Sharing Knowledge with Other Institutions in the Prefecture-- APU Established Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific Innovation Management Centre

(Oita Godo Newspaper, April 19th 2009, morning paper)

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), which is located in Beppu City, established "Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific Innovation Management Centre", aiming to support education and research involving regarding marketing and management strategy in enterprises. While focusing mainly on Asia, they are aiming to open up to international market. Focusing on the correlation between technology and business, the research theme "Innovation Management" was adopted. The target group is mainly the people  who are related to business entreprises, and the centre plans to conduct seminars while actively sharing the knowledge that APU can offer.

The centre comprises of 7 professors. Regardless within or outside prefecture, whenever there is a request the centre will conduct seminars, offering the knowledge from university. Considering that the relationships between universities are important, APU has been conducting formal gatherings to study about Innovation Management with Oita University. In the future, the centre is also hoping to have lively exchanges of information with other universities in Asia Pacific region, and to develop international network concerning Innovation Management.

Since 2007, APU, with Oita and Kyushu altogether four prefectures, has been conducting "Seminar about Management Technology for Manufacturing Industry" once a year, and is entrusted by Oita City to conduct Lecture about Management of Technology for twice a year. In the future this centre is hoped to be "the window" and is expected to promote contribution to the society in the area.

The head of the centre, Professor NAKATA Yukihiko (Professor in International Management Faculty) said that "With Asia Pacific as the target area for research, we expect to make the most of APU's special characteristic and offer information from the bigger perspective, such as how to create a prosperous business".

Innovation Management (IM) being a new concept that has never existed before, the centre would like to put effort in creating market for new technology and business. The focus would be relating new technology to business.

Comment:

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, despite having only been established 9 years ago, has managed to build itself a vibrant image, with the diverse multiculturalism of the student body. And moving forward, it has tied cooperation with a lot of other organizations to hold events and seminars. I wish that this university would be more and more well-known to the world.

Katarina Marsha Utama Nugroho

Indonesia

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, APM 3