NEC and the University of Tokyo embark on industry-academia alliance for strengthening innovation

NEC and
the University of Tokyo embark on

industry-academia
alliance for strengthening innovation

– Joint research on
artificial intelligence (AI), the investigation of ethics and legal systems and
the promotion of human resource development –  

Tokyo, September 2,
2016 – NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) and the
University of Tokyo today announced the commencement of a comprehensive
industry-academia alliance for strengthening innovation in Japan.

This alliance differs
from others in that it has been created under an organization-to-organization
agreement to promote comprehensive collaboration, including the sharing of
visions and issues from the fundamental research phase to the commercialization
of research results phase, the consideration of social acceptance of research
results, and the development of human resources for the future.

This collaborative
alliance will focus on the following.

(1)        Members of top management
for both parties will be directly involved in operations, making large-scale
investments and conducting innovative research and development, with NEC taking
responsibility for the promotion of commercialization.

(2)        Top-notch researchers
will be brought together by taking advantage of the human resource networks of
both parties.

(3)        With the aim of
commercialization, interdisciplinary investigations will be conducted in regard
to implications for ethics and legal systems and social acceptability by
capitalizing on the University of Tokyo’s status as a leading university.

(4)     High caliber human resources will be
trained and produced through the provision of scholarships and internships.

Among the first actions
by this industry-academia alliance for innovation will be considering the
magnitude of the impact of AI on society, to conclude the NEC/University of
Tokyo Partnership Agreement for Future AI Research and Education in the field
of Strategic Artificial Intelligence (AI), and to commence specific activities.

Background

Conventional
industry-academia alliances have only engaged in limited, small-scale joint
research related to individual technologies. However, in order to strengthen
Japan’s innovation and promote meaningful social changes, it will be imperative
to carry out investigations on implications for ethics and legal systems with a
focus on commercialization, as well as to create new collaborative alliances
that are large in scale and cover broad areas, including human resource
development. Moreover, it will be necessary to ensure deep involvement by the
management of all parties. This new industry-academia alliance for innovation
was created through the conclusion of a comprehensive agreement resulting from
a strategic partnership between NEC and the University of Tokyo.

Overview of the
NEC/University of Tokyo Strategic Partnership Agreement for Future AI Research
and Education (*)

1.   Research and development
of new technologies and systems

NEC and the University of Tokyo will assemble exceptional teams
of researchers in the AI field in order to carry out a range of innovative
joint researches, including “brain-morphic” AI technology research. 

By bringing together world-class researchers, including
Professor Kazuyuki Aihara of the University of Tokyo’s Manufacturing Technology
Research Laboratory, who was selected by Japan’s Funding Program for
World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST Program) as
one of the core researchers chosen to implement 30 cutting-edge research
projects aimed at achieving world-class results, NEC and the University of
Tokyo will promote the research and development of brain-morphic AI technology
to create information processing systems that mimic the brain and nervous
system. This technology will facilitate the realization of AI processing with
overwhelmingly high performance, low power consumption, and the ability to
resolve advanced social issues.

2.       Investigation of
implications for ethics and legal systems resulting from the penetration of AI
in society

In anticipation of AI-based solutions penetrating deeply into
society in the future, NEC and the University of Tokyo will jointly investigate
laws, guidelines, social consensus, implications for ethics, and more while
bearing in mind current societal rules and human senses. Reflecting the results
of these investigations, NEC will promote the deployment of solutions utilizing
AI.

3.       Scholarships and
internships aimed at the development of human resources

An NEC/University of Tokyo Future AI Scholarship aimed at
developing students in doctoral courses studying AI at the University of Tokyo
will be newly established through donations by NEC. In addition, from the
viewpoint of research and development focused on commercialization, NEC will
begin accepting outstanding students in doctoral courses as long-term interns.

Notes:

* Steps 1 and 2 of the
Strategic Partnership Agreement for Future AI Research and Education will be
implemented by the University of Tokyo’s newly established Social Cooperation
Program, Brain-Morphic AI to Resolve Social Issues.