Faculty and Instructors
QREC core teachers
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Director, Robert T. Huang Entrepreneurship Center of Kyushu UniversityProfessor, Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of EconomicsMegumi Takata
- Core Competence Management (Advanced)
- Idea Evaluation (Advanced)
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Deputy Director, Robert T. Huang Entrepreneurship Center of Kyushu UniversityProfessor, Intellectual Property and Venture Creation Group, Academic Research and Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Division
Shingo Igarashi
- Introduction to Entrepreneurship (Spring and Fall Semesters)
- Idea Lab I
- Global Seminar (English)
- Lean Startup Exercise (Advanced)
- Lean Startup Exercise I
- Lean Startup Exercise II
- Entrepreneurship in Technology (Advanced)
- Entrepreneurial Intention
- QREC Internship
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Professor, Strategic Design Course, Department of Design, Graduate School of Design, Kyushu University
Yasuyuki Hirai
- Design Thinking Exercise
- Lean Startup Exercise (Advanced)
- Lean Startup Exercise I
- Lean Startup Exercise II
- Global PBL Program
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Professor, Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Group, Academic Research and Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Division, Kyushu University
Yuichi Harada
- Advanced Lecture in Research Skills Development (English)
- Innovation Management
- Introduction to Practical Data Science
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Professor, Department of Industrial Management, Graduate School of Economics, Kyushu University
Takehiko Ogi
- industrial ethics
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Associate Professor, Intellectual Property and Venture Creation Group, Academic Research and Industry-University-Government Collaboration Division, Kyushu University
Kosuke Kaneko
- Technology Marketing Game (spring and fall semesters)
- Self-discovery for career design (spring and winter semesters)
- Digital Fabrication Tutorial
- Digital Fabrication with Design Thinking (Design Thinking Engineering Exercise)
- Co-creation Practice with Industry on Ideathon / Hackathon
- Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
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Assistant Professor, Robert T. Huang Entrepreneurship Center of Kyushu University
Yuka Watanabe
- Entrepreneurship and Career Design
- Technology Marketing Game (Summer Semester)
- Technology Marketing Game (English)
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Assistant Professor, Robert T. Huang Entrepreneurship Center of Kyushu University
Nergui Enkhzaya
- Entrepreneurship and Organization Theory Basics
- Entrepreneurship and Strategy Basics
Megumi Takata（ Megumi Takata ）
career
After graduating from Kyushu University, he worked for a major manufacturer. After completing his master’s degree at the Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, he worked as a consultant and then as Executive Vice President and COO of a technology transfer organization (currently TLO of the University of Tokyo) before assuming his current position. In 2009, he was a visiting researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. He was a visiting scholar at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in the U.S. in 2009 and participated in the establishment of QREC, where he has also served since 2010. RTTP(Registered Technology Transfer Professional).
Message to Students
Entrepreneurship is a challenge to the status quo. If we spend our days idly, the landscape is the same as it was yesterday, but if we look carefully and with a sharp mind, we will find that it is full of opportunities. We hope that through your studies and activities at QREC, you will acquire the knowledge and the ability to identify and seize opportunities and create a fulfilling life for yourselves.
Subject in charge
Research Activities
Industry-academia collaboration management, Management of Technology (MOT), Entrepreneurship
Shingo Igarashi（Shingo Igarashi）
career
Graduated from Otaru University of Commerce in 1983 and received his MBA from the Graduate School of Business Sciences, University of Tsukuba in 2005. During his tenure at the bank, he was involved in identifying, screening, and supporting the growth of high-tech startups, and has supported more than 300 startups. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Network for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship Education in Universities and Graduate Schools (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), and has a deep knowledge of entrepreneurship education. He is currently a board member of the Japan Venture Association.
Message to Students
It is no exaggeration to say that how many different things you can experience during your school years will determine the rest of your life. Now that you have nothing to lose, you can sincerely try various things. You will learn much more from your failures than your successes. “Take an action, change the world”, and give it a try at QREC. You only live once, so let’s make every moment of it a fulfilling one.
Subject in charge
Research Activities
Entrepreneurship, Management Strategy
Yasuyuki Hirai（Yasuyuki Hirai）
career
Graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts in 1983, and received his MFA from Royal College of Art, UK in 1991 (MPhil.). After working for Kokuyo Corporation and IDEO, he joined Kyushu University in 2000. He has been involved in office design and product development as a designer. Since 2003, he has been working on inclusive design, an approach to social innovation, and has also been involved in design thinking based on his experience at IDEO.
Message to Students
Many people hear the word “design” and think it has nothing to do with them, or that they are interested but not able to do it. Design Thinking is an approach that aims for social change through the discovery of issues and the development of solutions not only by designers, but also by a diverse group of us working together. Observe and record your own problems and the things you notice in your daily life that seem strange. Start thinking from your own perspective. That is the beginning of Design Thinking.
