Collaboration Hub: Initiatives by Kyushu-Okinawa's Industry-Academia Coordination for Promoting Agricultural, Forestry, and Fisheries Exports

<p>This paper presents a case study of a collaboration between university research support personnel (URA and industry-academia collaboration coordinators, hereinafter referred to as “coordinator”) aiming to address issues in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors.</p><p>The Agricultural, Forestry, and Fisheries Products Export Promotion R&D Platform @Kyushu/Okinawa aims to develop R&D projects and export business models that contribute to the promotion of exports of agricultural, forestry, and fisheries products based on regional characteristics, The platform focuses on ensuring quality and optimizing transportation based on consumer needs by seamlessly integrating the processes from production to transportation, sales, and consumption. By collaborating with industry, academia, and government, the platform aims to solve issues that will improve producers' incomes and increase exports.</p><p>The coordinator plays a central role in this platform. They form a network with related organizations and engage in dialogue with stakeholders to understand the issues and needs of society. Furthermore, they not only collect and analyze information on issues and needs and propose solutions, but also engage in a wide range of activities from R&D consortium building and fundraising to project management. Coordinators listen to the voices of communities and companies, design places where seeds and needs can come together, and develop proactive activities. The coordinators are indispensable in promoting cooperation among diverse stakeholders and the accumulation of knowledge from different industries to solve social issues. Through the coordinators' diverse, active, and autonomous activities, R&D projects are implemented, contributing to solving regional and corporate issues and serving as a driving force for the creation of new businesses.</p>