Hybrid Symposium: Creating an Industrial Ecosystem for Well-Being
– Perspectives for Startup Ecosystems and Smart Cities around the World –

  • Date：
    Thu, Nov 28, 2024
  • Time：
    13:00-17:00 JST
  • Location：
    Tokyo Midtown Yaesu & Online via Zoom
    Access
  • Co-Host：

    Data Governance Research Unit, Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo
    H-Utokyo Lab.

  • Co-Sponsor：

    WE AT
    AIDC

  • Language：

    English (Simultaneous Japanese-English interpretation is available)

  • Capacity：

    30(on-site)/300(online)

  • Participation fee：

    free

  • Registration：

    Registration is required. Please register from the form below.
    *On site registration is now closed for this event.

    Online：Registration

    [On site]
    The number of participants is limited. Please note that we may not be able to accommodate your request due to space limitations. The secretariat will contact you when a seat has been reserved.

    [Online]
    The Zoom Webinar invitation URL will be sent to your registered e-mail address on the afternoon of Wednesday, November 27, the day before the symposium.

    Institute for Future Initiatives, the University of Tokyo, H-Utokyo Lab., and Star Sapphire Inc. collect your personal information in order to provide you with information about future activities. This information will not be disclosed to any third party.

    ＊Please note that registration may close earlier if the maximum capacity is reached before the deadline.

Overview

There are many global and worldwide issues that need to be addressed. To solve these problems, it is necessary for industrial ecosystem to contribute through sustainable business in cooperation with governments and international organizations. What is needed now are startups and large companies that can solve global issues, regional issues, and issues related to health and daily life, and support people’s well-being.

Institute for Future Initiative (IFI) of The University of Tokyo has launched the WE AT Association as an initiative to create an industrial ecosystem that supports well-being and plans to hold the WE AT Challenge event on November 27. The WE AT Challenge received nearly 400 applications from around the world that sought to address environmental, health, and urban living issues. While it is hoped that these initiatives will help solve global social problems, what can be done to further accelerate these initiatives and spread them to many countries around the world? The creation of a global industrial ecosystem for well-being will be the main theme of this symposium. Another theme will be the role of digital technology in addressing these challenges.

At the Data Governance Research Unit of IFI conducts research on the use and governance of digital technologies that also realize smart city with well-being. Digital technologies are essential to this challenge, regardless of the sector. On the other hand, the use of digital technologies such as data and AI, while providing significant benefits, also poses risks, raising the issue of governance.

The day after the final event of the WE AT Challenge, we will hold this symposium on the topic of the ecosystem for well-being that WE AT is aiming for. Based on the initiatives that have taken place so far, we will have a panel discussion with experts from international organizations such as the OECD and UNIDO, as well as guests from business and government, on the two topics of global diffusion of initiatives and the use of digital technology.

Flyer(pdf)
Program
  • 13:00-13:05
    Opening Remarks

    Atsushi Deguchi Dr.Eng
    (Executive Director and Vice President / Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo / Director, H-UTokyo Lab)

  • 13:05-13:10
    Introduction

    Toshiya Watanabe
    (Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo)

  • 13:10-13:50
    Keynote Speech

    “Industrial Ecosystem and Well Being :From OECD Perspectives”

    Rudiger Ahrend
    (Head of Division, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions & Cities)

  • 13:50-14:10
    Keynote Report

    “What We AT and WE AT Challenge 2024 aim to achieve”

    Hiroki Fujimoto
    (Managing Executive Officer, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company, Co-Representative WE AT)

  • (Break)
  • 14:30-15:30
    [Panel Discussion Part 1] Creating an Ecosystem for Global Well-being: From Developed Countries to the Global South

    【Moderator】
    Toshiya Watanabe
    (Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, the University of Tokyo)

    【Panelists】
    Rudiger Ahrend
    (Head of Division, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions & Cities)

    Fumio Adachi
    (Head, UNIDO ITPO Tokyo, United Nations Industrial Development Organization Investment and Technology Promotion Office, Tokyo)

    Li Lang Heng
    (Head, Climate and Liveability, Temasek Foundation)

    Mikio Kawahara
    (Partner/Chief Investment Officer, IPC Fund 1, UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd.)

    Emi Maeda
    (Regional Lead, G20 Smart Cities Alliance, World Economic Forum)

  • (Break)
  • 15:40-16:50
    [Panel Discussion Part 2] Digital Technology for Global Well-being and its Concept

    【Moderator】
    Tadashi Mima
    (Director, Hitachi Consulting Co., Ltd. / Project Professor, Keio University)

    【Panelists】　
    ・Ken Tamaru
    (Technical Director, Government Solution Services, Digital Agency, Government of Japan / Director of AI Data Consortium / National Technology Officer, Microsoft Japan)

    Hirohide Hirai
    (Vice President and Executive Officer, Government & External Relations, Hitachi, Ltd.)

    Yuji Furui
    (Project Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo / Visiting Professor, Jichi Medical University)

    Yoshiro Tasaka
    (Director, Shibuya Startup Support /Judge, Track 3, WE AT　CHALLENGE)

    【Overall comment】　
    Keiichi Yoshimura
    (Director General of the Office for Startup and Global Financial Strategy, Tokyo Metropolitan Government）

  • 16:55-17:00
    Closing Remarks

    Toshiya Watanabe
    (Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo)

Contact

Secretariat:
Data Governance Research Unit, Institute for Future Initiatives, UTokyo
E-mail: wlab[at]ifi.u-tokyo.ac.jp　(replace [at] with @)