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Prof Susumu Kitagawa Nobel Prize laureate renowned for pioneering research on porous coordination polymers and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs).

He obtained a Ph.D. degree at Kyoto University and is now currently serves as Distinguished Professor at KUIAS and iCeMS, and Kyoto University's Executive Vice-President for Research Promotion since 2024.

His main research field is inorganic and material chemistry, in particular, chemistry of coordination space, and his current research interests are centered on synthesis and properties of porous coordination polymers/metal-organic frameworks.

He was the first to discover and to demonstrate ""porosity"" for metal complexes with gas sorption experiments (1997), whose materials are called porous coordination polymers (PCPs) or metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). To date, MOFs are classified as a new category of porous materials, as opposed to the conventional classifications of inorganic and carbon materials. Kitagawa pioneered the functional chemistry of MOFs, and discovered flexible MOFs, dissimilar to those of conventional porous materials. Today several hundred different MOFs are known, and over 8,000 articles on this class of materials have been published annually worldwide. The research developments built on his discoveries are anticipated to lead to radical innovations in materials science, with wide-ranging implications for both academia and industry. Chemical industry firms are producing MOF materials for use in purification, storage, transportation, and transformation, among other applications. Kitagawa's achievement has blazed a trail to a new era for porous materials, vital to addressing energy and environmental issues and contributing to human welfare.

Prof Susumu Kitagawa Nobel Prize laureate renowned for pioneering research on porous coordination polymers and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs).

He obtained a Ph.D. degree at Kyoto University and is now currently serves as Distinguished Professor at KUIAS and iCeMS, and Kyoto University's Executive Vice-President for Research Promotion since 2024.

His main research field is inorganic and material chemistry, in particular, chemistry of coordination space, and his current research interests are centered on synthesis and properties of porous coordination polymers/metal-organic frameworks.

He was the first to discover and to demonstrate ""porosity"" for metal complexes with gas sorption experiments (1997), whose materials are called porous coordination polymers (PCPs) or metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). To date, MOFs are classified as a new category of porous materials, as opposed to the conventional classifications of inorganic and carbon materials. Kitagawa pioneered the functional chemistry of MOFs, and discovered flexible MOFs, dissimilar to those of conventional porous materials. Today several hundred different MOFs are known, and over 8,000 articles on this class of materials have been published annually worldwide. The research developments built on his discoveries are anticipated to lead to radical innovations in materials science, with wide-ranging implications for both academia and industry. Chemical industry firms are producing MOF materials for use in purification, storage, transportation, and transformation, among other applications. Kitagawa's achievement has blazed a trail to a new era for porous materials, vital to addressing energy and environmental issues and contributing to human welfare.

<Education>
Hitotsubashi University, Faculty of Social Science Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
Carnegie Mellon University, Graduate School of Industrial Administration (GSIA) Master of Science, Industrial Administration

<Experience>

Apr.1986

Joined Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Jul.1996

Assistant to General Manager of Product Support, Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc.

Oct.2011

General Manager of Forklift Sales Department, Forklift Business Division, General Machinery & Special Vehicles Business Headquarters, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Apr.2013

Director, Senior Executive Officer, Head of Corporate Planning Office,the Company

Jul.2014

Representative Director and President, Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift Europe B.V.

Jul.2020

Senior Executive Officer, Head of Overseas Business Headquarters,the Company

Jun.2022

Representative Director and President, General Manager, Corporate Strategy and Planning Office, the Company

Apr.2025

Representative Director and President, CEO, the Company (to present)

Since joined in Chiyoda, I have experienced in Domestic Business Development, Asia Business Development, Offshore construction business development, Corporate Planning, Open Innovation Lead

After working as an overseas sales for a machine tool manufacturer and as a product manager for a machine tool manufacturer, joined Dassault Système, a French-owned software company for the manufacturing industry, as a member of the online sales launch team in 2021. Since then, provided cloud-based "Virtual Twin Technology" and supported the growth of diverse startups.

Born in 1983 in Kyoto, Japan.
Executive Director and Head of Corporate Planning at Ogawa Coffee Co., Ltd.
Graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at Kyoto University and completed a Master’s program at the Graduate School of Engineering at the same university. After working as a management consultant at Booz & Company, earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Upon returning to Japan, has been leading Ogawa Coffee’s business expansion across Asia, including China and Taiwan, while actively promoting SDG initiatives to build a sustainable business environment.

Engaged in supporting new business development and formulating R&D strategies. Joined Linkers Inc., a technology-matching venture, in 2016. Currently operates independently as a think tank specializing in advanced technologies, analyzing global startup ecosystems and emerging technology trends. Co-author of “Industry in 2020: Understanding Changes in Business Environment and Growth Opportunities” (Nomura Research Institute, published by Toyo Keizai) and “Technology Intelligence: Conditions for Japanese Manufacturing to Win Globally through Open Innovation” (Gentosha). In November 2025, featured on PIVOT, one of Japan’s largest business-focused YouTube channels.

