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Okayama University Students Won Top Prizes at the 2020 Campus Venture Grand Prix Chugoku!

January 26, 2021

KUBO Shunki (4th year, Faculty of Science) won the grand prize at the "2020 Campus Venture Grand Prix Chugoku" , which is known as a stepping stone for student entrepreneurs. Additionally, OTA Shoya, TAURA Nozomi, and LU Jiayu (all 1st year MA students at the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology) received the special award. All 4 students attended the award ceremony held in Hiroshima on January 20.

Mr. Kubo’s business proposal "ABABA" features an online platform that can increase the hiring potential of job applicants who fall out at the final round interview for a particular company by recommending them to other companies who are looking for exemplary candidates. Both companies and hopeful applicants can benefit from the platform, which aims to create a more efficient hiring process.

Mr. Ota, Ms. Taura and Mr. Lu designed a water-soluble face mask to replace disposable masks made from plastic that contribute to ocean pollution. They came up with the idea in a university class called "Advanced Engineering Design" offered under the Mechanical and Systems Engineering major and they decided to apply to the contest after refining their design.

Upon receiving the grand prize, Mr. Kubo commented, “I am ecstatic to receive this prize again after last year. I was not satisfied with my results in the national competition last year, and I look forward to having chance to compete again this year.” Mr. Ota commented, “While looking into various circumstances surrounding the COVID-19, we realized that the increased need for disposable masks has led to an unfortunate increase in ocean pollution. We were determined to come up with a solution. I am very happy to have won this special award in recognition of our efforts.”

The Campus Venture Grand Prix Chugoku is open to students across the Chugoku region enrolled in graduate schools, universities, technical colleges, junior colleges, and vocational schools. Students submit creative business plans and go through a competitive selection process. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, there were 129 submissions from 20 schools.

Mr. Kubo won the grand prize again last year. He will compete in the Campus Venture Grand Prix National Tournament on January 29.

ACADEMIC YEAR