Shiina: DEMOLA is an industry-government-academia collaboration innovation creation platform provided by DEMOLA GLOBAL (Finland). DEMOLA HOKKAIDO, Japan's only program, began in 2018, and is based at Hokkaido University, where university and graduate students and company representatives work together to solve real-world problems for companies.
Hokkaido University Institute for the Promotion of Business-Regional Collaboration, on the left is specially appointed associate professor Nozomi Shiina, and on the right is department head and specially appointed professor Itsuro Sugimura
Hokkaido University is the first front runner in Japan to participate in DEMOLA NETWORK. We asked Demola operator/facilitator Ituro Sugimura and facilitator Nozomi Shiina, who run alongside the DEMOLA HOKKAIDO participants, about their journey so far and the unique appeal of DEMOLA.
Company representatives are also team members, and if hired, there will be a license agreement
DEMOLA HOKKAIDO will enter its 6th year in 2023. Please tell us what kind of project it is.
Shiina: "Industry-Academia-Government Collaborative Innovation Creation Platform" may sound a bit difficult, but the content is an international platform where companies and students form teams together to create completely new business ideas. It's a program. We value co-creation.
It was originally an initiative created by Finland's DEMOLA GLOBAL, and now more than 60 universities in 16 countries around the world are participating.
It has been localized in various places such as "DEMOLA PORTGUL" and "DEMOLA SHANGHAI," and in Japan, Hokkaido University is the secretariat and it has been introduced under the name "DEMOLA HOKKAIDO" since 2018.
I heard that Hokkaido University had a joint office with a Finnish university, and they were introduced to it as having an interesting program.
Sugimura: There are many other programs where companies solicit ideas from students, but DEMOLA's unique feature is that a company representative is always included in the team of 4 to 6 students, and they work together to develop ideas. It's getting complicated. The key point is to not only think about it as a student, but also to work together with companies.
After forming teams, participants spend two months holding workshops and discussions aimed at solving problems, and then make a final presentation.
We ask that a person who can decide whether or not to adopt an idea from a company come to the presentation, so if the company decides to adopt the idea, the students will be paid a success fee in the form of a license fee for the idea. Masu. This is also a feature unique to DEMOLA.
Rather than just letting students come up with an idea, we move on to real-world implementation, including licensing agreements. It is a system that is very rewarding for companies to work on.
Over the course of two months, we implemented a five-day program (held on Saturdays) and a team meeting about once a week. As the final presentation approaches, each team holds independent meetings every day.
“Why?” License adoption rate: 73% with an attitude of digging into the essence
Are Hokkaido University students the only students who can participate in DEMOLA HOKKAIDO?
Shiina: Any undergraduate or graduate student, not just Hokkaido University students, can enter. The workshops and discussions were held online, so there were some participants from overseas.
As of August 2022, the number of participating students is 241. Students from 30 universities have worked on 37 issues from 34 participating companies. Of these, 27 issues were licensed, increasing the adoption rate to 73%.
Final presentation scene for 2022
73% is a very high adoption rate. What are the criteria for student selection?
Sugimura: Companies participating in DEMOLA pay a participation fee of 10,000 euros. All of the companies are ambitious companies that have invested that much in advance and want to be exposed to the values and ideas of Generation Z, who will be the main players in society 20 to 30 years from now. I hope that my team will have the motivation and positivity to respond to those demands.
For Hokkaido University students and Otaru University of Commerce Business School students, DEMOLA HOKKAIDO's activities are recognized as credits within the university, but some other universities apply for ``for personal growth'' even if they do not receive credits. There are also students.
We, as the secretariat, are attracted to applications where we can take responsibility and think, ``We want to send this person to this project!''
Facilitators like Shiina-san and Sugimura-san, who received training at DEMOLA GLOBAL, support companies in clarifying issues and student teams in coming up with ideas.
Looking at the corporate challenges for 2022 (entries closed), we see a variety of topics being presented, including the branding of a confectionery manufacturer in Sapporo, town development in Naganuma Town, Hokkaido, and plans for utilizing a campground in Kochi Prefecture.
Shiina: Naturally, when student teams think about a problem, there will be times when they will hit a wall. That's when our facilitators come into play. Depending on the content and field of expertise, we make suggestions such as "Why don't you talk to this person?" or "Why don't you try this approach?"
Fortunately, Hokkaido University, which is a comprehensive university, has researchers in a variety of fields, and DEMOLA HOKKAIDO's ability to cooperate with other universities, such as Otaru University of Commerce when it comes to marketing, is a major strength of DEMOLA HOKKAIDO. All the teachers are willing to help students when they come to ask questions, and are like reliable mentors.
In some cases, the team directly inquires about competing companies, and we are often surprised by their ability to take action (lol). It seems like there are some things you can do because you are a student.
Sugimura: Whatever the problem, the one thing that all teams have in common is that there is always a need to dig into the essence of the problem rather than looking for superficial solutions. We believe this will be a very meaningful experience for both students and companies.
The attitude of questioning the essence of the current situation, asking, ``Why XX?'' is equally required when considering the 17 goals of the SDGs. I think the core of DEMOLA is to increase the number of people who can think in this way.
Final presentation scene for 2022
Use the diversity you experience at DEMOLA as fuel for your growth
After the fifth year of your activities, what kind of growth can you see in the students who have experienced DEMOLA?
Shiina: First of all, I think just completing DEMOLA to the end while balancing university studies and part-time work will be a huge growth experience.
One of the most difficult experiences I had was having serious discussions with colleagues and companies that I met for the first time at DEMOLA, rather than with the close friends I usually hang out with.
I feel that the experience of respecting each other's good points and appreciating diversity will definitely be useful in my future life.
Some of the graduates have gone on to take on other projects with the same members after DEMOLA, and some have started businesses or NPOs. I'm happy to see that, little by little, we are sowing seeds for the future.
Sugimura: A sustainable future will require us to live our lives without comparing ourselves to others unnecessarily or being bound by social averages. With this in mind, I believe that if you can find an absolute strength through DEMOLA's activities that makes you think, ``This is who I am'' and ``I'm good at this,'' it will be a great support for surviving in an era full of diversity.
If you have even the slightest interest, I encourage you to take on the challenge.
Looking back at our office, since we started in 2018, the learning environment and social situation that our current students went through during their middle and high school years has changed year by year, so DEMOLA HOKKAIDO has been updated every year.
We will continue to review our operating system so that both students and companies who participate can have a pleasant innovation experience.
Have serious discussions with colleagues working on the same issues
Delve deeper into issues with people from companies and local governments at workshops
Itsuro Sugimura Demora Operator/Facilitator
Affiliation: Specially Appointed Professor, Head Institute for the Promotion of Business-Regional Collaboration Hokkaido University
"Regardless of your age or the university you graduated from, the friendships you make with the people you've spent so much time with will last a lifetime. There's also a lot to be gained by making connections with companies."
Nozomi Shiina Facilitator
Affiliation: Project Associate Professor Institute for the Promotion of Business-Regional Collaboration Hokkaido University
“Participating companies often say that their fixed concepts have been broken, and I feel that co-creation with students is leading to innovation.”
