Center for Social Innovation Initiatives (CSI)
Creating social innovation.
We want the children of the future to say, “Thank you for leaving behind a cool society.”
We want the children of the future to say, “Thank you for leaving behind a cool society.”
What is Social Innovation ?
At CSI, we define innovation as follows:
1. Developing new products
2. Developing new production systems
3. Cultivating new markets
4. Acquiring new suppliers
5. Building or rebuilding new organizations
6. Social or self-reform
We also believe that innovation goes hand in hand with management that solves or prevents social problems. If anything, a management style that solves or prevents social problems is the source of innovation.
We refer to innovation that takes various stakeholders into account or that is involved in solving social problems as social innovation.
Based out of the university, CSI is engaged in various actions to create social innovation for both students and the local community.
Through these actions, we hope to leave a sustainable society for future generations.
Through these actions, we hope to leave a sustainable society for future generations.
About CSI
Bringing together diverse individuals and intellectual resources from both within and without the university, we develop and support human resources who will take up the challenge of social innovation. We are creating an ecosystem in which ambitious individuals can take up the challenge of solving social problems, contributing to the development of a sustainable world while increasing the number of companies and jobs that are appealing to young people one at a time.
Main functions
Working on social problems
Supporting business operators and founders
- Support for creation of innovation and entrepreneurship through human resources development, including Shinshu Social Innovation Juku
- Open innovation support for business operators and others
- Promotion of networking leading to innovation
- Support for spreading SDGs, etc.
Partnership with local community
- Contact point for coordination with outside parties, including dispatching of lecturers to deliberative bodies, company training, etc. and signing of comprehensive cooperation agreements
- Collaborative open lectures (holding of lectures open to both students and residents of the prefecture), etc.
Message from the Director
Connecting the local community and companies based on open innovation.
Director, CSI, Professor Yoshie Akiba
One of the major roles of CSI, which was opened simultaneously with the University of Nagano, is facilitating the relationship with society. Bringing people together from the local community and companies based on open innovation, which involves all kinds of different people, we are promoting new change. Another distinctive characteristic is that all students have the opportunity to participate in that process. I’m confident that you won’t find this new kind of learning in which students are able to have direct contact with the latest trends, including what working members of society are thinking and what is happening in the world right now, anywhere else in Japan.
Reference:https://ssir.org/articles/entry/managing_for_ambiguity#
One of the major roles of CSI, which was opened simultaneously with the University of Nagano, is facilitating the relationship with society. Bringing people together from the local community and companies based on open innovation, which involves all kinds of different people, we are promoting new change. Another distinctive characteristic is that all students have the opportunity to participate in that process. I’m confident that you won’t find this new kind of learning in which students are able to have direct contact with the latest trends, including what working members of society are thinking and what is happening in the world right now, anywhere else in Japan.
Reference:https://ssir.org/articles/entry/managing_for_ambiguity#
