Asia Society Policy Salon Tokyo | Breakfast #12 Peter Gruss
“Innovate Okinawa: the role of OIST in cultivating an innovation ecosystem in Okinawa”
Asia Society Policy Salon Breakfast Meeting #12
September 26, 2019
Dr. Peter Gruss
“Innovate Okinawa: the role of OIST in cultivating an innovation ecosystem in Okinawa”
Today, 75% of new jobs are created by companies that have only been in business for five years. Japanese companies are not often listed among these companies, but are rather the ones challenged by these recent trends, as they tend to be poor at bringing new products to the market. How can we place Japan into a more dynamic and competitive context that allows it to become an “innovation ecosystem”?
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) is an institution located in Okinawa that promises to foster innovative minds. It is a private university literally funded by the Prime Minister’s Office through the government’s Okinawa budget. The school is allowed great flexibility because it does not belong to the Japanese university system. Courses are taught in English and it is a requirement for the school to hire 50% non-Japanese faculty. Professors come from all over the world to teach at the institution and currently, 65% of the faculty come from foreign countries.
OIST adds to the science base in a unique way. Papers cited by scientists have often had the greatest impact on economy. The fact that 73% of citations are from publicly funded research means that public funds foster research excellence and play a major role in boosting innovation and business. However writing grant applications is always too time-consuming for researchers. OIST is a very attractive institution because it recruits faculty through high-trust funding, which is offered because investors want to fund the best people based on their previous accomplishments. The research excellence also attracts students from all over the world; and currently, 80% of the students are non-Japanese.
OIST is also unique because it is one of the few places where there are no disciplinary boundaries. Each of the four laboratories house a mixture of different disciplines, including physics, biology, neurosciences, and engineering. This enables interaction among students and researchers of diverse disciplines. OIST is mandated to contribute to the development of Okinawa and is dedicated to environmental research and marine ecology. There are many ongoing programs at OIST, including coral planting, rice varieties with starch indigestible by humans, and a local development project that will build a fully digitalized smart town. Many of these projects have yet to be elevated to proof of concept and are in need of funds for further development.
Discussions following Mr. Gruss’ initial comments covered gender and regional balance of faculty and students, the financial challenges faced by OIST, the importance of competitive research and innovative ideas, and partnerships.