NEDO in collaboration with IIT-Delhi organised an interactive event where five Japanese startups made presentations to Indian students
To further deepen technological cooperation between India and Japan, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-Delhi) organised a day-long event titled ‘NEDO IIT-Delhi Japanese Deep-Tech Collaboration’ at IIT-Delhi on June 11.As part of the growing bilateral relations between the two Asian countries, NEDO is playing a vital role in taking this cooperation to greater heights.
Japan is home to startups and these companies are looking for talent in India’s leading technology institutes.
Inaugurating the event, Takashi Ariyoshi, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi, said, “I would like to congratulate NEDO for organizing the NEDO-IITD Japanese Deep Tech Cooperation Program. To deepen cooperation between Japan and India, promoting people-to-people contact is one of the most important agendas across the entire spectrum of bilateral relations. During the March 2023 summit meeting between Prime Minister Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the importance of human-to-human contact was reaffirmed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attaches great importance to creating more opportunities for the younger generation.”
Ariyoshi said that the Japanese government is seriously working on creating more employment opportunities for Indian talented students in Japan.
“However, some Indian students do not have clear information about the working environment in Japan. This conference will address such doubts of students wishing to study and work in Japan,” the Minister said.
The Deeproot collaboration gave an excellent opportunity to potential job seekers who were planning to move to Japan.
He said that the top five Japanese startups will provide an excellent opportunity to talented IIT students to work and join the wonderful journey towards excellence.
Welcoming the dignitaries from Japan, Professor James Gomes, Dean International Programmes, IIT Delhi, said, “The friendship between India and Japan is very old.” Drawing inspiration from the long-standing strategic partnership between India and Japan, Gomes said, “IIT Delhi is looking at Japan as a strategic partner for technological cooperation. Several top officials of IIT Delhi have visited Japan in the last few years.”
He mentioned the Shiru Café at IIT-Delhi, a free coffee outlet where students get to interact with Japanese staff and learn the Japanese language. IIT Delhi also has two Japanese faculty. “We are very fortunate that NEDO has chosen IIT-Delhi as a partner for the Japanese Deep Tech collaboration,” Professor Gomes said.
NEDO Support for New Enterprises
In his address, Takeshi Yoshida, Director General, NEDO Headquarters, spoke about NEDO’s journey and its various works in India. NEDO has also been supporting the R&D work of various Japanese startups. “We are very happy to bring 5 NEDO-supported Japanese startups to IIT-Delhi for in-depth technical collaboration. This collaboration is a part of the expansion program of Japanese startups. NEDO has created a platform where Japanese startups and IIT-Delhi students can meet. Japan has maintained a high level of technology, especially in the manufacturing sector. I am confident that the enthusiasm of IIT-Delhi students will make the relationship more bright and prosperous in the near future,” Yoshida said. Yoshiro Azuma, Visiting Professor at IIT-Delhi, in his concluding remarks praised the dedication and profound nature of Indian IIT students. “The presentations made by the Japanese startups reflected the human character orientation in them. They showed a zeal to work for human welfare and promoted the work culture.”
Startup Showcase
I’m Beside You CEO Shozo Kamiya explains how his personal tragedy inspired Kamiya to start this venture, which aims to foster a world where digital communication promotes empathy above everything else.
Jagjit Singh, MD India, DigiReha Inc., explained that his company aims to revolutionize healthcare by providing digital rehabilitation solutions for special needs children and elderly care, leading to more inclusive and accessible solutions. Kaoru Tsuda, CEO, Nano Frontier Technology Co., Ltd., presented the company’s groundbreaking work on solar heat absorption films. These films have been engineered to improve the efficiency of solar panels, making a significant contribution to renewable energy advancement.
Shota Higuchi, CEO of Closure Inc., talked about advanced robotic solutions to automate and optimize various industrial processes. The company’s robots are designed to increase productivity and efficiency in manufacturing areas.
Kei Kamada, President of C&A (Crystals & Applications) Corporation, talked about his startup, which deals with the crystalline business, scintillator crystals, array and scintillation detectors, and consulting single crystal growth service.
Tohru Miyake, founder and CEO of Miraikikai Inc., explains how robots use artificial intelligence to provide automated solar cleaning systems for utility-scale plants.
Kanav Rikhi, Innovation Manager, Maruti Suzuki India Limited and Pradeep Kumar Yadav, Regional Business Manager (Sales), Air Water India Pvt. Ltd also spoke about the journey of their respective startups.
There is no doubt that IIT students benefited immensely from deep-tech collaboration.
Thus, Mitashi, a second-year student at IIT-Delhi, said, “It was a great opportunity as we could interact with top Japanese companies. I learned a lot about Japanese work culture and cutting-edge technologies. It was extremely helpful for students.”
Another highlight of the event was the extensive interaction of the students with Japanese startup companies. The response from the students was very impressive.
The day’s proceedings concluded with the screening of the Japanese film ‘My Broken Mariko’ in collaboration with the Japan Foundation.
Disclaimer: Content Produced by NEDO
