Co-Innovation University (CoIU) Concludes Partnership Agreement with Suzuyo System Technology

School Corporation CoIU (Hida City, Gifu Prefecture; Chairman: Hironari Inoue), which operates Co-Innovation University (CoIU) opened in April 2026, announces that it has concluded a partnership agreement on co-creation human resource development with Suzuyo System Technology Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture; President: Toshiyuki Hayashida; hereinafter 'SST') on May 18, 2026. This agreement aims to foster 'co-creation human resources' who will co-create the future of local communities and industries through practical learning where regions, companies, and universities intersect. We will promote this as a new learning model that nurtures the ability to formulate questions, engage in dialogue, and take action, as corporate personnel cross boundaries into the region and encounter diverse values and fieldworks. Towards New Human Resource Development Starting with Co-Creation CoIU is a four-year university that places 'starting learning from questions and traversing together with society' at the core of its education. Based in Hida, the university develops learning that fosters the 'co-creation skills' necessary for the future society, collaborating with regions, companies, local governments, and diverse practitioners. Classroom scenes of the 1st generation of CoIU students, nurturing 'questions' while facing the local community and society (1) and (2) Meanwhile, SST, as a system company that has supported the IT infrastructure of the Suzuyo Group based in Shizuoka, has recently expanded its efforts into areas that address regional and social issues, such as DX support for local governments and regional companies. Rather than viewing digital technology merely as a means of efficiency, SST perceives it as 'the power to co-create the future of the region.' While promoting regional value creation through 'Shizuoka x Digital,' there has been an increasing need for each employee to heighten their resolution toward the region and society, generating new value through external dialogue. This agreement was realized because the learning philosophy centered on the 'ability to formulate questions' and 'co-creation skills' promoted by CoIU and its adult education program 'Co Innovation Laboratory (CoIL)' aligned with SST's direction of aiming for regional value creation. Under this agreement, we will develop practical learning where corporate personnel cross over into the region, formulating their own questions, engaging in dialogue, and taking action while encountering diverse values and local fieldworks. The shifts in perspective and behavior born from this experience will not be limited to individual growth but will be connected to the future of the organization and the region. Through this initiative, we aim to construct a new 'co-creation human resource development model' where regions, companies, and universities learn across boundaries. Program Overview ■ Overview of the program 'Cross-boundary Innovation Fieldwork in Hida' and coverage candidates As the first initiative based on this agreement, SST will participate in the co-creation recurrent program 'Cross-boundary Innovation Fieldwork in Hida.' This program is a cross-boundary fieldwork set in Hida City, Gifu Prefecture—arguably at the forefront of regional issues—where participants will re-examine the 'premises' of their own companies and themselves through dialogue and local experiences with local entrepreneurs and practitioners. While visiting the concept of CoIU, which took on the unprecedented challenge of 'launching a school corporation and university from zero,' as well as sites of business creation utilizing local resources, and regional co-creation sites such as small-scale hydropower generation and decarbonization, participants will learn multidimensionally 'how social issues are converted into businesses.' Furthermore, through repeated dialogue and discussion among participants from different industries, the program aims for them to acquire perspectives and questions that cannot be obtained within their own companies alone, and to bring back hints for new business opportunities and organizational transformation within their respective companies. ■ Fieldwork Content (Planned) Implementation period: June 25-26, 2026 (Planned / Hida City, Gifu Prefecture) - Hida Furukawa town walking / CoIU campus tour - Session with CoIU Chairman Hironari Inoue - Dialogue with active local players - Observation of business cases utilizing local resources - Reflection among participants / Co-creation workshop ■ Program Overview Period: June to July 2026 Format: Pre-online training + Hida fieldwork (2 days, 1 night) + Post-training Location: Hida City, Gifu Prefecture / Online Target Audience: Employees of Suzuyo System Technology Co., Ltd. and participants from other companies Capacity: Around 10 people (jointly with multiple companies) * The overview is partially planned. Beyond Regions and Companies Intersecting Through 'Questions' Moving forward, in addition to this fieldwork-type program, we will continue our co-creation and dialogue, with a view to participating in regional issue resolution projects and jointly developing original recurrent programs tailored to the themes and issues of each company. Furthermore, we will consider the possibilities of industry-academia collaboration and regional co-creation in the Shizuoka area from a medium-to-long-term perspective, aiming for a future where regions, companies, and universities cross boundaries.