Subject in charge
Research Activities
Interior design, office design, manufacturing design, inclusive design
Yuichi Harada（Yuichi Harada）
career
After obtaining a degree in electronic systems from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1991, he submitted a proposal to Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden to research single-electron devices that would form the basis of superconducting quantum computers, and was accepted and moved to Gothenburg, Sweden. Based on the results obtained there, he moved to the Research Institute of Japan Electronics Telephone Co., Ltd. to pursue research, but when NTT was split up and reorganized, he moved to the International Business Department, where he handled large-scale M&A. Afterwards, he returned to the research institute and proceeded with the establishment of the NTT European Research Institute to research bionanotechnology at the University of Oxford, and was transferred to London to get the research institute back on track. In 2015, he took up a position at the Kyushu University Industry-Academia Collaboration Center (currently the Global Innovation Center), where he launched new research projects based on the newly devised open innovation KOINE and gave practical lectures on research techniques to produce excellent research results. In charge of
Message to Students
Entrepreneurship is not only about starting a business. The core of entrepreneurship education is to learn how to lead a fulfilling social life. In my lectures, I will discuss with you how to successfully conduct research in English and Japanese. I will also teach you the rudiments of data science, which will be the foundation of society in the future. I hope that you will be able to play an active role in the global society.
Subject in charge
Research Activities
Nanoscience, Nanotechnology, International Industry-University Collaboration, Technology Management
Takehiko Ogi（Takehiko Ogi）
career
Born in Tokyo in 1961. Lived in Saga Prefecture until his grandfather’s generation. Started his working life at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), where he was in charge of venture support policies. At the age of 35, he moved to the private sector and served as President and Representative Director of Tsutaya Online, Representative Director and Managing Director of Culture Convenience Club, President and Representative Executive Officer of Kanebo, President and Representative Director of Maruzen (currently Maruzen CHI Holdings, Inc.), President and Representative Director of the Japan Human Resources Development Organization. He has also served as President and Representative Director of the Japan Human Resources Organization.
Always involved in the forefront of corporate and social change.
B.A. in Law, University of Tokyo; M.A. in International Relations, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University; Ph.D. in Economics, Graduate School of Economics, University of Tokyo
Book “The Law of Decline: The Silent Killer Eroding Japanese Companies” (Toyo Keizai Inc.)
Message to Students
Please experience the excitement and enjoyment of putting your “true heart and soul” into it while you are still a student. You will surely understand the meaning of this when you enter the workforce.
Subject in charge
Research Activities
Business Administration
Kosuke Kaneko（Kosuke Kaneko）
career
Graduated from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University in 2006. In 2008 he completed his master’s program at Kyushu University Graduate School of Systems and Information Science. In 2014, he received his PhD from Kyushu University Graduate School of Systems and Information Science.
Started a software development club when he was an undergraduate student at university. Later, while he was in his doctoral course, he and his laboratory mates commercialized the activities of the circle and developed various products together with local companies. In addition, he hosted a number of ideathons and hackathons with the aim of creating an environment where local engineers and creators can co-create. In 2014, he became an assistant professor at the Teaching Materials Development Center of the Kyushu University Library, where he engages in research in educational technology. In 2016, he became an associate professor at the Fujitsu Specialist Training and Research Department at the Kyushu University Cyber Security Center, where he engages in security human resource development and research. He has assumed his current position since 2021.
Message to Students
We are living in an era called VUCA, where society is changing rapidly and the future outlook is uncertain. In order to survive in such an era, the abilities that entrepreneurs have traditionally possessed, such as “a spirit of challenge without fear of failure,” “an indomitable spirit to overcome difficulties,” “the ability to flexibly adapt to changes in society,” and “the ability to create new value,” are now required not only for entrepreneurs but for all of us living in modern society. Entrepreneurship education at QREC is not just about training entrepreneurs; it is also about cultivating the “ability to survive in society” in the broadest sense of the word. We hope that through QREC’s lectures, you will build the foundation of your ability to survive in today’s society.
Subject in charge
Research Activities
Information Science, Educational Technology
Yuka Watanabe（Yuka Watanabe）
career
MBA from Kyushu University, Graduate School of Economics, Department of Industrial Management, and studied at Taiwan Normal University.
After working in the Semiconductor Marketing Division of NEC Corporation, the Sales & Marketing Division of Pasona Taiwan and Pasona Asia (HK) Tokyo Branch, and the Property Management Division of Kowa Real Estate Co., Ltd.
Message to Students
I spent four years in the Asian region competing for global technical and management talent. In order to increase one’s value in the globalized labor market, it is important not only to deepen one’s expertise, but also to acquire entrepreneurship, leadership, communication skills, business knowledge, and language skills such as English to complement these skills. At Kyushu University, students can deepen their expertise through studies within their majors and learn complementary elements through programs such as QREC. I hope that students will actively take advantage of these opportunities.
