Mr. Moana Kitamura
Hokkaido University Faculty of Fisheries Department of Marine Science and Resources Student
Floatmeal CEO

Born in New Zealand to Japanese parents and raised in Australia. After graduating from Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School, he entered the Faculty of Fisheries at Hokkaido University. The word "moana" means "sea" in the language of the Maori people of New Zealand. While studying about the ocean in Hokkaido, which she had longed to visit, she became interested in environmental issues. Together with a group of friends he met at university, he decided to start a business to develop the next generation of food resources.

Mr. Kamal Shubro Sajjad
Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University
Floatmeal CSO

Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He holds two master's degrees in microbiology and environmental science. D. program at Hokkaido University as a Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship student. He is working on the development of low-carbon technologies. Together with team members he met at the university, he founded Floatmeal, a cleantech startup that reduces carbon emissions in the food system.

Tomoaki Hitani
Group Leader, Corporate Planning Group, Business Planning Department, Air Water Hokkaido Inc.

He joined Air Water Energy Inc. in April 2009 as a mid-career employee.
Engaged in energy sales and marketing alliance business and development of new energy-related products.
In September 2021, he started a new business, the land-based salmon aquaculture business [Morino Salmon Project], at his current department.
In August 2022, concluded a comprehensive regional partnership agreement with Higashikagura Town and started construction of a test plant in September (scheduled to be completed in April 2023).
Up to present.

Mr. Shinji Yamada
Challenge Field Hokkaido Area Coordinator

D. (Materials Science), Graduate School of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, USA. D. in Materials Science from the University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A. He was engaged in materials-related research and development, including materials nanotechnology and next-generation batteries, at the Research and Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd. In 2016, he opened four joint research centers in Japan, including Hokkaido University, to promote industry-academia collaboration for social innovation. He also serves as a judge for SCORE, START, and NoMaps Dream Pitch. Currently, he is the general area coordinator of "Challenge Field Hokkaido," a project to create an industry-academia fusion center under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

Moderator.
Yoshifumi Kawana
General Manager, Research and Development Division, Liverness Inc.
Director, Agronome Research Institute, Inc.

D. in Environmental Studies from the Graduate School of Environment and Information Studies, Yokohama National University. lecturer at Yokohama National University VBL since 2008, representative of LD Factory, Inc. and director of Mylops, Inc. director of Rivanes Regional Development Division since November 2014 and of Agronome Research Institute, Inc. since 2017. and is currently the General Manager of the Research and Development Division of Rivanes, Inc. He is involved in launching new businesses related to agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, including plant factory business, food and beverage business, and agri-tech venture support.

Shinya Kobayashi
Representative Director, Farm Note Holdings Co.

Born in Obihiro City, Hokkaido in 1979. After graduating from Asahikawa College of Technology, he joined a machinery parts trading company. 2004 founded SKYARC SYSTEMS Ltd. in Obihiro City (currently SKYARC Inc., shares transferred to Future Spirits Inc. in April 2021). 2013 founded Farm Note Co. In 2020, he received the 8th Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award, Prime Minister's Prize, and also founded Farm Note Dairy Platform Inc. which realizes DX dairy production on its own farm.

Kazuo Miyashita
Specially Appointed Professor, Center for Industry-Academia Collaboration, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

Born in Nagano Prefecture. After spending 11 years as a university student in Sendai (Faculty of Agriculture, Tohoku University), he spent 34 years as a university teacher in Hakodate (Faculty of Fisheries, Hokkaido University). After that, he moved to Obihiro, where he has been conducting research and development on the effective use of resources without placing a burden on the environment based on a fusion of agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries science, making the most of his experience at Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine.

Yuta Kato
Senior Researcher, Soil, Water and Air Research Institute, Kankyo Daizen Co.

After completing his graduate studies in Bio-Environmental Chemistry at the Graduate School of Engineering, Kitami Institute of Technology, he joined Kankyo Daizen Corporation in 2018. After joining the company, he established a research and development department, strengthened cooperation with local universities and various research institutions, and opened a joint research course within the Kitami Institute of Technology in June 2020. He is also engaged in improving bovine urine microbial treatment technology and strengthening the scientific basis and intellectual property acquisition for his company's products. Currently, he is attempting to establish a new way to use cow urine and aims to expand the upcycling circulation system.

