The union between Industry and Academia: The Central Japan Economic Federation visits the Politecnico
Politecnico is among the destinations of the visit organized by the Central Japan Economic Federation, an economic organization from the central region of Japan with approximately 760 members, including Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Mitsui, and Japan Airlines.
This year, the federation arranged a trip to Europe from September 12 to 22 to learn about the efforts of companies, academia, and local governments in fostering innovation, developing and revitalizing cities, crafting production and branding strategies, and supporting young talent.
From Austria to Switzerland and then to Italy, the delegation from the Central Japan Economic Federation, composed of over 30 high-ranking executives and led by Mizuno Akihisa, Chairman and Honorary Advisor of Chubu Electric Power Co., designed the visit to Europe with the aim of understanding and experimenting with innovative solutions and cutting-edge models for technological development, with particular attention to urban regeneration.
This journey of reconstruction and revitalization of cities can only be charted through extensive collaboration between industry, local governments, and academia. Experts’ interest has thus focused on the synergy among the various forces constituting civil society, seeking exemplary cases of cooperation among the parties involved.
It is within this framework that the delegation's visit to the Politecnico took place, marking one of the main stops of the group, which chose Turin as the Italian city to explore. The university provided an opportunity to learn about its structures, innovative initiatives and projects, and services in synergy with businesses.
The delegation was welcomed at the Politecnico by the Vice-Rector for Internationalization Alberto Sapora, who attended presentations by Ando Hitoshi, Vice Chairman of the Central Japan Economic Federation, and Nomura Kazuki from the International Affairs Division of the Central Japan Economic Federation.
Presentations on the university's relations with Japan and with the productive realities present in the country were given by Giuseppe Quaglia, Director of the Japan Hub PoliTO, and Gianmario Pellegrino, delegate with aggregated functions to the Vice-Rector for Scientific and Technological Innovation regarding technology transfer to businesses.
The importance of the Polytechnic in the Piedmont region—particularly concerning research infrastructures—was emphasized in a speech by Professor Alessandro Ferrari.
The activities of I3P, the Innovative Business Incubator of the Politecnico, were then described by its President, Giuseppe Scellato, who showcased to the Japanese delegation the achievements of the incubator over the last 25 years, a center of international relevance that supports the establishment and growth of high-tech startups with significant growth potential.
Closing the meeting were speeches by two representatives of the Industrial Union of Turin, Cristina Tumiatti and Guido Ceresole, who provided an overview of the activities of young entrepreneurs aimed at the territory and generally on all projects and initiatives investing in technological innovation and research for the sustainable development of the city.