Shonan Health Innovation Park (Shonan iPark), Yokohama National University (YNU), Shonan Kamakura General Hospital (SKGH), and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) are pleased to announce the commencement of our “Future 2022” pilot program to help develop regional communities through a MaaS* healthcare model. The program shall run from Friday, November 4 to Sunday, November 20 and receive backing from both the prefectural government of Kanagawa and the municipal governments of two of its cities, Fujisawa and Kamakura. In addition to the academic work being done by YNU and others, more work to broaden collaborations between industry, government and academia is set to begin this year. Our shared objective is for these initiatives to establish the Muraoka-Fukasawa District as a launch hub for healthcare MaaS. The district was chosen because its authorities and other local interests have been discussing developing it into a center for cutting-edge health innovation, and our partnership is excited to work with them to create an environment to not only conceive, install and test the necessary infrastructure, but also set a standard for these kinds of systems developed in Japan.    

* Mobility as a Service: This MaaS business model will seek to provide seamless mobility services that help to meet citizens’ healthcare needs.

 

Together with the governments of Kanagawa Prefecture, Fujisawa City and Kamakura City, SKGH and Shonan iPark (the latter of which has a background in healthcare MaaS) signed a memorandum of understanding in May 2019 to promote advanced, health-related innovations in the Muraoka-Fukasawa District. The memorandum specified three main fields of research*, namely “Next-Generation Healthcare Management,” “Healthcare MaaS,” and “Promotion of Sports.” In November of that same year, Shonan iPark and YNU began undertaking joint research to develop a healthcare-related MaaS industry, and in April 2021, MC began serving as advisors to Shonan iPark. All of those developments culminated in the launch of a driverless bus pilot project the following December, the purpose of which was to collect data for the research, specifically that pertaining to mobility and medical treatment. The bus service was put through the paces by local citizens, who were also joined on test runs by representatives of each of the interested parties.

*More information on the three fields of research can be found here: link

 

Promotion & Organizational Team: Shonan iPark, YNU, SKGH, MC

Support Team: Kanagawa Prefecture, Fujisawa City, Kamakura City

Location: Shonan Health Innovation Park (2-26-1 Muraokahigashi, Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan)

Agenda: A wide range of participants will be sought for each of the program’s three components, namely academic symposiums, a citizens forum, and the trial runs of the MaaS systems.

 

The aim of these symposiums, which will feature lectures by academics from across Japan, is to deepen our understanding of MaaS and its applications in healthcare. There will be two symposiums, the first entitled “Medical Treatment & MaaS,” and the second entitled “Promoting Better Health Through MaaS.”

In addition to lectures on local communities and healthcare, promoting better health, and health-related innovations, the citizens’ forum will feature discussions with local residents of the Muraoka-Fukusawa District about how healthcare MaaS can reshape communities of the future.

Trial runs of autonomous vehicles and other new, medical-and-welfare-related robot technologies will be held over the program’s entire seven-day period, with local citizens taking part.  During the trials, the locals will also be engaged in interactive discussions concerning the future of health-related innovations in the Muraoka-Fukasawa District.

 

(1) Consistent Activities (to take place on all seven days of the trials)

The mobility-and-healthcare trials will involve self-driving vehicles that run between citizens’ homes and local hospitals. The vehicles will be equipped with a variety of diagnostic equipment for checking patients’ vital signs, including electrocardiograms, blood-pressure and oxygen-saturation monitors, thermometers, and so on. The data will be communicated via large monitors to the hospital staff, who will then perform mock online diagnoses based on the patients’ test results.

[Participating Companies*] Macnica Inc., NTT Data Corporation, Omron Healthcare Co., Ltd.

Participants in the trials will be able to test a variety of technologies and innovations themselves, including conveyance robots on the hospital premises, self-driving robots for transporting patients to the hospitals, and other short distance mobility equipment.

[Participating Companies*] Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., Whill, Inc.

◆Shonan iPark Facilities Tour

Participants will be given guided tours of facilities throughout Shonan iPark, one of Japan’s largest parks dedicated to the life sciences. This will be a rare opportunity, as these facilities are normally not open to the public.

 

(2) Other Activities (to take place only on some days of the program period)

<Interactive Discussions>

Visualization & Analysis of Transportation in the Muraoka-Fukasawa District (Sunday November 6, Saturday November 12, and Sunday November 13)

These discussions will focus on the situation regarding the district’s transportation and try to identify hints that could lead to future solutions to traffic congestion. They will also analyze impacts from difficulties in transporting patients to Shonan General.

[Participating Companies*] unerry, Nightley Inc.

