Shiga Tech Planter 2025

• organizing

  

FY2025 Partners

Grand Prix Name

The 10th Shiga Tech Plan Grand Prix

Location

Shigagin Hall (1-38 Hamacho, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture)

Date & Time

Saturday, July 26, 2025, 13:00-18:20

Application period

Tuesday, April 1, 2025 - Tuesday, May 13, 2025 18:00

Participation Target

Held on a closed, pre-registration basis (finalists, partners, local businesses and universities)

organizing

Shiga Growth Industry Discovery and Development Consortium

timeline

10:00-10:30

Doors open, registration for Part 1 begins

10:30-11:30

Part 1] 10th Anniversary Panel Session "Opening the Door to New Businesses through Local Companies and Startups - Co-creation Creates the Next Pillar of the Company

12:30-13:00

Doors open, registration for Part 2 begins

13:00-13:25

Part 2] Opening Ceremony

13:25-13:45

keynote speech

13:45～14:30

Presentations by finalists (1) to (3)

14:30～14:40

break

14:40-15:25

Presentations by finalists (④-⑥)

15:25-15:35

break

15:35-16:20

Presentations by finalists (7) to (9)

16:20-17:20

Judging Time and Shiga Junior Research Grant Awarding Ceremony

17:20-18:20

Announcement of Judging Results and Award Ceremony

19:00-20:30

get-together

• 

  head judge

  Leave a Nest Co., Ltd.Representative Director, President and COO

  Shuichiro Takahashi

  He joined RIVANES from the time of its establishment and launched the educational material development business and the agri-business. After completing graduate school, while continuing his research activities as a faculty member at the University of Tokyo, he established a research institute at RIVANESS and built the foundation of the R&D business. In 2010, he became Representative Director of RIVANESS.

• 

  Shiga prefecture (Kinki area)Director of Commerce, Industry, Tourism and Labor Dept.

  Akito Okada

  Since joining the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in April 2006, he has been engaged in regional revitalization, reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake (Reconstruction Agency), disaster countermeasures (Cabinet Office, Disaster Prevention Agency, etc.), general affairs of the Diet, and planning of the civil service system. He has been in charge of regional revitalization since April 2006, and has been involved in regional revitalization, reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake (Reconstruction Agency), disaster management (including disaster management in the Cabinet Office), and planning of the civil service system.

• 

  Shiga Industrial Support Plazamanaging director

  Eiji Ogawa

  In 1990, he joined the Shiga Prefectural Government, where he worked at the Industrial Technology Center, providing technical support to manufacturing companies in the prefecture and engaging in joint research and development with companies and universities. In the New Industry Promotion Division and the Monozukuri Promotion Division, he was involved in R&D support, regional industry-academia-government collaboration support, etc. He became Director of the Monozukuri Promotion Division in 2017, Director of the Industrial Technology Center in 2019, and Technical Supervisor of the Commerce, Industry, Tourism and Labor Department in 2023.

• 

  Kansai Mirai Bank, Ltd.Group Leader, Venture Support Group, Corporate Affairs Department

  Yoshiki Imai

  In 1994, he joined Daiwa Bank (now Resona Bank), and in 2021, he was appointed as the head of "Business Plaza Osaka", a joint base of the Resona Group. After serving as a branch manager at Resona Bank in 2023, he assumed the position of Group Leader of Venture Support Group, Corporate Banking Department, Kansai Mirai Bank in April 2025, He has been involved in regional development, business startups, and venture support.

• 

  Kyocera CorporationGeneral Manager, Elemental Technology R&D Management Dept.

  Masahiro Tanaka

  Joined Kyocera Corporation in 1997 and belongs to General Research Laboratory; since 1998, engaged in development of electromagnetic field simulation technology and design of components and devices using simulation technology; since 2004, introduced material simulation technology to Kyocera and subsequently engaged in design of various ceramic materials; since 2014, in charge of Basic Technology Research Dept. He has been in charge of the Fundamental Technology Research Department of the Research Institute for Advanced Technology since 2024, and the Fundamental Technology Research Institute since 2025, and has been in charge of the Elemental Technology Research and Development Management Department since 2025.

• 

  The Shiga Bank, Ltd.General Manager, Regional Development Group, Business Supervisory Div.

  Hiroki Kofuji

  Joined Shiga Bank in 1995. He was mainly in charge of corporate sales at the Head Office Sales Department, Hikone, Yawata, and other branches. In June 2025, he became General Manager of the Regional Development Group in the Sales Supervisory Department.

• 

  SCREEN Holdings CorporationExecutive Officer, in charge of Innovation Promotion

  Masahiko Kokubo

  Joined Dainippon Screen Mfg. in 1990. Engaged in optical system technology development and maskless lithography system development at Technical Research Laboratory. after becoming a Holdings company in 2014, served as General Manager of 1st, 2nd, and 5th Technology Development Office at SCREEN Holdings. served as General Manager of Innovation Promotion Office in 2023 and Executive Officer in charge of Innovation Promotion from 2024.

• 

  Toyobo Co.Director, Corporate Research Institute

  Runa Nakamura

  (DNP) in 1992, where he was engaged in product development of functional films, mainly using coating and impregnation technologies. After working as a development manager and purchasing manager, he joined Toyobo Co., Ltd. in 2019. 2021, he was transferred to Katada Film Technology Center (Otsu, Japan), where he was engaged in the development of functional films used for displays, electronic components, etc. as a manager. 2025, he became the head of Corporate Research Laboratory, where he remains to this day. 2026, he became the head of Corporate Research Laboratory, where he remains to this day.

