[Metropolitan Expressway x AUBA] Co-creation Idea Recruitment Starts! 'Metropolitan Expressway Open Innovation Challenge -Local 5G Open Lab-'
eiicon and Metropolitan Expressway launched an open innovation program seeking co-creation ideas utilizing Local 5G, offering up to 10 million yen in PoC funding.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 6, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 6, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 04:09 (352h 38m after Collected)
"AUBA," one of Japan's largest open innovation platforms operated by eiicon Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Toranomon, Minato-ku; Representative Director and President: Ayuko Nakamura; hereinafter "eiicon"), announces that on Monday, April 6, 2026, together with Metropolitan Expressway Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku; Representative Director and President: Toru Terayama; hereinafter "Metropolitan Expressway"), they will hold the acceleration program "Metropolitan Expressway Open Innovation Challenge -Local 5G Open Lab-" (hereinafter "this program") to promote innovation challenges involving the Metropolitan Expressway and diverse industries and sectors. Additionally, starting today, they will begin accepting co-creation ideas across three recruitment themes.
https://eiicon.net/about/shutoko2026
The acceleration program by eiicon and the Metropolitan Expressway marks the third phase of their initiatives, following the "Metropolitan Expressway Open Innovation Challenge 2024" and "Metropolitan Expressway Open Innovation Challenge -Robotics & Software-."
eiicon will strongly support the overall operation of this program, from planning to the establishment and operation of a dedicated website and PR strategies, aiming for the realization of new projects and early commercialization through co-creation between the Metropolitan Expressway and applicant companies.
### "PoC Funding of Up to 10 Million Yen"
### "Metropolitan Expressway as the Demonstration Field!"
### "Possibility to Collaborate with 13 Companies from the Metropolitan Expressway Group"
### ■ Metropolitan Expressway × AUBA "Metropolitan Expressway Open Innovation Challenge -Local 5G Open Lab-"
The Metropolitan Expressway supports safe and smooth traffic 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, underpinning urban activities in the Tokyo metropolitan area as well as Japan's economy and daily life.
We are seeking innovative ideas and solutions that support rapid road recovery in times of disaster and maximize operational efficiency during normal times.
Transform the overwhelming communication performance of Local 5G into the power to connect the field and control, and people and technology, faster and more reliably.
From fiscal 2026, we will begin technical verification using the Metropolitan Expressway's field, accelerating the path toward social implementation.
### □ Three Recruitment Themes (Please be sure to check the recruitment page for details)
Field operations such as patrols to maintain safety, disaster response, and emergency response still depend heavily on "human power" and "limited information (voice and fragmented data)" in many aspects.
Therefore, the Metropolitan Expressway is working to establish a communication environment that can visualize the situation on the ground in real-time by utilizing Local 5G. This aims to build a resilient communication foundation that enables reliable information gathering and rapid decision-making during disasters, and contributes to maintaining smooth road traffic during normal times.
https://eiicon.net/about/shutoko2026
The acceleration program by eiicon and the Metropolitan Expressway marks the third phase of their initiatives, following the "Metropolitan Expressway Open Innovation Challenge 2024" and "Metropolitan Expressway Open Innovation Challenge -Robotics & Software-."
eiicon will strongly support the overall operation of this program, from planning to the establishment and operation of a dedicated website and PR strategies, aiming for the realization of new projects and early commercialization through co-creation between the Metropolitan Expressway and applicant companies.
### "PoC Funding of Up to 10 Million Yen"
### "Metropolitan Expressway as the Demonstration Field!"
### "Possibility to Collaborate with 13 Companies from the Metropolitan Expressway Group"
### ■ Metropolitan Expressway × AUBA "Metropolitan Expressway Open Innovation Challenge -Local 5G Open Lab-"
The Metropolitan Expressway supports safe and smooth traffic 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, underpinning urban activities in the Tokyo metropolitan area as well as Japan's economy and daily life.
We are seeking innovative ideas and solutions that support rapid road recovery in times of disaster and maximize operational efficiency during normal times.
Transform the overwhelming communication performance of Local 5G into the power to connect the field and control, and people and technology, faster and more reliably.
From fiscal 2026, we will begin technical verification using the Metropolitan Expressway's field, accelerating the path toward social implementation.
### □ Three Recruitment Themes (Please be sure to check the recruitment page for details)
Field operations such as patrols to maintain safety, disaster response, and emergency response still depend heavily on "human power" and "limited information (voice and fragmented data)" in many aspects.
Therefore, the Metropolitan Expressway is working to establish a communication environment that can visualize the situation on the ground in real-time by utilizing Local 5G. This aims to build a resilient communication foundation that enables reliable information gathering and rapid decision-making during disasters, and contributes to maintaining smooth road traffic during normal times.