Business matching event to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of i2.JP
Looking for partners to take on challenges together!
Meet people you wouldn't usually meet
Share ideas beyond the healthcare sector
Look for seeds of co-creation
In November 2023, i2.JP celebrated its 3rd anniversary and held the 3rd anniversary event "We are all innovators!” in Tokyo and Osaka by partnering with Japan's largest open innovation facilities, CIC Tokyo and QUINTBRIDGE.
At this event, companies and organizations first presented issues for which they were looking for new collaborators and ideas (reverse pitch), and participants from different areas gathered for group discussion on each issue. The following is how the event unfolded and how participants commented.
Event started!
Reverse Pitch
- Companies and organizations present issues for which they were looking for collaborators and ideas
There are few opportunities for companies and municipalities to make their problems and unmet needs known in detail. Therefore, in this event, companies and municipalities first presented their issues and solicited solutions through reverse pitching.
A total of 17 companies/organizations participated, including local governments, pharmaceutical companies, pharmaceutical wholesalers, medical device manufacturers, printing companies and IT companies involved in the healthcare business, etc. They shared their real problems on a total of 19 topics, saying "We are actually having problems with XX", "We have hit a wall with YY", "We want a solution for ZZ" and "We are determined to solve problems for patients and local residents”. The pitches conveyed their enthusiasm and seriousness.
Group Session
- Participants gather for group discussion on each issue
We held group sessions to bring together not only the companies and municipalities presenting the issues and the participants with assets and ideas to address those issues, but also to allow the participants to interact with each other to develop their ideas. Many of the participants came from outside the healthcare sector and shared assets and ideas, looking at the issues from different angles to explore the seeds of co-creation.
The discussions included:
Topic: Expand possibilities for children's healthy growth and future
We have resources such as a maternal and child health handbook app and an app to digitally tabulate the results of physical fitness tests at school. We are looking for co-creation ideas to expand possibilities for children's healthy growth and future!
Discussion / Focused on the maternal and child health handbook app owned by the reverse pitching company and discussed how it can be used as a tool for mothers to “look things up” and “connect”. Some participants who have raised children shared their opinions from the users' perspective: "When I look things up on SNS or the internet, I don't know what is right", "I want a mom friend I can share information with".
Idea / "A reliable platform for mothers to quickly look up information on child-rearing," "Interface with a medication record," "Matching with mom friends," etc.
Topic: Promote health in the society through PHR and advanced technologies
We aim to standardize PHR items and distribution specifications by developing PHR (Personal Health Record) guidelines. We want to promote the co-creation of a PHR ecosystem and accelerate the use of PHR and advanced technologies!
Discussion / Main topics include PHR guidelines and services, but also discussed why PHR is not widely used in Japan, citing examples from overseas. We agreed that Japan must first do something to make people realize the benefits of PHR.
Idea / A "single point of focus" data utilization service that can clearly add value in a specific area to extend the benefits of PHR.
Presentation
- Present the discussion to the whole group
Networking
- All participants interact with each other
Participants' comments
Reverse pitching companies/municipalities:
I was inspired by the thoughts and the spirit of challenge to change the world with ideas
Mr. Takashi Yoshizawa, Chief, Planning Group, Health Promotion Division, Health Center, Health and Welfare Department, Utsunomiya City
Utsunomiya City's Tokyo office is located in CIC Tokyo, and I attended the event as I thought it would be a unique opportunity to get to know people from the business community. As participants came from different fields, we deliberately set a broad theme of “Initiatives to encourage behavioral change in the population not interested in health” and clearly communicated the need for a “mechanism to become naturally healthy without being conscious of it”.
I really enjoyed the group discussion! To be honest, I was a bit worried about whether people would be interested, so I was glad to see participants from healthcare, gaming, consulting and many other fields gathered and actively sharing their opinions. We were also able to get ideas that we didn't have, such as taking a game approach to behavior change, and the result exceeded my expectations. The public health nurse who participated with me also said that she enjoyed talking to people from companies she wouldn't normally meet, and that she was sure she would come up with new ideas.
Personally, I learned the most from the way participants think, trying out ideas and trying to change the world. Government workers tend to be stability-oriented, so it was inspiring and exciting to have discussions with people who are full of challenging spirit. I would definitely like to participate again if there is an opportunity.
I found partners who were willing to solve the problem together, which increased my motivation
Mr. Takaaki Ogino, Senior Associate, Clinical Lead, Cinical Development, Japan Drug Development and Medical Affairs, Eli Lilly Japan K.K.
Speeding up enrollment for clinical trials through the use of AI has been a challenge we have been working on for some time. I don't usually have many opportunities to talk to people outside the pharmaceutical industry, so I attended this event to exchange ideas with AI experts and people from other fields.
The best part was getting to know people who had interests and ideas on this issue in one place. It was very encouraging and motivating and I felt that I was not alone, that I had partners and that I would try again. We did not come up with any ground-breaking ideas/answers, but I found clues to open up new ways of thinking.
What was striking was that one of the AI experts asked, "Is AI really the best tool to solve this problem? Aren't there other tools?" I was just thinking about what AI can do and how AI can be used, so it was a great insight for me to realize that it is important to think about how to approach the problem first. With the help of the partners I met at this event, I am going to solve problems.
Participants:
“It was an eye-opener because the needs of the major players are rarely communicated openly. I could also feel the passion to solve problems" (Preventive and home healthcare service)
“It was valuable to hear about the issues facing local governments, especially the needs of public health nurses" (Pharmaceutical company)
“There were competitors in the same group, so we got to know their approaches and perspectives, and we could see our own strengths as well" (Healthcare/nursing care business)
“We develop and sell underwear for cancer patients and we took part in a session on dementia. At first I was worried that I might have joined the wrong session, but I learned a lot from talking to people from different backgrounds” (Clothing manufacturer)
“I've been to several of these events. It was great to be able to interact and exchange ideas not only with the speakers but also with the other participants in the group discussions" (Judicial scrivener)
Message from the co-sponsor
It was an opportunity for a wide range of players who want to get involved in healthcare issues to connect and inspire each other
Mr. Teppei Shimokawa, Senior Manager, Business Development, Innovation Strategy Office, NTT West
The aim and essence of the event was to bring together and connect a wide range of people who are highly motivated to create new things and get involved in healthcare issues, asking participants to come up with ideas for issues together, and the event successfully achieved the worldview we wanted. I think it became a place where people could share and reinforce their enthusiasm for changing society.
The high level of enthusiasm at the end of the event may have been due to the interaction between the two communities: i2.JP, which specializes in healthcare, and QUINTBRIDGE, which is not limited to any sector or size. The discussion may have been stimulated by the fact that players who are interested in healthcare but have no experience in the field brought in new perspectives and ideas not found in the healthcare community. I sincerely hope that the network created here will evolve into co-creation.
Lastly
Launched in November 2020 with seven organizations, i2.JP has grown to more than 400 partners and over 100 business matching projects in just three years. More and more projects aim to be scaled up and implemented in society.
Although the event was well received, with participants commenting that they were able to meet people they wouldn't normally meet and discover new ideas, there were also valuable comments suggesting areas for improvement for the next event, such as "As the participants came from a wide range of backgrounds, we should have worked on deepening mutual understanding and setting the direction of the discussions in the limited time available". Based on this experience, i2.JP will continue to plan and organize events to "connect" our members. We hope you will cooperate and join us.
※The information in this article was current at the time of the interview. Please note that affiliations, etc. may differ from today.
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