◆A signing ceremony was held for the "Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation for the Promotion of Regional Revitalization" between Kochi Prefecture and Suntory Holdings Limited
Release Date:
A signing ceremony for the “Agreement on Collaboration and Cooperation for the Promotion of Regional Revitalization” between Kochi University, Kochi Prefecture, and Suntory Holdings Limited was held on Friday, April 18, at the Kochi Prefectural Government Office.Representing the university were President Hiroyuki Uketani, Executive Director Kazumichi Horimi (in charge of Regional Partnerships, Public Relations, and Well-being), and Satoshi Ishizuka, Director of the Center for Next-Generation Regional Creation. Representing Kochi Prefecture were Governor Shoji Hamada and others, while Suntory Holdings Limited was represented by Managing Executive Officer Masaaki Fujiwara (Head of the Sustainability Management Promotion Division).
Under this agreement, the university and the Suntory Group will collaborate to address a wide range of challenges in Kochi Prefecture—including regional revitalization, sustainable agriculture, and natural environment conservation—by combining the university’s expertise in solving regional issues and its educational and research activities based on regional collaboration with the Suntory Group’s business and sustainability insights as a comprehensive food and beverage company. Through this tripartite partnership involving industry, government, and academia, the agreement aims to establish a new model for regional co-creation.
Specifically, we will promote the following four initiatives.
① Matters related to resource circulation, such as the promotion of horizontal recycling of plastic bottles
② Matters related to industrial promotion utilizing underutilized resources
③ Matters related to the promotion of environmental education
④ Other initiatives aimed at promoting regional revitalization
At the signing ceremony, President Uchida expressed his aspirations, stating, “We aim to leverage the knowledge possessed by Kochi University and our educational and research activities conducted in collaboration with the local community to promote regional revitalization in Kochi Prefecture and foster the development of all three parties.”
