Members Co., Ltd.'s nu.Design Company and Yamagata University Begin 'Joint Research to Improve the Implementation and Success Rate of New Businesses' - Promoting Talent Development and Organizational Change Driving Business Creation through Industry-Academia Collaboration 'Experiential Prototyping'
nu.Design Company of Members Co., Ltd. has started joint research with Yamagata University using experiential prototyping to create new businesses and develop innovation leaders.
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- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 9, 2026 at 11:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 18, 2026 at 19:48 (224h 17m after Collected)
Members Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Akihiko Takano, TSE Prime: 2130, hereinafter 'Members'), which leads social transformation together with customers through DX frontline support, announces that its specialized organization, nu.Design Company (Company President: Hideaki Sugiura, hereinafter 'nu.Design'), which develops an accompanying support business to support corporate DX and growth by multiplying design and strategy, has started joint research on new business creation utilizing prototyping methods with the Co-creation Prototyping Lab (Mitomi Laboratory) of the Interdisciplinary Program for Social Co-creation and Digitalization, Yamagata University.
■ Points of this Matter
- Fusion of academic knowledge and business implementation capability: By multiplying Yamagata University's 'experiential prototyping' know-how with nu.Design's 'business implementation capability to drive concepts as businesses' cultivated by entering the frontlines of companies, we will build an 'implementable business creation model' that increases the success rate of new businesses.
- Research on talent development and organizational system change through practice: Through a zero-based business creation process not bound by existing frameworks, we will research and develop a process for developing next-generation leaders who can bring ideas to reality, and a change model for organizational systems that support challenges.
- Balancing academic evaluation and social implementation: The practical knowledge gained will be widely returned to society through both 'academic evaluation' via paper publications and conference presentations, and 'social implementation' as a new method for new business development in Japanese companies.
■ Background of starting joint research: Barriers to business creation and organization in a highly uncertain modern age
In today's highly uncertain age, the method of 'prototyping', which quickly takes shape and verifies ideas, is essential for companies to create new value. However, on the frontlines of Japanese companies, existing organizational structures act as barriers, and they face the challenge that created ideas do not lead to implementation.
In addition to simple product development skills, there is a strong demand for 'leader development' who can envision their own vision and bring ideas down as actual businesses, and 'change to an organizational system' that tolerates failure and supports challenges.
In this joint research, we aim to solve this essential problem by multiplying the academic know-how of 'experiential prototyping' researched and practiced by Yamagata University with the 'business implementation capability to enter the corporate frontline and drive concepts as businesses' cultivated by nu.Design on the front lines.
■ 3 themes of joint research in FY2026
In this project, in order to guide ideas to solid business outcomes without ending as concepts, we will tackle practical research and systematization of methods from the perspective of three themes.
- Research Theme (1) Development of a 'business creation' method fusing academic knowledge and business implementation capability
Integrating Yamagata University's academic prototyping method of quickly shaping and verifying ideas with 'business design thinking', a strength of nu.Design, to decipher market structures and competitive positions. We will develop a highly reproducible business creation method that continues to be chosen in the market.
- Research Theme (2) Building a development process for 'innovation leaders' who bring vision to reality
Instead of leaving it to experts, participants themselves will explore themes where they can feel a sense of ownership on a zero basis, and...
■ Points of this Matter
- Fusion of academic knowledge and business implementation capability: By multiplying Yamagata University's 'experiential prototyping' know-how with nu.Design's 'business implementation capability to drive concepts as businesses' cultivated by entering the frontlines of companies, we will build an 'implementable business creation model' that increases the success rate of new businesses.
- Research on talent development and organizational system change through practice: Through a zero-based business creation process not bound by existing frameworks, we will research and develop a process for developing next-generation leaders who can bring ideas to reality, and a change model for organizational systems that support challenges.
- Balancing academic evaluation and social implementation: The practical knowledge gained will be widely returned to society through both 'academic evaluation' via paper publications and conference presentations, and 'social implementation' as a new method for new business development in Japanese companies.
■ Background of starting joint research: Barriers to business creation and organization in a highly uncertain modern age
In today's highly uncertain age, the method of 'prototyping', which quickly takes shape and verifies ideas, is essential for companies to create new value. However, on the frontlines of Japanese companies, existing organizational structures act as barriers, and they face the challenge that created ideas do not lead to implementation.
In addition to simple product development skills, there is a strong demand for 'leader development' who can envision their own vision and bring ideas down as actual businesses, and 'change to an organizational system' that tolerates failure and supports challenges.
In this joint research, we aim to solve this essential problem by multiplying the academic know-how of 'experiential prototyping' researched and practiced by Yamagata University with the 'business implementation capability to enter the corporate frontline and drive concepts as businesses' cultivated by nu.Design on the front lines.
■ 3 themes of joint research in FY2026
In this project, in order to guide ideas to solid business outcomes without ending as concepts, we will tackle practical research and systematization of methods from the perspective of three themes.
- Research Theme (1) Development of a 'business creation' method fusing academic knowledge and business implementation capability
Integrating Yamagata University's academic prototyping method of quickly shaping and verifying ideas with 'business design thinking', a strength of nu.Design, to decipher market structures and competitive positions. We will develop a highly reproducible business creation method that continues to be chosen in the market.
- Research Theme (2) Building a development process for 'innovation leaders' who bring vision to reality
Instead of leaving it to experts, participants themselves will explore themes where they can feel a sense of ownership on a zero basis, and...