Japan’s Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy visits Cambridge Judge

Mr Yoshitaka Shindo, Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy at the Cabinet Office of Japan, was welcomed to Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, for discussions on strategies for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship as part of Japan’s initiative to promote its startup community.

The meetings at Cambridge Judge included sessions with the Interim Dean, Gishan Dissanaike, the Deputy Director of Cambridge Enterprise, Paul Seabright, and other Business School faculty involved in entrepreneurship, social innovation, Executive Education and other areas.

Fostering research and innovation through Japan’s Global Startup Campus Initiative

The Japanese government has announced a Global Startup Campus Initiative, including establishment of a research and innovation centre in central Tokyo to promote more startups in areas such as health, climate change and technology.

“This research and innovation centre will also work with local ecosystems in each region to promote the formation of an ecosystem that will generate world-class standard businesses throughout Japan,” the Japanese government said in unveiling the initiative.

The success of Silicon Fen, Cambridge’s startup ecosystem

The Cambridge ecosystem has produced many dynamic companies in technology, health sciences and other areas, so we were glad to share our expertise and in return to learn from the Japanese delegation.

Professor Gishan Disssanaike

“We are honoured by the visit of Mr Shindo and other officials from Japan, which produced very interesting discussion on entrepreneurship and innovation strategy,” said Gishan Dissanaike, Interim Dean and Adam Smith Professor of Corporate Governance and Finance at the Business School. “The Cambridge ecosystem has produced many dynamic companies in technology, health sciences and other areas, so we were glad to share our expertise and in return to learn from the Japanese delegation.

“Mr Shindo and his delegation met representatives of Cambridge Enterprise, which supports the University of Cambridge community in knowledge transfer, the Entrepreneurship Centre at Cambridge Judge, the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at the Business School, the Executive Education division of Cambridge Judge, and myself. We are grateful for the valuable insights shared and look forward to meaningful collaborations in the future.

“Cambridge Judge has for many years melded entrepreneurship into its core activities. The Business School has benefited from the outstanding work of Cambridge Judge faculty, staff and external mentors in helping promising startups refine their ideas, attract funding, and scale up their businesses. While the situation in every country and region is distinct, we hope the experience of the Cambridge ecosystem will be useful to the distinguished delegation from Japan.”

Visiting delegation included officials from Japan and the UK

The meeting on 29 April included, from the Government of Japan:

• Mr Yoshitaka Shindo, Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy, Cabinet Office
• Mr Satoshi Koyanagi, Secretary to the Minister, Cabinet Office
• Mr Shuichi Matsuta, Director-General, Office of International Economic Affairs
• Mr Koyu Izumi, Councillor, Cabinet Secretariat, Director General and Head of Global Business Investment Support Office
• Mr Takumi Sano, Deputy Director, Secretariat of the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy
• Mr Shintaro Nakamura, Researcher, Secretariat of the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy
• Mr Kyoichiro Kawakami, Minister, Embassy of Japan in the UK
• Mr Hiroki Aoki, Counsellor, Embassy of Japan in the UK
• Mr Hideo Yura, Director General, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), London Office

From Cambridge, participants included:

• Professor Gishan Dissanaike, Interim Dean and Adam Smith Professor of Corporate Governance and Finance at Cambridge Judge
• Dr Paul Seabright, Deputy Director, Cambridge Enterprise
• Professor Matthew Grimes, Co-Director, Entrepreneurship Centre, and Professor of Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Futures at Cambridge Judge
• Ann Davidson, Head of Practice, Entrepreneurship Centre at Cambridge Judge
• Professor Neil Stott, Co-Director, Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation, and Management Practice Professor of Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge
• Steven Grundy, (Interim) Director of Open Programmes, Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education