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Open Innovation Information Site "cotas" Introduces Latest Co-Creation Cases at Symposium
The symposium "Welcome to the Participatory Future" was held on December 4 at Dentsu Inc. Hall in Shiodome, Tokyo. It was organized by Dentsu Inc. and Infobahn, co-operators of the open innovation information site "cotas (cotas.jp)". The event introduced the latest co-creation case studies, including a report on the judging process for the "Japan Co-Creation Awards 2013" hosted by cotas.
At the outset, Hiroto Kobayashi, CEO of Infobahn, stated, "While last year's awards saw relatively few entries, this year brought a wide variety of cases. I feel co-creation is becoming more widespread."
Following this, Toshihiro Nakamura, Co-founder and CEO of the US-based nonprofit Copernic, gave a presentation on the theme "An Online Marketplace Delivering Innovative Technology to Developing Countries." Having worked at the UN on governance reform, peacebuilding, and post-disaster recovery, he launched Copernic in 2010. He began by explaining the journey to establishing the NPO. "I felt the need to effectively utilize ideas and knowledge existing outside established organizations like the UN. Looking around, I realized there were simple technologies directly changing the lives of the poorest people in developing countries," he reflected.
He further explained that Copernic's "co-creation" model involves "organically connecting companies with technology for developing countries, diverse organizations active in these regions, and funding from individuals and businesses." He shared the organization's achievements: implementing over 80 projects across 14 countries through products solving poverty-related challenges, such as solar lights replacing toxic kerosene lamps, low-smoke, high-efficiency cooking stoves, and water purifiers. These efforts have contributed to improving the lives of approximately 140,000 people.
The panel discussion "Co-Creation Trends and Latest Examples in 2013" featured four speakers: Hiroto Kobayashi, communication designer Naka Kato, HUB Tokyo founder Shingo Pochie, and Megumi Wakabayashi, Editor-in-Chief of WIRED magazine and the WIRED.jp website. Kazunori Kuroyanagi, Director of Dentsu Inc.'s Social Solutions Division, served as moderator. Each panelist served as a judge for the "Japan Co-Creation Awards 2013," which recognizes advanced and exemplary co-creation cases. During the panel discussion, they exchanged opinions on the 10 cases that passed the first round of judging.
The final results of the award, which will select five best case studies from the ten primary screening passers, are scheduled to be announced on December 17. Details are available on the Co-Tus website.
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