Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture, and Mirai Works Inc. selected this fiscal year’s participants for an industry-academia-government acceleration program. They will provide hands-on support for 3 businesses, including healthcare and VR, and promote commercialization through approximately 6 months of mentoring.
Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture, operates the Ikomа Industry-Academia-Government Acceleration Program (I-SAP) to promote the commercialization of research seeds from the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), and Mirai Works Inc. has been commissioned to carry out the work for 3 consecutive years. This year again, the two parties will jointly operate the selection of research seeds and commercialization support, with the aim of addressing local issues in Ikoma City.
The participants selected for fiscal 2026 are Matsuda Taito (松田泰斗), for the development of nerve regeneration and neurological disease treatment technologies through cell-fate conversion; Kato Junya (加藤順也), for a new method of manufacturing nanoparticles using biological processes and its application to anticancer drugs; and Sawabe Taishi (澤邊太志), for an immersive tourism experience system using VR technology. They will receive approximately 6 months of individualized support and are scheduled to participate in the results presentation in February 2027.
Support provided to participants selected last fiscal year was also introduced, including 4 cases of startup and commercialization support, such as Akiyoshi Takuto’s (秋吉拓斗) “ROBOZOO,” as well as mentoring and specific business support for 4 people, including Suzuki Kenta (鈴木健大), Hashimoto Yusuke (橋本由介) and Takagi Hiroshi (高木博史).
The dedicated website and contact details were also provided. The schedule is a kickoff on 2 October 2026, a results presentation in February 2027 (scheduled), and program completion on 31 March 2027.