Students' Voices - idea

School of Interdisciplinary Science and Innovation B3

Kim Ike Removal

For those who want to create new value beyond the boundaries - Learning and challenging yourself at QREC is a step toward growth.

Course History

• Introduction to Entrepreneurship (2022)
• Global Seminar (English) (2022)
• Co-creation Practice with Industry on Ideathon / Hackathon (2022)
• Entrepreneurial Experience Program (QSHOP) (2022)
• Self-Discovery for Career Design（2023）
• Digital Crafting Applications (2023)
• Acceleration Program (2023)
• Venture Life Challenge (2023)
• Lean Startup Exercise (2024)
• Global PBL Program (2024)

Comment

I took the class because I was looking for practical learning. Many school classes were theoretical and I had no opportunity to apply them in my daily life after the class, thus my interest waned. through QREC’s classes, I developed a trial-and-error attitude. After recognizing the current level of myself and my team and setting a direction, I was able to learn the process of repeatedly making improvements through the feedback I received as we set specific goals and proceeded, which became a useful attitude even after the class ended, not just in work, but in life as well. Of course, in terms of skills, I learned accounting knowledge from the “QSHOP,” design thinking to create products from the user’s perspective from the “Lean Startup Exercise,” and implementation skills to make ideas tangible from the “Acceleration Program. I highly recommend QREC’s classes and programs to anyone who wants to step out of the existing framework and create new value at university!

Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, M2

Tatsuya Ogawa

Let's all get our hands moving “for now” to give shape to our ideas!

Course History

• Basic Entrepreneurship Organization Science (2020)
• Basic Entrepreneurship Strategic Theory (2020)
• Idea Battle 2nd (2020)
• Challenge & Creation (2021)
• Idea Battle 1st (2022) *3
• Idea Battle 2nd (2022)
• Idea battle 1st（2023）
• Idea Battle 2nd (2023)
• Challenge & Creation (2024) *Excellence Award

Comment

As you can see from the programs I have participated in so far, my college life has been immersed in QREC’s entrepreneurship education.
It all started in the fall of my sophomore year of undergraduate school. My friends and I were thinking about how many interesting things we could do with the millions of dollars we had received from a scholarship program on campus, when a poster for an Idea Battle caught our attention.
At the time, I didn’t even really understand what QREC was, and the few QREC courses I took were taken without knowing they were QREC courses. Naturally, I was applying for the grant. However, in retrospect, I was very fortunate to have a mentor who provided me with a lot of support, knowledge, and experience. Although my mentor was with me for only six months, he has continued to be a longtime friend, serving as an advisor to a research group I founded and helping me expand a business I started.
When you pick up a QREC brochure, what catches your eye are the grants of 100,000 yen and 500,000 yen! However, I think you will realize the value of the experience of “giving shape to an idea” by actually working with your hands.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the professors and staff of QREC and the Kyushu University Foundation for their generous support until the very end of my graduate studies.
Let’s all get our hands dirty “for now” to give shape to our ideas.

School of Economics, Department of Economy, B3

Haruki Hayashi

I was assisted in breaking through barriers at the beginning of the project.

Course History

• Challenge & Creation (2024) *Excellence Award
• Acceleration Program (2024)

Comment

I was assisted by QREC in breaking through barriers in the initial phase of my project.
I first became aware of QREC through a senior entrepreneur who provided me with information as I was conducting various research in preparation for starting my own business. At the end of my sophomore year, I took a year off from school to work for a venture company that supported improvement activities in the manufacturing industry, working on a wide range of tasks from sensor development to data application. When I returned to school the following year, I wanted to do something that would make use of my experience since I was able to spend time as a student with a year of working experience in the industry. It was during this time that I learned about QREC and my idea was selected for the Challenge & Creation (C&C) program, which was followed by the Acceleration Program.
In addition to funding, QREC’s various programs provide support in the form of mentors who are knowledgeable in the field of the project. For me personally, this was very important, as I was able to understand the real needs and challenges of the actual clientele, which gave me a great basis for my project’s direction. I still go to my mentor’s office two days a week to verify that the system we developed meets their expectations. While it is very important to find clients who are willing to cooperate with us in the early stages of a project, it is also a matter of luck whether or not we can actually find such people, given that we have no track record of success. In this sense, we believe that the support we can receive in the name of QREC, especially in the early stages of the project, will be more valuable than monetary support.

Faculty of Agriculture, B2

MATSUGI RYUTARO

I am confident that what I learn here will serve me well for a long time to come

Course History

• Introduction to Entrepreneurship (Spring) (2023)
• Ideas Lab I (2023)
• Self-Inquiry Studies for Careers (2nd semester) (2023)
• Idea Battle（2023）
• Global Seminar (English) (2024)
• Basic Entrepreneurship Organization Science (2024)

Comment

Entrepreneurship does not equal entrepreneurship.”
This was the first thing that was communicated to me in the QREC lectures and the biggest thing I learned in the lectures.
I believe that entrepreneurship is about taking ownership of your life. I think that the QREC lectures are always structured around that entrepreneurship. Therefore, every time I attend a lecture, I am confronted with myself.
Among the many lectures, I especially recommend the “Introduction to Entrepreneurship” course. This lecture provides an opportunity to objectively analyze how one’s inner self has been formed and to think about various things from different perspectives. I am convinced that the ideas learned or acquired in these lectures will be useful for a long time to come.
QREC offers not only lectures, but also a system that financially and cooperatively supports students’ challenges and aspirations. Thanks to this opportunity, I have been able to pursue my own interests.
I hope you will take full advantage of QREC and learn a lot from it!

