Construction completed on the GIC and CVIC at BKC—Facilities that will serve as centers of next-generation research and innovation co-created with the community and society
Ritsumeikan University opened the Grassroots Innovation Center (GIC), an open innovation center for the creation of university-launched startups, and the Ritsumeikan Cross-verse Innovation Commons (CVIC), a new center for the realization of our goal of becoming a next-generation research university, at Biwako-Kusatsu campus (BKC).
The GIC was established to function as a hub for both open innovation and incubation in light of our selection by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) for the “Development of Incubation and Industry-Academia Fusion Centers at Core Regional Universities (J-Innovation Hub)” project. The first floor features GIC Fab, which will support the development of STEAM and entrepreneurship education, prototyping and the realization of ideas, and a co-working space to promote collaboration with the community and companies. On the second floor, there are private rooms (wet labs) for researchers and students who aim to start their own businesses, a common lab with analytical equipment for shared use, and a lounge offering services such as business registration, and together they will encourage a diverse array of people to interact with other and create value.
On Monday, July 28, an opening ceremony was held with guests from METI, Shiga Prefecture, Kusatsu City, the Shiga University of Medical Science, Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, and Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. At the ceremony, the speakers expressed their expectations for the GIC and discussed possibilities for future collaboration, which was followed by an explanation of the course of events leading to the establishment of the facility and its functions. After the ceremony, upcoming projects were introduced and a facility tour was held.
The construction of the CVIC was made possible by Ritsumeikan’s selection by MEXT for the Project for the Development of Facilities for Industry-University-Government Collaboration and Joint Research through Cooperation among Regional Core and Distinctive Research Universities in AY2023. In AY2024, Ritsumeikan University was also selected by MEXT for the Program for Forming Japan’s Peak Research Universities (J-PEAKS), and some of these funds are being used to install equipment. The CVIC promotes research on “the embodied environment,” an interdisciplinary research field that explores changes in the mind and body along with ELSI (ethical, legal, and social issues) in a society where the real and virtual worlds are highly integrated. By collaborating with the GIC, the CVIC is expected to accelerate real-world applications of research findings.
On Friday, July 18, a completion ceremony was held for both facilities, and in his address, President Nakatani stated: “I am confident that the bold foray into the new research field of the embodied environment at the CVIC will generate synergies with the GIC and serve as a powerful driving force propelling us forward toward our grand goal of becoming a next-generation research university.”
Ritsumeikan University will promote the co-creation of knowledge and its real-world application by furthering research, education, and social collaboration centered around these two facilities.
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