Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. (MRI) [Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Kyota OMORI], which is hosting the "Business Idea Competition 2016" to solicit and commend ideas for solving, via business means, serious societal issues both domestically and abroad, has decided the recipients of the Grand Prize and the MRI Prize at the Final Selection Committee Meeting on December 6.
In order to realize a rich and sustainable global society, our company is now moving forward with preparations toward establishing in January 2017 the "Innovation Network for Co-Creating the Future" (henceforth, INCF(*1)), a platform for handling the mounting societal issues of Japan and the world, and for co-creating and realizing their solutions by applying revolutionary technologies and innovation.
As part of these activities, we planned and hosted the "Business Idea Competition 2016." This competition, aiming to "solve societal issues through business," evaluates the impacts (breadth and depth of societal benefits) expected of the solutions delivered by the proposed business ideas, as well as the feasibility/innovativeness/sustainability of their business models.
This time, we selected as the theme the pressing societal issue of "wellness," and solicited business ideas leading to innovations in this field (with a submission deadline of August 31, 2016). From approximately 100 proposal submissions, our Senior Research Fellows and Researchers selected five teams (the Finalists), and the following Winners were decided as the result of a careful examination by 5 domestic and international Experts who are Supporters of INCF efforts.
Moving forward our company shall support in a variety of ways the Winners and Finalists, as well as all respondents, of this competition through the activities of the INCF. In addition, as a part of INCF activities in the future, we are planning to organize and sponsor in turn business competitions with the themes of "education," "water and food," "disaster prevention," "energy and environment," and "mobility."
As part of these activities, we planned and hosted the "Business Idea Competition 2016." This competition, aiming to "solve societal issues through business," evaluates the impacts (breadth and depth of societal benefits) expected of the solutions delivered by the proposed business ideas, as well as the feasibility/innovativeness/sustainability of their business models.
This time, we selected as the theme the pressing societal issue of "wellness," and solicited business ideas leading to innovations in this field (with a submission deadline of August 31, 2016). From approximately 100 proposal submissions, our Senior Research Fellows and Researchers selected five teams (the Finalists), and the following Winners were decided as the result of a careful examination by 5 domestic and international Experts who are Supporters of INCF efforts.
Moving forward our company shall support in a variety of ways the Winners and Finalists, as well as all respondents, of this competition through the activities of the INCF. In addition, as a part of INCF activities in the future, we are planning to organize and sponsor in turn business competitions with the themes of "education," "water and food," "disaster prevention," "energy and environment," and "mobility."
The competition was held at "Global Business Hub Tokyo (GBHT)", Otemachi, Tokyo.
Awards ceremony of the competition
(Left) Dr. Hiroshi Komiyama, Head of the panel of judges
(Right) Grand Prize Winner、Mr. Junya Tanimoto, CEO of O Inc.
(Left) Dr. Hiroshi Komiyama, Head of the panel of judges
(Right) Grand Prize Winner、Mr. Junya Tanimoto, CEO of O Inc.