Hiroko Kondo is an independent consultant specializing in energy policy and regulation. After working in the energy practices of PwC, IBM, and Accenture, she became an independent advisor and has over 25 years of experience supporting institutional reform, regulatory development, and organizational change in the energy sector.

She currently serves as a member of the Cabinet Office Task Force on the “Basic Approach to the Social Implementation of Fusion Energy” and the Fusion Energy Working Group of the Japan Growth Strategy Council. She is also an advisor to the JST Moonshot Research and Development Program (Goal 10), where she provides guidance on connecting advanced fusion research with regulatory systems and society.

Her work in nuclear regulation focuses on how safety can be maintained while enabling innovation, as well as on the importance of communication and trust among regulators, industry, and the public. From this perspective, she contributes to discussions on the early and socially acceptable realization of fusion energy.

After completing a Master’s degree in Engineering at Osaka University in 2012, Masahiro Suemitsu joined Osaka Gas. He worked across a broad range of activities, from fundamental research to joint development with universities and manufacturers, and in 2013 launched photonics research as a new technical domain within the company. In collaboration with Professor Susumu Noda at Kyoto University, he conducted research on thermophotovoltaics, demonstrating high-efficiency performance through photonic crystal–based light control, with results featured in Nature Photonics and other publications. He earned a Ph.D. in Engineering from Kyoto University in 2019. Since 2017, he has led the research and development of radiative cooling materials, and in 2021 founded SPACECOOL Inc., serving as CTO before assuming the role of CEO in 2024. He has been recognized by Forbes JAPAN’s entrepreneur rankings and has received awards including the DBJ Award and the Japan Venture Awards (Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award).

In recent years, due to the significant decline in livestock productivity caused by global warming, we have been advancing thermal environment countermeasures for livestock barns in collaboration with companies, universities.

After working at a trading company and a consulting firm, he joined a startup support facility operated by the City of Osaka in 2002 and has since been engaged in incubation activities.

In 2006, he joined Technology Seed Incubation Co., Ltd. (TSI), became a Director in 2009, and in 2015 founded Tsukrea Co., Ltd., where he currently serves as CEO.

He has extensive experience in fund management, venture investment and development, and the operation of startup incubation facilities, and has also founded and managed multiple venture businesses himself.

Born in 1968. After graduating from university, he trained for five years at “Tokyo Kitcho,” receiving direct guidance from its founder, the late Teiichi Yuki. He then returned to Kyoto to succeed as the third-generation owner of “Kinobu.” Holding certifications as a Senior Sommelier and Sake Tasting Specialist, he actively explores innovative culinary techniques and ingredients, including collaborations between wine and Japanese cuisine. He also serves as a “Goodwill Ambassador for Japanese Cuisine,” frequently invited to major international food events. He is a lecturer on NHK’s “Today’s Cooking” and teaches at Ritsumeikan University College of Gastronomy Management. His restaurant has earned one Michelin star. Among his honors are the Kyoto Prefecture Cultural Award (Encouragement Prize) and the Silver Award of the Culinary Masters. He is Vice Chairman of the Japanese Culinary Academy, holds a Ph.D. in Food and Agricultural Sciences, and is a certified instructor of the Kongō School of Noh,which is one fo Japanese performing arts.

Keiji Numata earned his Ph.D. (2007) with a thesis centered on enzymatic degradation and synthesis with hydrolases of biopolymers, especially poly(hydroxyalkanoate), under the supervision of Prof. Yoshiharu Doi, Tokyo Institute of Technology. His Ph.D. thesis includes works on enzymatic polymerization to synthesize branched biopolymers, which has been performed in Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) under the supervisions of Prof. Ann-Christine Albertsson and Prof. Anna Finne-Wistrand. He worked as a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow for Research Abroad at Tufts University (USA) where he studied biosynthesis of silk-based polymers via bacterial pathways as well as silk-based gene carriers in the laboratory of Stern Family Professor in Engineering David L. Kaplan. He moved to RIKEN as a Senior Scientist in 2010 to start up a laboratory to investigate biosynthesis and material design of structural proteins and poly(amino acid). He has been a Team Leader (PI) of the lab since 2012 and Research Director for JST-ERATO Numata Organelle Reaction Cluster Project (2016-2023), Research Director for JST-COI-NEXT, Research Director for MEXT Program: Data Creation and Utilization-Type Material Research and Development Project (2022-). In 2020, he moved to Department of Material Chemistry, Kyoto University, as a full professor. He received Nagase Prize from the frontier salon foundation (2022), the 2020 ACS Macro Letters/Biomacromolecules/Macromolecules Young Investigator Award (American Chemical Society, 2020), SPSJ Asahi Kasei Award (2019), Award for Encouragement of Research, Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology, Japan (2019), Bio-Environmental Polymer Society Outstanding Young Scientist Award, USA (2018), The Young Scientists’ Prize for Minister of MEXT, Japan (2018), and so on. He was appointed as an associate editor of Polymer Journal (2018-2020) and is currently an associate editor of ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering. In July 2024, he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC).

