NOK Corporation is participating as a regional development partner in the '7th Ibaraki Tech Plan Grand Prix' and '1st Tohoku Tech Plan Grand Prix' competitions of 'Regional Tech Planters' sponsored by Leave a Nest, a startup support company. The 'NOK Dream Journey Award' has been decided.

'7th Ibaraki Tech Plan Grand Prix' / Saturday, November 4, 2023

This is part of the 'IBARAKI TECH PLANTER' initiative, with the aim of discovering and nurturing science, technology and business seeds that can create new industries from Ibaraki Prefecture. On the day of the event, 9 teams selected from 24 teams took the stage and presented their unique research and technology content. The NOK Dream Journey Award was presented to a team from the University of Tsukuba, which is expected to collaborate with group company Unimatec Co., Ltd. in areas such as raw material development.

'1st Tohoku Tech Plan Grand Prix' / Saturday, November 18, 2023

This is one of the efforts of the 'TOHOKU TECH PLANTER,' which is the first to expand the 'Regional Tech Planter,' which had been implemented in each prefecture, to a wide area. Twelve teams selected as finalists from among the 38 teams that entered from six prefectures in Tohoku took to the stage. NOK awarded the NOK Dream Journey Award to Satoyama Engineering Co., Ltd. due to its compatibility with our business and its potential to solve problems faced by lithium-ion batteries.

Sakurako Kitagawa (center), Representative Director and CEO of Satoyama Engineering Co., Ltd.

Presentation on 'Recycling of local resources through the development and spread of wood batteries'

Photo by Takehiko Tsutsui

Ibaraki Prefecture is home to NOK Kitaibaraki Plant, as well as group companies Unimatec Co., Ltd., NOK Kluver Co., Ltd., and Nippon Mectron Co., Ltd. Fukushima Prefecture also has NOK Fukushima Plant, NOK Nihonmatsu Plant, and manufacturing subsidiaries.

This sponsorship is aimed at promoting exchange and collaboration with promising universities, research institutes, and venture companies in the regions where NOK's business sites and group companies are located. NOK is actively engaged in open innovation and new business creation activities through exchange and collaboration with these external organizations. We also plan to contribute to regional revitalization through these activities.

Overview of 'IBARAKI TECH PLANTER' This

is a program to discover science and technology and business seeds that can create new industries in Ibaraki Prefecture, where many research institutes are concentrated. NOK has been involved in regional development since fiscal 2018. Participating as a partner.

https://ld.lne.st/ibaraki/tp_ibaraki2023/

Outline of 'TOHOKU TECH PLANTER'

A platform to connect the research results and technological capabilities of the six Tohoku prefectures (Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, and Fukushima) to industry. Through collaboration with companies, we aim to discover and nurture scientific and technological seeds possessed by research institutes such as universities and small and medium-sized enterprises, and to produce ventures from Tohoku that aim for the world. NOK participates as a regional development partner.

https://ld.lne.st/tohoku/tp_tohoku2023/

(C) 2023 Electronic News Publishing, source ENP Newswire