Faculty of Engineering, B3

Sakoguchi Koki

Very good as a first step in starting something you are interested in.

Course History

• Co-creation Practice with Industry on Ideathon / Hackathon（2023）
• Technology Marketing Gaming (2024)
• Digital Fabrication Tutorial (2024)
• Idea Battle 2nd (2024)

Comment

The classes in my major department were mostly classroom lectures in specialized fields, so I decided to take the practical QREC classes. All of the classes are friendly to first-time students and are a very good first step in starting something you are interested in. Also, in the Idea Battle, the idea we had when it was accepted did not work out, and after mentoring, we changed our idea several times. In the end, we only created part of the product and did not complete it, but we were able to learn how to think in a social problem-based manner without being limited by what we had learned at QREC or in our major classes.

Faculty of Engineering B4

MANABE Shotaro

The practical skills I have gained here have been of great help not only in my business and research, but also in my daily life and relationships.

Course History

• Technology Marketing Game（2023）
• Challenge&Creation (2024)
• Acceleration Program (2024)

Comment

I first became interested in business and entrepreneurship when I took a course at QREC, “The Technology Marketing Game,” which I took lightly and found more interesting than I had expected. I was then selected for the Challenge & Creation (C&C) and Acceleration Programs, which gave me the opportunity to experience many hands-on opportunities.
The most impressive of all was the learning I gained through design thinking. I was able to learn the process of uncovering issues that users themselves were unaware of and finding solutions in a practical way through repeated failures. The ability to verbalize issues, which I developed through this process, has been a great help not only in my business and research, but also in my daily life and relationships.
I recommend the QREC Acceleration Program. In this program, you will learn through lectures and workshops the general flow of the process up to proof of concept. You will also receive valuable feedback on your ideas from a diverse group of people, including entrepreneurs and investors.

Graduate School of Design M1

Kenta Motoyashiki

Abundant opportunities to gain diverse perspectives and valuable experiences gained through interactions

Course History

• Entrepreneurship Career Design (Student Comittee Member) (2021)
• Lean Startup (3-year TA)
• Challenge & Creation (2021)* Grand Prize
• Challenge & Creation (2022) *Excellence Award

Comment

My motivation for applying to Challenge & Creation (C&C) was my goal of competing in iGEM, an international synthetic biology competition. However, I was shocked to hear during the C&C selection process that “it is not enough to perform well in the competition.” In C&C, we must always be aware of how much impact we can have on society, whether we really need it now, and whether our experiments have become mere tricks. We had a very great responsibility for the funds we were allowed to use, especially in terms of considering the people who had “financed” our activities. In this sense, I felt that C&C is different from mere support for students, and that it is a place that requires meaningful activities. If you want to know more about QREC, I recommend the Entrepreneurship and Career Design course that I was involved in administering. The course is a great way to learn what you need to know right now.

School of Interdisciplinary Science and Innovation B3

UEKOBA CHIHIRO

Here, “connections with people” become a powerful asset.

Course History

• Introduction to Entrepreneurship（2024）
• Idea Lab Ⅰ（2024）
• Idea Battle (2024)
• Design Thinking Project（2025）
• Entrepreneurship Organization（2025）

Comment

The reason I applied to Idea Battle was that while preparing “Q-DELIVERY,” an online grocery service for students living near the Ito Campus, I wanted to receive objective advice on the business from university professors and adults with practical experience.
In student entrepreneurship, it’s not uncommon for projects with brilliant insights to remain stuck at the “idea stage” without being realized. However, through the Idea Battle I recommend, you can overcome these barriers with strong mentor support, significantly advancing your concept from mere conception to implementation.
My experience at QREC made me keenly aware that while accumulating knowledge through lectures is important, it’s equally vital for students to roll up their sleeves, take action, and boldly introduce their ideas to society without fearing risk. The feedback and experience gained from having people actually use your service far surpasses any theoretical knowledge gained from textbooks.
When implementing ideas and creating services that solve societal issues, the “connections with people” made here become a powerful asset. I encourage you all to take that first step toward bringing your ideas to life.

Faculty of Engineering B4

Akamichi Kota

I strongly feel that I should have joined sooner.

Course History

• Technology Marketing Game (2025)
• Tech Bootcamp（2025）

Comment

I had never participated in a QREC program before, and this was my first time attending the Tech Bootcamp as a senior in college.
Looking back now, I strongly feel that I should have joined much earlier.
The Tech Bootcamp brought together highly passionate Kyushu University students, and interacting with them provided a valuable opportunity to view myself objectively and gain inspiration.
By encountering skills and perspectives different from those I encounter in my daily school life or in external communities, I was able to reevaluate my own position, identify my shortcomings, and recognize my biases.
Furthermore, during each session, I received sincere advice from people I would never have had the chance to meet in my regular student life, which led to some meaningful connections. Having an environment where I could share my ideas and progress and receive feedback made me feel much more focused than when I was working alone, and I feel it brought a pleasant sense of tension and rhythm to my daily activities.