On November 26, 2025, Waseda University, located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, will host the Open Innovation Forum 2025 (WOI’25) at its Waseda Campus. This event aims to showcase the university's strengths in comprehensive knowledge while promoting industry-academia collaboration, talent development, intellectual property creation, and the nurturing of startups for societal benefits.
WOI’25 offers a unique opportunity for attendees to interact closely with leading researchers from Waseda University. Those interested in collaborating on joint research or seeking insights into the latest advancements in research and technology promoted by the university are encouraged to attend.
Who Should Attend?
- - Individuals facing challenges in product or service development within their companies seeking technological support from university researchers.
- - Those interested in industry-academia collaboration and open innovation.
- - Entrepreneurs and those interested in startup ventures.
- - While these groups are specifically targeted, anyone, including undergraduate and graduate students, is welcome to participate.
Program Overview
The detailed program will be updated and made available on the dedicated website at
Waseda Open Innovation Forum.
Importance of WOI’25
As Waseda University approaches its 150th anniversary in 2032, the institution is dedicated to returning to its founding principles, emphasizing the importance of contributing beyond individual and national interests to the global community. This commitment is visualized in the university's 150th-anniversary project, aiming to evolve Waseda as a 'university contributing to humanity worldwide.'
To facilitate this vision, the university has established the Global Research Center (GRC) as a key part of the 'Global Research Promotion Project.' Set to launch in April 2024, the GRC will drive initiatives under the guidance of the leadership team comprising the President, Provost, Deputy Provost, and CFO. This center will work on enhancing academic research capabilities through top-down measures while also fostering innovative and emerging research ideas from the grassroots level. The goal is to strategically develop research themes that contribute to humanity, amalgamating expertise across disciplines both domestically and internationally and realizing visionary projects in the future.
WOI’25 will feature a variety of events, including panel discussions on interdisciplinary research, presentations from university-affiliated startups, lectures on research collaborations based on comprehensive agreements with private companies, and talk sessions by notable business leaders. Additionally, there will be exhibitions showcasing research outcomes from the university's research organizations and centers, promoting collaboration, talent development, intellectual property generation, and the nurturing of startups to provide tangible benefits to society.
This forum is set to be a pivotal moment for Waseda University, reinforcing its role in the landscape of academic and applied research, while also establishing new collaborative pathways between academia and industry. Participants looking to foster partnerships and engage in innovative research endeavors are highly encouraged to register in advance for this essential event. For more information and registration, please visit
the official website.