MATSUO KOICHI

Director, Research &
Development Division, JKiC

Genuine values outside their respective comfort zones

JKiC is a stage for industry - academia cooperation at the Shinano-machi Campus of the Keio University School of Medicine. It was built on campus by a company and donated to the university to be established as the first Innovation Center where the corporation carries out joint research and development with university researchers.

JKiC represents collaboration between JSR Corporation that has begun to devote its energy to its life sciences business and Keio University School of Medicine. At JKiC, a team of chemistry researchers from JSR Corporation and researchers from Keio University will work to realize advanced ideas in the medical field. Both JSR Corporation and Keio University found their courage to get out of their and challenge themselves. Their determination is part of “innovation” signified by the letter “i” in JKiC.

A culture that does not exist in a university exists in a corporation, while a culture not found in corporations does exist in a university. The collision of these two cultures will generate innovation. In order to promote this cultural encounter, is seen in the building’s design, which will mix corporate and university members in a single space and encourage them to influence each other. Efforts are made to make things flexible in a variety of ways. Research spaces for both sides are not fixed, and it will be flexibly operated. For example, if necessary for their research, either side can use a large space, while the size will be reduced when a large space is no longer needed.

For a century, the School of Medicine of Keio University has placed great value on the philosophy that Doctor Shibasaburo Kitasato expressed with the words, “Integrated Basic and Clinical Medicine.” JKiC is a place where basic science that clarifies mechanisms will encounter applied chemistry that accept and apply an unclear mechanism as long as it is effective.

I hope that through JKiC, we will generate genuine value. I mean genuine value that truly benefits patients, not just fake value that appears to be a splendid achievement at one glance. For this aim, data must be reproducible, and when data is collected it must be done correctly through formalized procedures.

Of course we do not place value only on practicality or its usefulness to society. A university is a seat of learning, and its role is to deepen basic human wisdom and knowledge even when its findings are not immediately useful to society. I believe that while respecting this role, the encounter between JSR Corporation and Keio University with different values will give birth to even greater value.