ATR・NAIST・NCKU [Issue-solution Contest by International Joint Student Teams] Overview 

＃Detail will be updated occasionally

1. Overall Description of the Event

This project is the “International Student Teams Issue-Solving Competition” jointly organized by National Cheng Kung University (NCKU, Taiwan), the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST, Japan), and the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR, Japan). The event aims to form cross-national student teams to propose innovative solutions to social problems predetermined by the organizers, thereby cultivating students’ innovative and entrepreneurial skills as well as global perspectives. At the same time, this project also establishes a foundational ecosystem for addressing social issues in subsequent related innovation programs: social problems are identified, solutions are developed, and proof of concept (PoC) implementation is facilitated.

This competition focuses on the theme: “Solutions to Enhance the Appeal of Non-Metropolitan Areas Facing Rapid Population Decline and Aging.” Beginning in mid-May, the event proceeds through phases of individual ideation by students, online exchange and team formation, remote team coaching, and a face-to-face training camp in Japan, concluding at the end of July with a final results presentation. Overall, it spans from mid-May to late July. Finally, a startup proposal presentation will be held at Keihanna Science City in Kyoto, Japan, where teams will showcase their solution outcomes. The winning team will receive subsequent resources to implement a PoC for their proposal after the event.

Participants include current students of NCKU and NAIST (primarily master’s and doctoral students). Each institution will select six students, for a total of 12, forming three international cooperative teams (each team consisting of two students from each university). Every team will be guided by professional mentors assigned by NCKU and NAIST in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship. During the competition, students are required to collaborate across borders to complete the incubation of an innovative entrepreneurial proposal from 0 to 1. The organizers—NCKU, NAIST, and ATR—will jointly provide topic directions, mentorship, venue resources, and event funding.

2. Topic Directions (Your proposal would be also considered)

These ten topics are all based on the background of non-metropolitan areas experiencing population shrinkage and a rising proportion of older adults, focusing on the core objective of “how to increase local attractiveness.” Students can concentrate on one of these topics or combine multiple aspects according to their own interests and expertise, identifying specific pain points and proposing solutions aimed at revitalizing rural areas and pursuing sustainable development.

A. Revitalization of Local Cultural Assets and Experiential Tourism

• Topic Description: By integrating local history and culture, traditional crafts, and festivals, combined with experiential tourism, social media marketing, and cultural-creative products, attract younger generations and outside visitors to experience them firsthand.
• Relevance to Core Theme: Local culture in non-metropolitan areas is often an overlooked treasure under conditions of population outflow and aging. Rediscovering and packaging cultural features can increase regional visibility, attract inflow of non-local populations or short-term tourism, and boost local economic revitalization.

B. Age-Friendly Communities and Intergenerational Integration

• Topic Description: In an aging context, create a friendly living environment, such as well-equipped barrier-free facilities, health and rehabilitation resources, as well as community activities or co-creation spaces that foster interaction between older and younger generations.
• Relevance to Core Theme: A high proportion of older adults often causes communities to lose vitality. If spatial and activity design can attract young families or new residents to live or interact with older adults, this can promote community prosperity and mitigate negative impacts of population decline.

C. Returning Youth Entrepreneurship and Community Incubation Systems

• Topic Description: Encourage young people who have moved away to return home by means of entrepreneurial subsidies, innovation incubation centers, or community partnership programs, enabling them to engage in emerging industries, social enterprises, or cultural-creative businesses in their hometown.
• Relevance to Core Theme: Population outflow leads to industrial gaps and aging on the local level. Supporting returning youth to create opportunities can inject new dynamism and technology while also increasing local employment and population.

D. Smart Medical Care in Townships and Remote Health Services

• Topic Description: Promote telemedicine platforms, mobile health check vehicles, and intelligent health monitoring systems to improve healthcare accessibility for older adults in rural areas, reducing the inconvenience of medical visits for seniors.
• Relevance to Core Theme: Population aging and scattered populations make medical resources even more limited. By leveraging smart technology to lower the barriers for older adults seeking care, quality of life can be improved and more people may choose to remain in their hometowns.

