Gifu University Tongali Project Briefing Sessions were held at the Organization for Research and Community Development on July 3, 2019 whose target audience covers from the university students, staff to citizens.

Tongali Project, (the Tokai Network for Global Leading Innovators (comprises Gifu University, Nagoya University, Toyohashi University of Technology, Nagoya Institute of Technology, and Mie University)) provides entrepreneurship education to nurture leaders of the future who are capable of starting new businesses in the Tokai Region. The participants can learn from the basics of creating new ideas to actual operations of start-ups in stages. They are also given an opportunity to receive mentoring/coaching lessons directly from successful entrepreneurs.

At the beginning of the session, Associate Professor Masayuki Uehara, the Head Office for Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration (in charge of Gifu University Tongali Project) gave the audience the summary of the project. Most of the audience participated in the session for the first time, and they were attentively listening to the background, progressiveness of the project and its social contributions.

Two students who took part in the project spoke about their motivations and experiences gained from the project and their current activities. Mr. Shunya Chosokabe, a 4th year student at the Faculty of Engineering who won the largest number of prizes at Tongali Business Plan Contest 2019 in June, introduced his business plan and talked about the importance of having multiple sets of skills and strengths, the necessity of taking actions. The audience particularly, students of his generation, were all ears to his presentation. The graduate of this project and entrepreneur, Mr. Shota Asahi, 2nd year PhD student at the Graduate School of Engineering, also spoke about what he went through before starting his business, ongoing programs and the significance of the project. Lastly, the members of "Project Supporters" gave the project participants words of encouragement. The supporters are mainly from the local financial institutions, and on behalf of the supporters, Mr. Watanabe, Gifu Guarantee, and the representative from the Gifu Shinkin Bank delivered speeches on individual entrepreneur support programs and characteristics of entrepreneurship.

The Tongali Project Briefing Session was followed by NEDO TCP Briefing Session (NEDO: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization). "NEDO TCP (Technology Commercialization Program)" is a program to assist entrepreneurs by providing mentoring and training services as well as offering them an opportunity for business presentations. The targets are researchers and students who wish to expand and extend their businesses driven by innovations.

After the summary of the program given by the NEDO officials, Mr. Toshihiko Sawada (researcher, the Faculty of Regional Studies), who was the finalist at the program screening stage last year, gave a lecture on his commitment to the program, his business plan and current state of progress, etc. His strong determination to succeed touched the hearts of many at present.

Gifu University is carrying out programs to support entrepreneurship and creation of venture businesses starting from the university with the Head Office for Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration (headed by Associate Professor Uehara) as a center, and also in collaboration with external bodies (financial institutions, private enterprises, etc.). They aim to encourage students and researchers to try their hands in starting their own businesses. We continue to contribute regional vitalization and creation of new businesses through education and mentoring by entrepreneurs (Gifu University alumni), and building up the university's own startup development ecosystem.