On November 7, 8 and 14, Okayama University SDGs Ambassadors, Okayama University-Ceed, and Okayama University Open Innovation Organization collaborated to organize practical workshops teaching basic and advanced business skills. The workshops were planned and overseen by four SDGs ambassador students (NISHIMOTO Mitsuki, 4th year Faculty of Economics; SAWAYAMA Yukiya, 3rd year Faculty of Economics; OKAMOTO Shin, 3rd year Faculty of Economics; and OHNO Sakura, 3rd year Faculty of Science).

The workshop sessions on November 7 and 8 focused on essential business practices. During 90-minute sessions, which included a lecture as well as opportunities for groupwork, participants learnt about the process of identifying gaps in the market, coming up with possible solutions to unsolved issues, and turning their ideas into profit. The advanced workshop held on November 14 featured a 60-minute special lecture by Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences Associate Professor NISHITA Yosuke followed by a 50-minute Q&A session. Associate Professor Nishita discussed topics such as differentiation strategy and investment, drawing on his experiences in foreign-based and government financial institutions.

Approximately 50 people participated in the sessions over 3 days. Once again, graduate and international students joined the discussions, allowing students with varying opinions and perspectives to learn from each other by exchanging ideas. NISHIMOTO Mitsuki, the representative of the ambassadors encouraged participants to engage actively, saying “When we graduate and start working, business knowledge will be a vital skill. I believe that the Hult Prize will provides you with the opportunity to build your awareness of important business practices.”