E. Upgrading Local Specialty Agriculture/Fisheries and Digital Marketing

• Topic Description: Through smart agriculture technologies (IoT, sensors, etc.) to enhance production capacity and quality, combined with e-commerce and digital marketing, build branded local agricultural/fishery products and attract urban consumer markets.
• Relevance to Core Theme: Agriculture and fisheries represent main industries in many non-metropolitan areas, but aging and population outflow lead to labor shortages and market decline. By upgrading industry models and effective marketing, job opportunities can be created and young-to-middle-aged adults can be drawn back.

F. Smart Transportation and Mobility Services in Non-Metropolitan Areas

• Topic Description: Develop transportation solutions that meet rural needs, such as shared minibuses, ride-hailing apps, or autonomous shuttle vehicles, to improve the convenience of travel for residents, reducing issues of older adults unable to go out or younger people struggling with inconvenient commutes.
• Relevance to Core Theme: Poor transportation is a key factor in accelerating population loss in rural areas and causing inconvenience for older adults. Improving transportation simultaneously can improve living conditions and attract visitors or migrants.

G. Community Green Energy and Eco-Friendly Tourism

• Topic Description: Promote the use of renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass, etc.) with community co-management and combine ecological conservation with outdoor eco-tourism, creating green employment opportunities and establishing a sustainable local image.
• Relevance to Core Theme: In non-metropolitan areas with declining populations, public infrastructure and energy use maintenance pose difficulties. If these areas can transform into demonstration zones for green energy, they can reduce energy burdens and potentially use “sustainability” as a new feature to attract outside populations and investment.

H. New Residents Integration and Multicultural Development

• Topic Description: For migrant workers and new immigrants, set up language-learning programs, employment support, and social integration platforms so that they can fit into local life while contributing diverse cultural perspectives, skills, and labor.
• Relevance to Core Theme: Aging and labor shortages force some rural areas to rely on foreign workers or new immigrants to fill gaps. If well-planned integration mechanisms are in place, this can not only ease population aging but also stimulate local industry and cultural diversity.

I. Regional Revitalization Branding and Marketing Integration

• Topic Description: Through creating a “city/township brand,” targeted marketing, and event planning (e.g., seasonal festivals or special markets), expand local recognition and attract external resources.
• Relevance to Core Theme: Many non-metropolitan areas face a lack of clear positioning under global competition, leading to ongoing outmigration. Strengthening brand image and executing effective external marketing can showcase the area’s appeal for tourism, residency, and investment.

J. Local Community Participation and Collaborative Decision-Making

• Topic Description: Use online platforms or regular public forums to encourage local residents (both older adults and younger groups) to discuss public affairs together, jointly proposing and collaborating, thereby cultivating local responsibility and community cohesion.
• Relevance to Core Theme: Population decline and aging often deprive local communities of vitality. By increasing participation through a collaborative decision-making mechanism, residents gain a sense of belonging and autonomy, which also helps maintain the local population and attract new arrivals.

Schedule

Phase 1. Individual Ideation (Mid-May to Mid-June, 3–4 weeks)

Before forming teams, students conduct sufficient independent thinking and creative ideation, producing initial problem definitions and solution concepts

Phase 2. Online Exchange, Matching, and Team Formation (Mid-June, Online Event, 3 Hours)

Facilitate mutual understanding and exchange among students from both universities, share creative ideas, select the most promising projects through a proposal voting process, form international cooperative teams, and also choose a leader for each team.

Phase 3. Online Team Mentoring (Mid-June to July 19)

Under the mentorship of instructors, each team conducts in-depth research on the selected problem, refines the solution, and initially designs a business model, ultimately producing a well-developed startup proposal. This will form the foundation for the upcoming intensive training camp in Japan.

Phase 4. In-Person Intensive Training in Japan (July 22–24)

Through a three-day workshop and intensive training, help each international team refine their startup proposals in face-to-face discussions, strengthening feasibility and improving their presentation quality, making them fully prepared for the final presentation.

Phase 5. Startup Proposal Presentation (July 25)

This presentation is the climax and conclusion of the International Student Teams Issue-Solving Competition. Each team will showcase its innovative solution, nurtured through over two months of effort, on a public stage. The event is not only an inter-university competition, but also part of the Keihanna Innovation Expo (Startup Festival), offering students a broader platform where their outcomes can be judged and draw public attention.