Osaka Metropolitan University has announced a policy to create 50 university-launched start-ups by 2030. Chancellor Shinichi Fukushima told the Nihon Keizai Shimbun that the university will increase donations and external funding to boost the research and educational ecosystem of the university, as well as setting up a consulting office to support start-ups and strengthen its support system for entrepreneurship.
The university has set a target of doubling its external funding to around 20 billion yen by 2030. In 2023 it was selected for the government's 'Project to Promote the Strengthening of Regional Core and Distinctive Research Universities', giving it a head start on this goal and bringing its total external funding to over 10 billion yen.
In April, the university restructured its organization and established a new Start-up Creation and Support Center. This will help sell the university's research results to companies and venture capitalists, and support the management of faculty members and the practical application of their research. Furthermore, it has set a target of raising its ranking in the World University Rankings to the top 200 by 2035, and is strengthening its system for accepting researchers and international students from abroad.
Osaka Metropolitan University has created 37 start-ups so far, far behind the University of Tokyo's 420.