Masahiro Tokumura
Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Life Science, Faculty of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Shizuoka

D. in Biotechnology and Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Toyo University. D. in Biotechnology and Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Toyo University. D. in Biotechnology and Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Toyo University. His research interests include the development of efficient wastewater and flue gas treatment technologies, and the development of methods to reduce the risk of environmental pollutants efficiently while comprehensively assessing the risk. He has received the Kurita Award for Excellence in Water and Environmental Science Research, the Best Paper Award from the Society of Environmental Science, Japan, the Encouragement Award from the Society of Environmental Science, Japan, the Best Paper Award from the Society of Indoor Environmental Science, Japan, and the Award for Encouragement of Doctoral Research from the Japan Society of Water Environment Sciences, Japan.

Kenichi Takeda
Associate Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University

Graduated from the Department of Animal Husbandry, Nippon Veterinary and Livestock University, and completed the doctoral course at the Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University.　After working as a research assistant and assistant professor at the Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, he assumed his current position. During this time, he also served as a visiting researcher at the Yamanashi Prefectural Dairy Experiment Station and at the Toyama Prefectural Livestock Breeding Research Institute. He has been engaged in research on the development of animal welfare (AW) management technology for livestock and light labor-intensive grazing management technology. From 2021 to 2003, he served as the research director of "Development of AW-responsive rearing technology for dairy and beef cattle using smart technology. Outside of the university, he was a member of the ISO/TC34/WG16 AW experts group and a member of the committee for the study of feeding management guidelines for dairy cattle. He also served as a member of the ISO/TC34/WG16AW Expert Group, a member of the ISO/TC34/WG16AW Committee, a chairperson of the Yamanashi AW Certification System Study Council, and a member of the Round Table Expert Group on "Symbiosis with Animals" of Ajinomoto Co.

Moderator.
Jyo Inoue
CKO, President and Representative Director, Riverness, Inc.

D., Pharmacist, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, founded REVANES in 2002 with only undergraduate and graduate students of science and technology while in graduate school. After completing the doctoral process, he worked as Assistant Professor and Lecturer at the Faculty of Science, Kitasato University, Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, and Specially Appointed Associate Professor at Keio University, before assuming and concurrently serving as Professor of Advanced Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University and Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Keio University from 2018. While conducting research and development, he has been involved in launching joint research projects with universities and research institutions and supporting the establishment of research institutes. He has also been involved in the launch of many venture companies and serves as an advisor.

Yuichiro Fujii
Representative Director, Fujii Farm Ltd.
Representative Director, Japan A2 Milk Association

He is the fifth generation of a dairy farming family that has been in business for 118 years since the pioneering days of Hokkaido. He runs a dairy business with 1,200 dairy cows and 500 hectares (120 times the size of the Tokyo Dome) of farmland. While a student at Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, he went to the U.S. to study under F. Helfter, who was called the world's best dairy farmer. After graduation, he recovered his family's dairy business, which was on the verge of bankruptcy after he contracted Yone's disease, a legally contagious disease. He has been working on a number of firsts in Japan, such as farm HACCP certification and the introduction of a sand separator, aiming for "only one milk" under the management philosophy of "being a pioneer. In 2030, he plans to establish "Furano Mirai Kaitakusai Mura" as a new rural model to foster the next generation of farmers. In 2014, he was elected as a member of the deliberative committee of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' "Food, Agriculture, and Rural Areas" policy. Involved in the formulation of the Basic Agricultural Policy Plan.

Yasunori Baba
Lecturer, Institute of Bioresource Engineering, University of Ishikawa

D. in Agriculture. He specializes in environmental microbiology. D. in research on a novel methane fermentation method using bovine rumen microorganisms, and based on his experience of living through the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, he has been conducting research to produce methane gas, which is city gas, and electricity from weeds that exist anywhere and anytime, so that people can eat, drink, and use electricity even during disasters that involve gas outages and power outages. He is currently conducting research to make it possible to eat, drink, and use electricity even in times of disaster. He received the Tohoku University President's Award (2013) and the President's Award of the Council of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Technology at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' Award for Young Researchers in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2049).

Kei Okubo
Professor, School of Advanced Co-creative Studies, Osaka University

The company was the first in the world to successfully develop a technology to convert methane and air into methanol and formic acid at room temperature and pressure. In July 2020, the company succeeded in producing methanol and formic acid from biogas, and is now further developing the technology for its social implementation. In July 2020, he succeeded in producing methanol and formic acid from biogas, and is now further developing the technology for social implementation. His areas of expertise are photochemistry, catalytic chemistry, and electron transfer chemistry.

Moderator.
Shuichiro Takahashi
Representative Director, President and COO, Liverness, Inc.

D. (Life Sciences), Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo. Founding member of RIVANESS. He established the RIVANES research institute and built the foundation for research support and R&D projects. He has devised unique business models such as "RIVANESS Research Fund" and "L-RAD," a platform for unused research ideas, and has led many projects involving industry, academia, and education.