## Regional Innovation Strategy Promoting Regions

From Fiscal 2011, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) have jointly selected regions with excellent original visions toward the creation of regional innovations and designate them as "regional innovation strategy promoting regions." To that end, the Innovation Promotion Council (composing members: local governments, business groups, universities and other research organizations, financial institutions, etc.) was established to promote the creation of new regional innovations from a long-term perspective. This council is responsible for establishing regional innovation strategies and is proactively carrying out projects as either "regions focused on strengthening international competitiveness" or "regions focused on advancement of research function/industrial concentration" according to the potential of the individual regions.

Among the selected regions, those with especially outstanding strategies receive seamless support for all activities ranging from fundamental research conducted by universities to commercialization of research results by companies. All pertinent policies of relevant ministries will be utilized to provide full-fledged support to help the regions realize their regional innovation strategies comprehensively and efficiently.

This will establish systems that allow industry, academia, government and the financial sector to collaborate and create sustainable and expansive innovations by maximizing regional characteristics. The resulting systems will revitalize local communities, and it is also expected to achieve further advancement and diversification of science and technology in Japan as well as enhancement of the international competitiveness of Japanese industry.

## I nnovation Promotion Council

• To establish "regional innovation strategies" for the creation of new regional innovations and to execute self-sustainable activities toward the realization of those strategies.

## Support from the national government

Role: Provision of support for the formation of intellectual assets and for the development of human resources

## Flow of Processes of Receiving Support from Relevant Ministries

(1) Establishment of regional project promotion systems, formation of Innovation Promotion Council, and proposal making

## I nnovation Promotion Council

With its members consisting of participating organizations in the industry-academia-government and financial sector, the Innovation Promotion Council formulates "regional innovation strategies," and also confirms the efforts, achievements, etc. of each participating organization toward the realization of its innovation strategy and decides on the direction of future efforts and activities.

## Establishment and proposal of regional innovation strategy

## (2) Selection of regional innovation strategy promoting regions jointly with the relevant ministries

## Regional Innovation Strategy Promoting Regions

## Regions focused on strengthening international competitiveness

## Regions focused on advancement of research function/industrial concentration

Regions where local universities possess internationally outstanding technology "seeds" or companies are concentrated to offer powerful potential to attract human resources, materials and funds from all over the world

Region where creation of innovations by making use of regional characteristics is expected to offer potential to explore overseas markets in the future

$ ^{*} $ Selected regions are classified into the above two categories based on the results of examination of regional proposals by an external expert committee.

## (3) Selection of support programs offered by ministries, such as the Regional Innovation Strategy Support Program

## Support Menus Offered by Ministries

## MEXT's support menu

[Regional Innovation Strategy Support Program] (see pages 5 and 6)

• Concentration of researchers who play core roles in regional innovation strategies

• Development and implementation of human resource development programs for realizing regional innovation strategies

• Establishment of knowledge networks of universities and other research institutions

• Support for sharing of research facilities and equipment among local universities and other research institutions

## METI's support menu

• The business to strengthen a local industry competitive power

• Subsidy for the promotion of establishment of growth industries, etc.

• Subsidiary program for experimental study on the creation of regional innovations

• Subsidy for the Development of Growth Industries and Promotion of Establishment of New Business Facilities, etc.

* Regional innovation strategies are taken into consideration during the adoption of projects.

## MAFF's support menu

• Research and development projects for application in promoting new policy of agriculture, forestry and fisheries

* Regional innovation strategies are taken into consideration during the adoption of projects.