We are implementing an "Innovation Program" to create a group of innovators who will attractively transform the region and generate new businesses.
The "Carriage Bar" was born from the Tokac hi
Innovation Program.
Stroll around Obihiro at night
in a carriage drawn by a horse that played an active
role in the Banei horse race, where horses pull sleds.
In regional cities, while the startup support systems are advancing with the help of regional banks and foundations, the problem is that there are few new businesses and companies to invest in. Since 2015, the Center for Strategic Management & Innovation in NRI has been implementing the "Innovation Program," which aims to foster local innovators who drive innovation throughout Japan and create regional industries.
In this program, participants from diverse backgrounds, from junior high school students to people in their 80s, will collaborate in teams to develop new business ideas through over ten sessions. The program emphasizes the importance of developing ideas as a team of two or more rather than as individuals, using themes that participants are passionate about as the foundation for their business ideas, which fosters the creation of a community of creative entrepreneurs. NRI accompanies the participants as co-creative advisors who engage in discussions with them. As the program marks its 10th anniversary, it has expanded to five regions nationwide＊1, fostering over 750 entrepreneurs, generating more than 160 new business concepts, and creating 27 new companies＊2.
NRI will continue to support the creation of local innovations that will contribute to regional revitalization.
＊1 Expansion in 5areas: Tokachi of Hokkaido, Okinawa, San-in,Niigata, and Tsuruoka in Yamagata prefecture (as of October 2023)
＊2 As of December 2023
- Related SDGs
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