OIST COI-NEXT 2nd Symposium: We are about to reach our cruising altitude
The OIST COI-NEXT Annual Symposium was held on February 20, 2024. Over 120 people from various organizations gathered at OIST, including MEXT, the University of the Ryukyus, Corundum Systems Biology Inc., and other external collaborators.
One year has passed since OIST established the Global Bioconvergence Center of Innovation, supported by a major grant from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Program on the Open Innovation Platform for Academia-Industry Co-creation (COI-NEXT). A kick-off meeting was held in March 2023 and a second meeting was conducted in February 2024, to report on the center’s progress, which has been rapid and significant.
During the symposium, Prof. Nicholas Luscombe, Co-Project Leader of the Global Bioconvergence Center of Innovation, explained how the Center has operated so far and its projected path. He began by explaining the concept of “One World, One Health”, which is the center’s motto, and described the project’s ten-year vision. He said, “The links between healthy mind, body, and environment are indivisible,” which effectively illustrated the fundamental principles guiding the entire project. Integration is a common thread throughout research, linking different types of knowledge and engaging diverse actors in the R&D sector. The Global Bioconvergence Center of Innovation places a strong emphasis on creating positive societal outcomes through the collaborations and research it supports.
COI-NEXT is also helping promote economic development in Okinawa through its collaboration with the OIST Innovation. This initiative includes a Startup Accelerator Program, which aims to provide tangible support for startups. By supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, COI-NEXT and the OIST Innovation contribute to the growth and prosperity of the region.
OIST Innovation’s Associate Vice President for Technology Development and Innovation, Lauren Ha, presented a comprehensive and impressive account of the methodology and progress of the Startup Accelerator Program in her talk titled “To and From Industry”. For the 2024 program, four teams were selected from 69 applicants after multiple stages including a bootcamp, to identify and plan strategies to create new companies with the support of OIST Innovation.
Prof. Luscombe identified a few challenges for future actions: the need for a higher level of integration of projects and for more collaboration with currently under-represented actors at the international, non-academic, and local levels. In this respect, the first presentation by Prof. Fumihiro Haga, Deputy Project Leader of COI-NEXT from the University of the Ryukyus, introduced their project "Integrated System of Aquacultures." He highlighted its focus on SDG goals related to food, energy, and climate through the recycling of aquaculture systems and enhanced integration of agriculture and aquaculture.
The meeting set the stage for several other presentations on specific initiatives with significant potential for societal impact. These included a description by Prof. Gail Tripp, Head of the OIST Human Developmental Neurobiology Unit, on how thier research on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be dealt within society. The final presentation was by r. Hidehiko Otake, CEO of Corundum Systems Biology. His company work with OIST and proposes a large-scale automated analysis of the human microbiome using metagenomics correlated with multiple parameters of health conditions. Such an approach could have a significant impact in the near future.
Important perspectives on innovation and industry-academia collaboration were presented by Dr. Karin Markides, OIST President and CEO, and Masayuki Kurihara, OIST Corporate Development Director, respectively. Both have a wealth of experience in these activities and were eager to share their knowledge with the audience. Their main message was that outstanding vision and leadership are the decisive factors for successful innovation based on academic research.
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Written by Mari Bergsvag
COI-NEXT Podcast
Listen to the podcast of the OIST’s Podcaster in Residence on the symposium: https://www.oist.jp/research/podcast