Subject in charge
Research Activities
Entrepreneurship
Nergui Enkhzaya（Nergui Enkhzaya）
career
She graduated from the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, National University of Mongolia in 2012.
Completed the Department of International Management (IMBA), Graduate School of Business Administration, I-Shou University, Taiwan in 2014.
Received doctoral degree from the Graduate School of Economics, Hokkaido University in 2021.
In 2021, she became an assistant professor at the Faculty of General Management, Aomori University. She has assumed her current position since 2022.
Message to Students
Life is like climbing a mountain, and each person has his or her own way to the top. Even if things go wrong or negative things happen along the way, there is always room for any number of opportunities. Believe in yourself and take on challenges at any time.
Subject in charge
Research Activities
Entrepreneurship
QREC Instructors
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Professor, College of Business Administration, Ritsumeikan University
Masaki Kuroki
- PhD. (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)
Specialty: Venture Business Theory, Entrepreneurship Theory
Research Topic: “Research and Analysis of Social Infrastructure for Entrepreneur and Venture Business Development” - Applied Entrepreneurship Organization
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Visiting Professor, Robert T. Huang Entrepreneurship Center of Kyushu UniversityPresident and CEO, 39 Drug Co., Ltd.
Kenji Hirano
- Entrepreneurship Marketing Application
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Visiting Professor, Robert T. Huang Entrepreneurship Center of Kyushu UniversitySenior Managing Executive Officer, Senior Partner, Dentsu Consulting Inc.
Masataka Sugimoto
- New Business Creation
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Associate Professor, Faculty of Commerce, Fukuoka University
Tsutomu Tobita
- Basic Entrepreneurship Marketing
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Representative Director, YOUI Co.
Yui Haraguchi
- Idea Lab II
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Representative Director, Jicou, Inc.
Kazushige Hirata
- Self-discovery for career design
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Executive Vice President, Slogan Inc.Certified Public Accountant, Certified Tax AccountantKitagawa Hironori
- Venture Finance
Masaki Kuroki（Masaki Kuroki ）
career
In 1986, he moved to the U.S. to establish a business in the United States, a leading country in establishing a social infrastructure to support entrepreneurship. PhD. in Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, from 1995 to March 1999. Appointed as a member of the Advisory Board of the Network for the Promotion of University and Graduate School Entrepreneurship Education, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry from 2008 to 2015; Member of the Working Team for Regional Employment Development Support, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare from March 2013 to March 2021; Established OHMI Regional Co-Creation Center as a general incorporated association (Vice President) in 2018.
Message to Students
In the early 1990s, I taught at a university in Nebraska and had discussions with many American students. In my discussions, I found that Japanese students were weak in “the ability to live as individuals” in comparison to American and Japanese students. In the global society of the 21st century, we need to be aware of our own responsibility, and to be strong as individuals even if we do not belong to an organization. In the global society of the 21st century, it is important to be aware of one’s own responsibility and to have entrepreneurial skills to survive as an individual without belonging to an organization.
Subject in charge
Kenji Hirano（Kenji Hirano）
career
Born on May 28, 1959
March 1982 Graduated from Hitotsubashi University, Faculty of Commerce (majoring in accounting)
MBA in Marketing, San Francisco State University, January 1985
July 2003 Appointed Representative Director of 39 Drug Co., Ltd.
Apr. 2012: Appointed as Representative Director of Segment of One & Only Co.
Appointed as Director of the Japan Insurance Pharmacy Association, April 2014
June 2015 MCEI Executive of the Year 2014-15 Award
Book What I want to tell you who will work in drugstores and pharmacies in the future (2011)
Message to Students
I could not get used to Japanese universities where “professors talk and students listen,” “students read books and write papers” – I came to life when I was exposed to the interactive style of the MBA program. Basic knowledge is of course necessary, but practical learning is only possible when you apply it to business, which is only possible when you think and move people around. In my classes, I will train you through seamless thinking, speaking, and answering, including exercises. I will be happy if you enjoy it.
Subject in charge
Masataka Sugimoto（Masataka Sugimoto）
career
After graduating from the Faculty of Policy Studies at Keio University, he worked for a major railroad company, where he launched several new businesses in the corporate planning department. In March 2010, he graduated from the Graduate School of Economics, Kyushu University with a degree in industrial management (business school). He then moved to PwC Consulting LLC, where he established and managed the Regional Development Team, which focuses on regional revitalization nationwide, and the Fukuoka Office, which is in charge of the Kyushu and Okinawa regions. In his current position at the Dentsu Group, he is working to increase the value of a strategy consulting firm whose core areas are growth strategy, new business, marketing, and branding.