Better Health Through Life Logs & Health-Monitoring Trials (Saturday November 19 and Sunday November 20)

These discussions will explain trials to monitor and promote better health by collecting daily life-log data recorded on wearable devices. Participants will be able to take part in the trials and give feedback on the service itself during the discussions.

[Participating Companies*] NTT Data Corporation, Asics Corporation, Omron Healthcare Co., Ltd, Link & Communication Inc.

*Participating companies are subject to change.

 

<Yokohama University Interactive Research Exhibition>

Risk of Fall Analyses Through Upright Posture Evaluations: YNU Shima Laboratory

Friday November 4, Saturday November 5, Sunday November 6, Saturday November 12, Sunday November 13, Saturday November 19 and Sunday November 20

Remote Palpation Systems: YNU / KISTEC Shimono Laboratory

Friday November 4, Saturday November 5 and Sunday November 6

Self-Driving Wheelchair Robots: YNU Fujimoto Laboratory

Saturday November 5, Sunday November 6 and Saturday November 19

*For more information about the program, please see the poster attached to this press release.

 

How to Apply: Please apply online via the link below or scan the QR code at right.

URL: https://cvent.me/w3K7bw

Shonan iPark is a pharma-led innovative ecosystem that was established in April 2018 by a Japanese pharmaceutical company. Its aim is to “transform cutting-edge science into impactful health solutions” by accelerating collaborations and co-creations in research between broad-reaching and multi-scale industry, government and academic interests. As of September 2022, the Shonan iPark ecosystem included not only pharmaceutical companies, but also companies engaged in next-generation medical treatments and AI, venture capitalists and government institutions.

Information on Shonan iPark’s newest members can be found here: link

Shonan iPark on Social Media: YouTube / Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn

 

YNU was established as a new national university in 1949 through the amalgamation of four other schools. Currently consisting of five undergraduate faculties and six graduate schools, the university’s spirit has evolved through a history of scholastic development built on practicality, innovation, openness and international appeal. Its charter advocates a tireless commitment to establishing itself as a world-class research institution centered on knowledge integration.

 

SKGH opened in November 1988 with 368 beds. Dedicated to always meeting the region’s urgent medical needs, SKGH has continued to diversify and grow its systems and capabilities. In 2021, it completed construction of a new cutting-edge medical center designed to treat those in need of advanced care, including proton therapy, PET and CT scans, regenerative medicine and so on. This year, SKGH completed construction of two more centers, one to provide emergency and critical care, and the other to treat victims of trauma. In addition to having now grown its general capacity to 669 beds, SKGH has also established an advanced research facility at Shonan iPark, where it is engaged in research and development on medical diagnoses and treatments that integrate basic, translational, and clinical studies. The work encompasses regenerative medicine, radiology, and cancer and other intractable diseases.

 

MC works with its roughly 1,700 subsidiaries, affiliates and group companies to develop businesses in approximately 90 countries around the world. Spanning multiple industries and regions, these businesses are overseen by MC’s Industry DX Group and 10 Business Groups: Natural Gas, Industrial Materials, Petroleum & Chemicals, Mineral Resources, Industrial Infrastructure, Automotive & Mobility, Food Industry, Consumer Industry, Power Solution, and Urban Development. Through joint digital (DX) and energy (EX) transformations invested in sustainability, decarbonization and digitalization, the company is now focused on leveraging its operations to address myriad challenges that stand to impact our planet’s future.

 

Shonan Health Innovation Park

Mail：smb.iParkcommunication@takeda.com /  ipark@cosmopr.co.jp

 

Yokohama National University

Mail：shimono-tomoyuki-hc@ynu.ac.jp / press@ynu.ac.jp

 

Shonan Kamakura General Hospital

Mail：kouhou@shonankamakura.or.jp

 

Mitsubishi Corporation

Tel：03-3210-2171

 

 

 

Based on the Three Corporate Principles, which serve as MC’s core philosophy, MC has continued to grow together with society by contributing to the sustainable development of society through its business activities while pursuing value creation. MC’s revised “Materiality” was announced in Midterm Corporate Strategy 2024 as a set of crucial societal issues that MC will prioritize through its business activities, towards the strategy’s goal of continuous creation of MC Shared Value (MCSV). Guided by this Materiality, MC will continue to strengthen its efforts towards sustainable corporate growth. Out of the six material issues relating to “Realizing a Carbon Neutral Society and Striving to Enrich Society Both Materially and Spiritually”, this project’s activities particularly support “Promoting Stable, Sustainable Societies and Lifestyles” “Utilizing Innovation to Address Societal Needs” and  “Addressing Regional Issues and Growing Together with Local Communities” .