*IM Lab is an initiative launched following a roundtable discussion organized by the Executive Innovation Committee (EIC) to support the creation of an innovation ecosystem through industry-academia collaboration. It is operated by the Japan Innovation Network (JIN), a general incorporated association.
*IM Lab is a community dedicated to the practical application of ecosystem management, jointly operated by Tokyo University of Science and JIN. Using the ISO 56000 series as a common language, companies, universities, and government agencies collaborate to conceive and implement ecosystem strategies aimed at business transformation. It is a 10-month co-creation program that fosters the next generation of leaders and knowledge networks through workshops, field visits, international collaboration, and co-creation projects.

Program

Both “earning power” and “ecosystem” have already become terms used in policy discourse.
The question now is how to go about shaping them.

The Regional Revitalization Initiative, launched in 2014, has reached its 10-year milestone. The government’s own assessment acknowledges the achievements in individual regions but concludes that the initiative has not succeeded in reversing the major trends of population decline and the concentration of population in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Some observers have pointed out that, under an evaluation system tied to a single goal, the policies have essentially boiled down to a competition among regions to attract new residents.

The “Basic Concept for Regional Revitalization 2.0,” released in June 2025, established earning power and the creation of regional innovation as its pillars. The term “ecosystem” has already become part of the policy lexicon. The shift has been declared. What remains is the methodological question of who will shape that ecosystem, how it will be shaped, and by what criteria it will be measured.
Another point of discussion is the scope of the Innovation Management System (IMS). With the widespread adoption of the ISO 56000 series, innovation has evolved into a management system that organizations can learn, design, and operate. The question is how to extend this framework beyond the confines of individual organizations and apply it at the regional level.

For this event, we will welcome Ms. Mirjana Prica, Chair of the TCI Network—an international network for clusters and regional innovation—as our keynote speaker, and we will hold discussions during two panel sessions. We will also provide an update on the collaboration between JIN and the TCI Network.
On the day of the event, we plan to use a “fishbowl” format, where speakers and participants mingle rather than sitting on a separate stage.

Registration [Deadline: Friday, October 2, 2026]