August 21, 2017
On Monday, August 21, a signing ceremony was held for a partnership agreement between SFC and Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture. Ken Kono, Dean of the Faculty of Policy Management, and Takenori Noda, Mayor of Kamaishi City, signed the "Agreement on Cooperation and Collaboration for Regional Revitalization."
The Social Innovation Lab at the Keio Research Institute at SFC, based on the recognition that society is a "network of connections," is engaged in research and development. With the goal of solving social issues, the lab focuses on the nature of "social innovation"—promoted by changes in people's connections and interactions through the creation of new products, services, systems, and organizations—as well as its practical models, support tools, and models for realizing synergistic effects between scientific and technological innovation and social innovation. SFC has been collaborating with Kamaishi City on practical and research studies related to initiatives such as "community building for reconstruction" since fiscal year 2011 and "community building through rugby" since fiscal year 2007.
Kamaishi City is promoting the "Kamaishi Open City Strategy" as a community development initiative with an eye on the future after reconstruction. The city is also seeing a growth in "new connections born after the earthquake" and "citizen-led projects that have begun to emerge." Under the slogan "Open City," Kamaishi aims to become "an open city where diverse people gather," connecting people and expanding new possibilities.
Future collaborative activities may include, for example, "initiatives for sustainable tourism development in anticipation of the Rugby World Cup 2019," "promotion of diversity and open community building that embraces globally recognized diversity," "community development utilizing sports in 'Kamaishi, the Rugby Town,'" and "development of a 'Social Tour Program' that offers the process of earthquake recovery and unique regional social issues and initiatives as educational opportunities for urban high school students and others." This partnership will serve as an opportunity to further enhance collaborative activities with the aim of accelerating "Open City Kamaishi."
Furthermore, SFC plans to appoint graduate students and others as "Community-Revitalization Researchers." While residing in Kamaishi City, they will take on the challenge of research and development to accelerate "Open City Kamaishi" and "social innovation."
Photo: Tamamura Laboratory, Faculty of Policy Management
Source: Office of Research Development and Sponsored Projects at Shonan Fujisawa Campus