report and part of the presentation materials are available below:
https://icf.mri.co.jp/activities/activities-20464/
(Japanese only)
“SFP×Workshop on Examining Future Societal Issues” (Dec. 12)
On December 12, we had a workshop inviting Professor Ohsawa from Keio University, which leads the field of SF prototyping research in Japan.
The workshop showcased the development of new products based on the random combination of comments from participants. For example, a “liquid robot” was demonstrated, highlighting its benefits of saving space and reducing resource costs, while also acknowledging the potential risks of criminal misuse. The workshop provided the audience with both enjoyment of creating future technologies and a thoughtful consideration of their potential societal impacts.
Outreach educational program with Wrtn Technologies Japan in Nanyo High School
As a participant company of the Japanese Cabinet Secretariat’s educational program “EXPO School Caravan”, MRI researchers had a special lesson using an AI assistant developed by Wrtn Technologies Japan for students from Nanyo High School in Yamagata Prefecture on November 26. The inquiry-based learning in the class let students to understand societal issues and explore their solutions through AI tools.
Reference: https://www.mri.co.jp/news/press/20241028.html
(Japanese only)
Virtual Evacuation Drill at MRI (Nov. 28)
On November 28, we conducted a virtual fire evacuation drill at MRI headquarters building with cooperation of Geocreates Inc., which received Excellence Award of BAP 2023 and NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD .
Among the 114 participants, 54% have never participated in a real evacuation drill before. After this drill, many were reported to understand the structure of their office building and were able to confirm the evacuation route. We will utilize the feedback collected from this training and help promote commercialization of this type of service.
Upcoming Activities
《Upcoming events open for participation, events scheduled for》
“3rd ICF Online Roundtable Discussion -Nuclear Fusion-” (Dec.24)
Please join us on December 24 for a discussion on nuclear fusion! We will invite representatives from Kyoto Fusioneering Ltd. to discuss recent trends in Japan and abroad toward investment in nuclear fusion startups and the development of fusion reactors.
Event details: https://icf.mri.co.jp/activities/activities-20438/
(Japanese only)
*The 4th roundtable discussion is scheduled on January 30 next year, focusing on co-creation between companies and NPOs. More details will be announced later.
“Webinar: Transforming Businesses with PhD Talents -Towards Creating New Value for Enterprises-” (Jan.17)
As the Japanese government and business circle show increasing interests in utilizing doctoral graduates, we will hold a webinar on 1/17 (Fri) from 13:30, presenting current governmental policies and up-to-date initiatives in PhD training, and discussing how to utilize PhD talents to transform future businesses, featuring notable persons in industry, government, and academia will participate.
Event details: https://icf.mri.co.jp/activities/activities-20544/
(Japanese only)
“ICF Debriefing meeting on co-creation activities”(Feb.19)
On February 19 (Wed) from 15:00 at Grand Green Osaka, we plan to have a meeting (hybrid format) to share the 2024 co-creation activities with members.
Detailed information will be provided later.
ICF New Members
From November 15 to November 12, 3 companies/organizations joined ICF.
《Current list of ICF members》
https://icf.mri.co.jp/member/ (Japanese only)