LTS Opens Dedicated Website and Starts Entries for Nagano Prefecture’s Shinshu AI GEARS Sandbox Program

LTS, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Hiroaki Kabashima) has been commissioned by Nagano Prefecture to support the FY2026 Shinshu-style Sandbox Program. On May 14, 2026, the company officially opened the program’s dedicated website and began accepting entries for both challenge-proposal and free-proposal categories. Matching applications are scheduled to open in June, and briefing sessions for companies in the prefecture and AI developers will be held in stages. As a best partner for the digital era, LTS will use its accumulated AI and digital transformation expertise and capabilities to strongly support local companies in solving issues and taking on new challenges, while promoting the formation of an innovation ecosystem in Shinshu. The Shinshu-style Sandbox Program, “Shinshu AI GEARS,” aims to build an innovation ecosystem that helps solve corporate and regional issues and creates new industries and services by matching companies and organizations in Nagano Prefecture with AI developers nationwide. Set against Shinshu’s diverse industries and rich natural environment, the program will generate and accelerate many new challenges. Selected projects will receive subsidies for development and demonstration expenses, with a maximum of 8 million yen, a subsidy rate of 10/10, and around five projects expected to be selected. Dedicated website: https://shinshu-ai-gears.jp/ The program uses gears, a symbol of Nagano Prefecture’s parts industry, as its main motif. The plural “S” expresses the idea of engaging multiple gears through matching to move Shinshu’s future forward and shift AI utilization into a higher gear. Companies, municipalities, organizations in Nagano Prefecture, and AI developers who want to work together to move Shinshu’s future are invited to participate. There are two main ways to participate, and entries for both have opened today. The challenge-proposal category invites companies and organizations in the prefecture to submit issues and challenges, while the free-proposal category invites AI developers to submit solutions they want to realize. Briefing sessions will also be held for those interested in the program. A briefing session and AI utilization seminar for companies in the prefecture will take place on May 20, 2026, from 14:00 to 16:30 at the Shinano Mainichi Shimbun Matsumoto Head Office, Shinmai Media Garden 1F Hall, with online streaming available. The session will include an overview of the program, information on the evolution and types of AI, examples of AI use across industries, issue-structuring support, and individual consultations. Registration: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/A90MGayg06 A briefing session for AI developers will be held in Tokyo on May 22, 2026, from 14:00 to 16:15 at KERNEL HONGO, with no online streaming. In addition to an overview of the program, the session will introduce the appeal of Shinshu as a field for new challenges through a Nagano Prefecture seminar and a talk session with local companies. Registration: https://forms.office.com/r/MXLVyD059w The latest program information and support details will be shared through the official LINE account: https://lin.ee/XGrLuwM LTS, Inc. is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market under securities code 6560. Website: https://lt-s.jp/. The company provides comprehensive services centered on hands-on consulting that enhances clients’ business agility and ability to execute transformation. Press contact: Program Secretariat, pj_shinshu-ai-gears@lt-s.jp