SA国际传媒

Interview and text: Megumi Maruyama (URA, Planning and Project Development Division, Academic Research & Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration)

Research alone cannot change reality — nor can researchers do it alone.

That is where University Research Administrators (URAs) in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Office (IE Office) come in, supporting the social implementation of research outcomes from a business perspective.

This article features Arisa Kawashima, a Designated Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Medicine whose commitment to palliative care grew out of challenges she encountered in clinical nursing, alongside Kana Shimizu, Lead Research Administrator, who supports her entrepreneurial journey.

The two met through a startup support program. Their conversation explores what it means to transform deeply held social concerns into real-world impact.

── To begin, how would you describe palliative care?

Kawashima: Palliative care focuses on relieving physical and emotional suffering. Its goal is to support patients’ quality of life throughout the course of illness. It can begin at diagnosis and be provided alongside curative treatment.

── What led you to pursue palliative care as a research field?

Kawashima: It stems from my experience as a nurse. I once cared for a patient with renal failure who chose not to undergo dialysis. As the condition worsened, severe swelling made it impossible to lie down to sleep. Because this patient did not have cancer, access to palliative care was denied under Japan’s insurance system, which primarily covers cancer patients. I found this deeply unjust. Palliative care, I felt, should also be available to non-cancer patients—and changing the system would require research.

── You shifted from nursing to research. What led you toward entrepreneurship?

Kawashima: I realized that research alone cannot make a difference without social implementation. To spread palliative care, research outcomes must become services. An entrepreneurship course I took in graduate school through the  (AI-MAILs) led me to explore a business model combining AI with online medical care.

── Palliative care through digital technology — could you explain the idea in more detail?

Kawashima: The idea is to use AI to identify patients who may need palliative care and connect them with specialists. It is often difficult — even for healthcare professionals, patients, or families — to determine when palliative care is appropriate, and AI could help detect those signals from patient data. With only about 340 certified palliative care physicians in Japan, most concentrated in urban areas, online consultations may help reduce regional disparities, even if only partially (as of July 2025).

── What kind of support has made this possible?

Shimizu: Our support began in the fall of 2024, when Dr. Kawashima was considering applying for .

The GAP Fund Program is a startup support scheme promoted by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to bridge the “gap” between research and social implementation. In the Tokai region, the program is operated by the Platform, a consortium of 16 universities and research institutions. The program consists of Step 1, which focuses on applied research to validate the potential of research outcomes, and Step 2, which emphasizes proof of concept and startup formation.

Kawashima:?Yes — you also came to Tsurumai Campus to explain the program.

Shimizu: Before applying for the GAP Fund, participants go through a preliminary program to validate their ideas. Each applicant is then paired with a URA for support. Because of my experience with online medical services, I was assigned to support Dr. Kawashima.

Kawashima: In the training, we learned from external instructors how to develop business ideas, conduct basic hypothesis testing, and build business models.

Shimizu: URAs provide support from the early training stage. Following the review process, , and full-scale support began in April 2025.

── It has been about six months since receiving the GAP Fund. Where do things stand now?

Kawashima: After being selected, I took part in additional training on legal matters, startup procedures, and finance. In addition, Ms. Shimizu has connected me with people from a wide range of industries.

Shimizu: Medical services like palliative care are particularly challenging as businesses. I believe the key is to combine different perspectives. Drawing on my previous network, I have introduced Dr. Kawashima to people in financial institutions and corporate HR departments and arranged meetings.

── What kinds of synergies do you expect from those connections?

Shimizu: Financial institutions have extensive experience with healthcare startups and may offer insights into delivering social value. Corporate HR departments may see how ideas from palliative care could support employee well-being.

Kawashima: Through these discussions, I realized that monetization would be difficult with my initial business model. I’m now in the process of reconsidering the direction.

── It sounds like your support has played a key role.

Shimizu: My approach is to explore possibilities together with researchers and do what I can along the way. Dr. Kawashima prepares thoroughly for each meeting and absorbs feedback with a positive attitude. That mindset has been a major force in refining the business plan.

Kawashima: My goal is not to build my own career, but to create a society where fewer people suffer. Research and entrepreneurship are just tools to achieve that goal. Ms. Shimizu understands this and supports me on a personal level as well. Having a female supporter in a male-dominated field is incredibly reassuring.

Shimizu: Entrepreneurship can be lonely, and the startup world does not always fit well with family life or childcare. I want to show that women raising children can still take on challenges. That belief stays with me in this work.

Medicine and business. Research and society.
This article explores the challenge of bringing deeply held values into practice. The Innovation & Entrepreneurship Promotion Office supports this journey through a range of programs, with URAs standing alongside researchers as they take their next steps.