• 

  Toray Industries, Inc.Director, Electronics and Information Materials Laboratories

  Ryoji Okuda

  He joined Toray Industries, Inc. in 1996 and engaged in research and development of photosensitive insulating coatings at the Electronics and Information Materials Research Laboratories (Otsu, Japan); in 2008, he joined the New Business Development Division and engaged in technological development of materials for semiconductors; in 2014, he returned to the Electronics and Information Materials Research Laboratories as group leader to promote R&D of photosensitive insulating coatings for semiconductors. In 2017, he became the manager of the Electrocoating Agent Technical Section, where he worked on technical development, equipment planning, and business expansion.

• 

  Focus Systems Co.Strategic Sales Division, IT Innovation Business Headquarters

  Kazuto Nakamura

  In 1999, he joined Focus Systems, Inc. In 2018, he began working on the company's new business creation, and has been involved in joint research with universities, venture support, and demonstration experiments using the company's products. Most recently, he has been working with a venture company to develop a system that improves logistics efficiency, lowers costs for shippers, improves utilization and profitability for carriers, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

• 

  From Research to the Future--Startup Growth Strategies from Shiga and the Actual Use of Tech Planters

  Representative Director, Novelgen CorporationProfessor, Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology

  Jun Ogura

  He holds a B.S. in Agriculture from the University of Tokyo, an M.S. from the same university, and a Ph. Specializing in genetic engineering, microalgae science, and information biology, he has worked as a JST researcher and PD at Harvard University, and is currently a professor in the Department of Bioscience at Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology. While promoting basic research, he won prizes in competitions such as Shiga Tech Planter and Marine Tech GP, which increased his confidence that his research would contribute to society.He founded Novelgen in 2019 and currently promotes decarbonization and water purification projects that harness the power of microalgae. He is particularly focused on improving the marine environment.

• 

  Spacewasp Inc.

  Presenter] TADERA Masaki

  

  Building a new interior infrastructure for the future from every plant on the planet.

  We are a company that manufactures and sells plant-derived interior spaces (interiors, furniture, building materials) from plant waste generated by various industries. In the interior decoration industry, where there is no one who can make interior spaces, the company creates a new future interior decoration infrastructure with a system that can automatically create spaces and recyclable interiors that can be remade many times, and provides interior spaces for hotels, offices, stores, and other businesses that require interior decoration.
• 

  Miyako Marker Institute, Inc.

  Presenter] Takahiko Okada

  

  Building a New Concept in Health Care with a Palm-sized Urine Analyzer

  As Japan's birthrate declines and the population ages rapidly, attention is focusing on extending healthy life expectancy. Health is something to be grasped through one's own efforts, and our company's theme is to quantify and visualize the intestinal environment, which is deeply related to health, through urine testing, and to provide society with data to reduce future unhealthy risks by analyzing subjects' lifestyle behavior.
• 

  TST Japan K.K.

  Kenzo Furuta

  

  Environmental IoT sensor (rainfall and snowfall) DXing to solve social issues

  Various environmental sensors are widely used, but there are no easy-to-install, accurate, and inexpensive snow and rain gauges. IoT devices that do not require power supply installation or foundation work can significantly increase the number of observation points and remotely monitor actual rainfall and snowfall in detailed regional units.
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  Insect Secret Tea Co.

  Presenter] Takeshi Maruoka

  

  Demonstration of "insect poo tea" production model using abandoned farmland

  In this trial development, a production model of a new beverage "Insect feces tea (Mushi-icha)" will be demonstrated by utilizing native plants growing wild or (semi-)wild in abandoned fields and using the feces obtained by feeding them to specific insects as raw material. The area to be used is abandoned farmland in Shiga Prefecture, and the insects to be bred will be larvae of large moths.
• 

  Knowledge Corporation

  Presenter] Hitoshi Shibasaka

  

  Automatic optimization of delivery assignments and routes" through the use of AI technology

  Development of an application that automatically optimizes delivery routes using AI and hierarchical clustering methods to reduce CO₂ emissions and improve logistics resource efficiency
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  JellyClean / Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology

  Presenter】Masahiro Shimizu

  

  Marine debris collection ecosystems built with jellyfish

  It is a symbiotic ocean purification method that utilizes the natural swimming and feeding behavior of marine jellyfish to collect microplastics without placing a burden on the jellyfish itself.
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  Patto SERS/University of Shiga Prefecture

  Presenter] Kohki Tanaka

  

  Anyone! Anywhere! Easy! Raman Scattering Enhancement Substrate

  Raman spectroscopy," which is used as a method for detecting toxic substances, is limited in measurement due to its low sensitivity, making it impractical. Therefore, the fabrication of silver nanostructures by electrolytic plating has made it possible to increase the sensitivity of Raman scattering spectroscopy.
• 

  Memorial Compass/Shiga University of Medical Science

  Presenter] Shundai Matsuyama

  

  Using AI to Help Patients with Cognitive Decline Communicate

  To address the issues of patients with cognitive decline who stumble in conversation or are unable to recall what they want to remember in words, a real-time conversation and memory recall support system will be developed using AI, and used to provide early support before the patient develops dementia.
• 

  Social Implementation of Gradient-shaped Windmills / Ritsumeikan University

  Presenter] Shuya Yoshioka

  

  Magatama-shaped wind turbine realizes wind power generation on rooftops

  The magatama-shaped wind turbine will be used in a wind power generation project that will utilize the "on-roof" market, which is an untapped market for the installation of wind turbines for power generation. This can be achieved because magatama-shaped wind turbines are smaller and generate power more efficiently than conventional wind turbines.