On Thursday, March 26, 2026, Eikei University (President: Mutsuhiro Arishin, Location: Naka-ku, Hiroshima) held the "Co-creation Project and Hiroshima Value Shift Program Final Report Meeting." The event was conducted in a hybrid format, both in-person and online, with 53 applications received in total. Participants included corporate representatives, students, and individuals interested in this project.

A Practical Project Integrating Companies, University, and Human Resources Eikei University promotes the "Co-creation Project," where companies, faculty (personnel with project management skills), and students form teams to solve corporate challenges and create new businesses, and the "Hiroshima Value Shift Program," which involves accepting specialized human resources from urban areas into companies to address challenges. In the "Co-creation Project," students participate practically in projects under paid contracts with companies, striving to create new value through repeated research and verification. Meanwhile, the Value Shift Program is a system where visiting researchers work as part of a company four days a week, addressing challenges while simultaneously undergoing recurrent education at the university. Part 1: General Session The first part began with greetings from Professor Yoshinobu Hayata, Director of the Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration and Research Promotion Center at Eikei University, followed by an explanation of the university's industry-academia-government collaboration initiatives.

Subsequently, students working on projects with Hirokawa Corporation and Shinwa Metal Co., Ltd. presented mini-pitches for the second-half Co-creation Projects, sharing the outlines and backgrounds of each project.

Additionally, comments were made by the National Enterprise Promotion Center, a partner organization of the Hiroshima Value Shift Program, regarding the program's significance and expectations for the researchers' reports.

Following this, five visiting researchers gave short presentations, introducing the results of their six-month initiatives at each company and sharing specific approaches and outcomes for the real-world challenges faced by each company. Part 2: Program Details Report In the second part, detailed reports were given for the following two programs in separate venues: ・Co-creation Project ・Hiroshima Value Shift Program Participants could move between sessions during the break to view reports from both programs. ■ Co-creation Project For the Co-creation Project, an interview was conducted with Singi Corporation, a participating company in the first half, sharing the changes brought about by the project and its development towards commercialization. In particular, the process leading to the establishment of a university-launched venture company from initiatives focused on resource circulation was introduced. "Resource Circulation Model for Disposable Food Containers" Launched from Hiroshima: The First Venture Company Born from Eikei University! - Eikei University Official Website

Next, reports on the outcomes of two projects conducted in the second half were presented.

① Hirokawa Corporation The company focused on developing a cross-selling sales approach that leverages relationships with existing customers to provide value by combining multiple products. Students and the company collaborated to develop a proposal format applicable to all products and design a system for promoting cross-selling within the company. Moving forward, the company will verify the cross-selling sales system and proposal format developed in this project through actual operation, and by repeatedly improving it, they will promote its company-wide implementation.

② Shinwa Metal Co., Ltd. The company explored new business opportunities to support problem-solving at other factories by leveraging the high technical capabilities of its equipment maintenance team. Through repeated interviews and market research by students, they constructed a service model utilizing existing strengths and verified demand, presenting a new business direction. Moving forward, they will refine the specific service offerings for the equipment maintenance strength-based service model considered in this project, proceed with demonstration, and deepen considerations for commercialization. They also aim to create new revenue opportunities while verifying the potential for expansion to external companies.

Hiroshima Value Shift Program In the Hiroshima Value Shift Program, detailed reports were presented on the projects undertaken by visiting researchers in collaboration with companies. Specific processes and outcomes of problem-solving by engaging directly with the field, as well as future prospects, were shared.

① Tsuneishi Kamoten Co., Ltd. (Visiting Researcher: Kotaro Abe) To address the challenge of a shortage of personnel for new business promotion, a practical business promotion process was established through the examination of land-based aquaculture and grid-scale battery storage system businesses. Through repeated hypothesis testing, a business development approach combining startup methods with the strengths of existing companies was organized. Moving forward, the company will proceed with the concretization of the examined businesses and the strengthening of the internal business promotion system to facilitate continuous new business creation.

② Travel Box Hiroshima Co., Ltd. (Visiting Researcher: Yuichiro Atsumi) To create new value in tourism and regional businesses, existing operations were reviewed, and the structure of challenges was visualized. Through interviews and verification with stakeholders, the business direction was concretized, and a foundational system for implementation was established. The company will continue to support business promotion and conduct ongoing verification and improvements towards profitability.

③ Hiroshima Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (Visiting Researcher: Yuko Ohno) To address the issue of SNS operations being dependent on individual staff members, SNS was redefined as a "supporter for sales activities." Furthermore, by organizing content and policy, efforts were initiated to build a consistent information dissemination system linked to the corporate brand. This has established a foundation for expanding customer touchpoints and increasing store visits and inquiries. Moving forward, the company will continue information dissemination based on the established operational policy, maximizing results while verifying its contribution to concrete customer acquisition and sales.

④ Toyo Densou Co., Ltd. (Visiting Researcher: Takahito Izumiya) In the Care DX solution business, the company promoted the development of a maintenance support system and the standardization of network design. A system was built to balance improved service quality and efficiency, establishing a foundation to support business expansion. Moving forward, the company will accelerate service deployment utilizing the established operational infrastructure and aim for increased business profitability.

⑤ Morishin Construction Co., Ltd. (Visiting Researcher: Toshiyuki Hio) To address the organizational challenge of underutilized DX tools, the company participated as a promoter, simultaneously working on infrastructure development, business process visualization, and management support. They organized person-dependent tasks and improved decision-making processes, creating a state where the organization can address challenges collectively. Moving forward, the company will promote the adoption and horizontal expansion of the established systems, leading to continuous business improvement and increased productivity.

After each presentation, feedback was received from corporate representatives and Professor Hayata.

Through this report meeting, it was demonstrated that collaboration among companies, the university, students, and external personnel can lead not only to problem-solving but also to the creation of new businesses and organizational transformation. Eikei University will continue to contribute to the growth of regional companies and the creation of new value through such practical industry-academia-government collaboration initiatives. Companies and organizations interested are encouraged to contact us.

> Eikei University, Educational Planning Division, Social Collaboration Section: Ohno, Fukuba TEL: 082-225-6312

[Event Report] FY2025 Co-creation Project and Hiroshima Value Shift Program Final Report Meeting - Eikei University Official Website

Visit the Eikei University website here: https://www.eikei.ac.jp

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