Microsoft Innovation Center Report 2010-2011 vol.10
The 7th Campus Venture Grand Prix National Competition – Ichiro Kimura and Masatoshi Nakano (Kyushu University Graduate School) Receive Special Microsoft Award
Published: March 30, 2011
Japanese >>
March 3rd, 2011, Toranomon Bldg., The Tokai University Club (Chiyoda, Tokyo)
On March 3rd, the 7th Campus Venture Grand Prix National Competition for students nationwide, sponsored by The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun Ltd.
, was held. The Special Microsoft Award went to “Vitalization of Manufacturing Culture and Science Education through Product Commercialization and Diffusion of Bluetooth Oscilloscope" by Ichiro Kimura and Masatoshi Nakano (Kyushu University Graduate School). Kimura and Nakano received a certificate and an invitation to visit the Microsoft Corporation headquarters.
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Campus Venture Grand Prix: Business Plan Contest for Students Nationwide
 | This is the time that your venture spirit is needed. I would like all of you to bring innovation to vitalize Japan, and to aim for a global expansion. |  | | Haruhiro Imizu
(President, The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd.)
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The Campus Venture Grand Prix is a business plan contest designed for students in universities, graduate schools, specialized vocational high schools, junior colleges, and vocational colleges. The Grand Prix aims to develop young human resources to take on roles in Japan’s next generation and create new industry through this contest which attracts new business plans based on original technology and ideas in development/sales of new products, providing unique services, and new business models.
Entries for this year’s Campus Venture Grand Prix numbered about 800 nationwide. Local competitions were held in 8 localities nationwide (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Tokyo, Chubu, Osaka, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu areas). From these, 15 teams were selected and advanced to the national competition, for which awards were presented on March 3rd.
After a strict evaluation, the judging committee selected the winners. Haruhiro Imizu (President, The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd.) gave his comprehensive evaluation and announced the special award winners, such as the Technology Section Award (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award), Business Section Award (Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award) and Special Award including Microsoft Award.
“This contest started in Osaka 12 years ago,” said Haruhiro Imizu (President, The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd.), “and I am pleased to hold this 7th national competition. A number of entrepreneurs were born out of this Grand Prix and currently operated various businesses. I believe that another new generation will emerge from all of the students here. The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun now has a strong commitment to start over as a comprehensive manufacturing information journal, and we would like to vitalize Japan with your young power. Our times seem stalled by a sense of stagnation, but this is the time that your venture spirit is needed. I would like all of you to bring innovation to vitalize Japan, and to aim for a global expansion.”
Special Microsoft Award: Great Social Benefit Common to Microsoft’s Corporate Citizenship Program and Great Potential for the Future
| | Not only was their embedded solution idea outstanding, but their presentation clearly demonstrated an aim to use the power of IT to contribute to society. | | | Masumi Makino
(Chief Quality Officer, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan)
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The Special Microsoft Award went to “Vitalization of Manufacturing Culture and Science Education through Product Commercialization and Diffusion of Bluetooth Oscilloscope” from two graduate students at Kyushu University, Ichiro Kimura and Masatoshi Nakano. Their rich idea to vitalize science education using a familiar device was the determining factor of the award.
“As a company that grew in the IT field,” commented Masumi Makino (Chief Quality Officer, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan), “Microsoft has a strong desire to vitalize a variety of industries and contribute to society through ICT. With their solution, Kimura and Nakano aim to contribute to revitalizing the manufacturing industry and science education by enabling familiar devices like smart phones to use oscilloscopes. Not only was their embedded solution idea outstanding, but their presentation clearly demonstrated an aim to use the power of IT to contribute to society.”
Like other candidates, Kimura and Nakano aimed for the Grand Prix and believe the Microsoft Award will be of great value to them.
“We were very honored to receive the Microsoft Award,” noted award winner Kimura, “I specialize in software, and Nakano in hardware. We gained a lot of confidence by having our solution evaluated by people from successful IT companies with advanced technologies. Our solution is an embedded device that connects to a smart phone via Bluetooth. We are very intrigued with Windows Phone 7 Series introduced at today’s session, and would like to enable our solution to function on that platform.”
Kimura and Nakano will visit Microsoft U.S. headquarters in late April this year. Knowing that he will be able attend a lecture about Windows Phone 7 Series and purchase the device, Kimura could not hold back his smile at the thought of the upcoming U.S visit.
Microsoft Supports Business Plan Contest to Develop Human Resources with Rich Ideas
| | You can realize your great ideas with computers and software. Microsoft offers a wide range of programs to support students, and we strongly encourage you to make use of them. | | | Nobuhiro Ito
(Senior Manager, Academic Evangelism Group, Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan)
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Before the award winners were announced, students from the 15 selected teams went to Microsoft Otemachi Technology Center, where they experienced Microsoft products and technologies firsthand at the new facility.
At the Center, Nobuhiro Ito (Senior Manager, Academic Evangelism Group, Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan) gave a special lecture to the students. Kajisa's presentation, “The Future Possibilities with IT,” outlined Microsoft’s corporate citizenship activities and how Microsoft envisions the future world. During a Q&A session, students’ questions flew like arrows to Ito: Their questions included Microsoft’s development environment, as well as requests of advice from Microsoft as an IT venture pioneer, and so forth.
“Microsoft was established in the U.S. in 1975,” spoke Nobuhiro Ito (Senior Manager, Academic Evangelism Group, Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan), “and Bill Gates was almost same age as you at the time. When he was in university, Bill Gates started his Microsoft business. You too may become entrepreneurs or directors at companies. You can realize your great ideas with computers and software. Microsoft offers a wide range of programs to support students, and we strongly encourage you to make use of them.”
As a part of its corporate citizenship activities, Microsoft has sponsored the Campus Venture Grand Prix since last year. Microsoft representatives encouraged the students to join programs that Microsoft offers, including Microsoft Student Partner, Microsoft DreamSpark and Imagine Cup Japan competition.
| March 3, 2011, Microsoft Otemachi Technology Center Special Lecture: The Future Possibilities with IT | • | Microsoft’s Corporate Citizenship Activities: Overview | | • | The Direction of Next Generation IT | | • | Tools to Realize Your Potential | | • | Microsoft’s Student Support/IT Venture Support
Nobuhiro Ito (Senior Manager, Academic Evangelism Group, Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan) | | • | Introduction to Microsoft Otemachi Technology Center
Kenzaburo Tamaru (Group Senior Manager, National Technology Office/Innovation Center, Microsoft Co., Ltd, Japan) |   |