Yoshimi initiates startup-corporate strategic partnerships, and facilitates startup business development by leveraging her network with corporations and filling various gaps between startups and corporations. She also supports generating Open Innovation skill sets and cultures that would lead creating future core businesses within corporations through DNX corporate programs.

Prior to DNX Ventures, Yoshimi spent two months each in Mumbai, India and Singapore to work on strategy projects during her MBA in 2015-2016. She also worked in sales and corporate planning for a trading firm in Japan. Yoshimi holds an MBA from Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

After experiencing key marketing positions at a foreign financial institution, joined Dassault Systèmes in 2019 as the head of marketing for Japan. In 2024, assumed as Japan lead of Public Sector. Since then, actively addressing for the creation of a sustainable local communities.

Education
Bachelor of Laws, Seikei University

Career
Founded Advanced Composite Corporation in 2015
Under the corporate philosophy of “Support our future with our materials,” he has been strongly promoting the development of technologies and business initiatives that contribute to carbon neutrality.

Joined Tokyo Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ltd. in 1999.
Since April 2024, has been serving in the Recycle Transformation Department at Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc.

After working in corporate sales at Career Design Center and Google, she founded the general incorporated association at Will Work. She then transitioned into PR and marketing at Money Design and later served as CMO at Plug and Play Japan, overseeing all marketing and public relations efforts. In 2022, she established the Startup Ecosystem Association and became its President. Since November 2024, she has also served as an Associate Specialist Advisor at A.T. Kearney. In 2025, she co-founded FoundersNation, a company that supports startups in their global growth. She currently serves as a Specialist Member of the Cabinet Office's Regulatory Reform Council Working Group for Startup and Innovation Promotion and as a Startup Strategy Fellow for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

As the Co-founder & CEO of Rhinoflux, he is bridging the gap between academic innovation and global energy markets. He founded Rhinoflux as the first Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at Kyoto University, leveraging deep-tech breakthroughs to revolutionize the energy landscape. Prior to founding Rhinoflux, he spent 9 years at Mitsubishi Corporation, Japan's largest　conglomerate. There, he built a strong foundation in the global mineral resources and energy sectors as a commodity trader and corporate venture capitalist. His track record includes leading strategic investments and collaborations with NASDAQ-listed companies, unicorns, and global VCs. Fluent in English and Japanese.

After graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture at Kindai University, she worked for a year and a half as a sales representative at a domestic automobile dealership. Later, she transitioned into education as a science teacher at a junior high school. A few years afterward, she moved to a high school specializing in agricultural studies. Making the most of learning opportunities beyond the general curriculum, she continuously explore how to leave a lasting impact on her students.
At this conference, she will be presenting together with students from the agricultural department.

Following a career in consulting for the manufacturing sector, Yuta joined Plug and Play Japan in 2021. He has been engaged in building ecosystems and supporting collaborations between large corporations and startups in Deeptech areas, including decarbonization, semiconductors, quantum technology, and advanced materials. Since 2025, he serves as the Director of Deeptech and Head of the Kyoto Office.

After working at a trading company and a consulting firm, he joined a startup support facility operated by the City of Osaka in 2002 and has since been engaged in incubation activities.

In 2006, he joined Technology Seed Incubation Co., Ltd. (TSI), became a Director in 2009, and in 2015 founded Tsukrea Co., Ltd., where he currently serves as CEO.

He has extensive experience in fund management, venture investment and development, and the operation of startup incubation facilities, and has also founded and managed multiple venture businesses himself.

At ATR and across the ATR Group, he is responsible for corporate management, strategic planning, and innovation co-creation.

In addition, he is working to build a global innovation ecosystem and develop various startup support platforms in Keihanna Science City. To further strengthen these efforts, he founded XBorder Innovations (XBI) in 2021.

He has also contributed to EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, and Keihanna EXPO 2025 by leading a wide range of startup and innovation initiatives.

Yoshimi initiates startup-corporate strategic partnerships, and facilitates startup business development by leveraging her network with corporations and filling various gaps between startups and corporations. She also supports generating Open Innovation skill sets and cultures that would lead creating future core businesses within corporations through DNX corporate programs.

Prior to DNX Ventures, Yoshimi spent two months each in Mumbai, India and Singapore to work on strategy projects during her MBA in 2015-2016. She also worked in sales and corporate planning for a trading firm in Japan. Yoshimi holds an MBA from Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.