He has lectured at Japan Department Stores Association and business seminars, and has served as a judge for business plan contests, Startup Weekend coach, local government business improvement person, and many others. He is a certified small and medium enterprise diagnostician and a first-class financial planning technician. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
Message to Students
While megatrends are rapidly changing on a global scale, such as the borderless global economy, the convergence of real and virtual channels, and the shift to a digitally smart society, new business opportunities and entrepreneurial opportunities are emerging in response to the rise of emerging economies and changing consumption styles. In these turbulent times of increasing uncertainty, we want to produce human resources who can take a global and local perspective and become “entrepreneurs” who can solve social issues on their own. To this end, we will provide “passionate” lectures based on our experience as a consulting firm with the world’s largest network!
Subject in charge
Tsutomu Tobita（Tsutomu Tobita）
career
He specializes in managerial accounting and financial management. In particular, he studies management accounting practices of small and medium enterprises and start-up companies. In his undergraduate seminar, he actively promotes entrepreneurship education and provides practical education such as the “Start-up Experience Program,” which is the same as QREC’s entrepreneurship experience program, and the “Project to Solve Social Issues through Business,” which spans one year of the junior year.
Message to Students
Take on many challenges during your four years as a student. You will be lucky if you succeed, and if you fail, it will not be a big hurt. Your experiences as a student are valuable things that you will recall in 20 years or even 30 years, if anything ever happens to you. We will strive to provide classes that will give you the opportunity to “always be positive,” “assess risks and opportunities,” and “create your own life” by learning about entrepreneurship.
Subject in charge
Yui Haraguchi（Yui Haraguchi）
career
After graduating from Kyushu University in 2011 with a degree in Design Strategy from the Faculty of Design, she worked for an urban development consulting firm and a municipal government think tank before founding YOUI Inc. in 2017.
Her goal is to maximize the attractiveness of people and cities through the design and management of projects that involve the efforts of diverse actors. Her activities are diverse, including serving as director of the Omuta Future Co-Creation Center, a general incorporated association; president of Bizdone Corporation; and director in charge of social impact evaluation at Education A-Cube, a certified non-profit organization.
Message to Students
In our complex world of VUCA, we are in a situation that demands such dynamic and constant change that we are not in a stopped target shooting attitude of “this is the right thing to do,” but rather like catching a leaping beast.
In such an environment, trying to bring about social change can be difficult, and it can feel like one person cannot do anything on his or her own. However, the beginning of change comes from the action of just one person. I believe that entrepreneurship is the power to take that first step. Let’s learn how to demonstrate entrepreneurship together.
Subject in charge
Kazushige Hirata（Kazushige Hirata）
career
Born in 1991 in Kanagawa Prefecture. Graduated from the School of Social Sciences at Waseda University. Joined Benesse Corporation as a new graduate. In 2017, he joined Indeed Japan K.K., where he provided consulting services to educational institutions in the Kyushu area and conducted numerous training programs and lectures for educators. He opened a Fukuoka office at Reapra Japan, where he is engaged in investment and hands-on support for entrepreneurs.
In 2021, he founded Jicou, Inc. with the mission of “creating a society in which all adults can continue to explore the richness of their own colors. Currently, he is developing a career support business for salespeople called “Corporate Sales Career Change Navi”.
Message to Students
In this lecture, we will explore your past experiences and the struggles and doubts you face in your daily university life, and explore the “character” that lies behind them.
There is no need to compare yourself to anyone else. There is no answer. Any answer is fine.
Through trial and error, let’s all search for our own “character.”
That is the beginning of entrepreneurship.
Subject in charge
Kitagawa Hironori（Kitagawa Hironori）
career
He joined Slogan Inc. as an intern in 2008 while a student at Meiji University’s School of Business Administration, where he was engaged in business management operations centered on finance and accounting during the start-up period for approximately three and a half years. In July 2015, he returned to Slogan Inc. and became Executive Officer and CFO in 2016. At Slogan Corporation, he was responsible for leading the company’s listing on the TSE Mothers (now Growth) in November 2021. He oversees a wide range of areas including accounting, finance, legal, labor relations, general affairs, risk management, corporate planning, public relations and PR, investor relations, internal audit, and internal control. He has served as an active and practicing faculty member of the Graduate School of Management, Globis University, and was appointed Executive Vice President in March 2023 (current position).
Message to Students
“Finance” is a very vast world. In this course, I will explain the relationship between finance and venture companies, interweaving my experience and the research and practice I have been accumulating at the forefront of the field, in the hope that it will be a useful learning experience for you after you enter society.
I also believe that accounting, which is closely related to finance, is one of the most important languages for measuring value in this world, and is a very attractive area in the future society, where it is necessary to create new relationships between people and organizations and finance and accounting.
We hope that by learning practical finance together that will be useful even after you enter the workforce, we can contribute to unlocking your future potential. Let’s enjoy learning together!