【Director Hirofumi Sawa receiving the award certificate from Shingo Kikukawa, Director-General of the Innovation and Environment Policy Bureau, METI. 】

Hokkaido University and Shionogi & Co., Ltd. established the Shionogi Innovation Center for Drug Discovery on the Hokkaido University campus in 2008 and have since carried out extensive collaborative research and development. In April 2020, the partners launched a joint project to develop a treatment against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which resulted in the development of the antiviral drug ensitrelvir fumaric acid within the remarkably short period of two years.

In addition, as part of a proactive strategy to prepare for future pandemics, the research team has been collecting viruses of emerging infectious diseases from Japan and abroad and screening existing drugs for potential repurposing in therapeutic use.

This initiative received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the 8th Japan Open Innovation Prize, organized by the Cabinet Office of Japan. The award ceremony was held on February 9 at Toranomon Hills Forum in Tokyo.

◆Award Details
Research Project:
Development and Social Implementation of COVID-19 Therapeutics through Academia–Industry Collaboration

◆Awardees:
Hirofumi Sawa
Director and Distinguished Professor, Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (IVReD), Hokkaido University

Yasuko Oba
Professor, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University

Michihito Sasaki
Associate Professor, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University

Akihiko Sato
Principal Scientist, Drug Discovery and Disease Research Laboratory, Shionogi & Co., Ltd. / Visiting Professor, Hokkaido University

Takao Sanaki
Associate Senior Scientist, Drug Discovery and Disease Research Laboratory, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

◆Reason for the Award
• The development of a therapeutic drug for COVID-19 was initiated in April 2020, and a new antiviral drug (ensitrelvir fumaric acid) was successfully developed in the remarkably short period of approximately two years.
• The project demonstrated outstanding technological vision, and its achievements directly contribute to strengthening national resilience and enhancing industrial competitiveness.
• The initiative represents a highly sustainable innovation model driven by close collaboration between academia and industry.
For further details, please refer to the “List and Overview of Awarded Initiatives and Projects” on the website of the 8th Japan Open Innovation Prize:
https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/openinnovation/prize/joip8th_torikumi.pdf
◆About the Japan Open Innovation Prize
Amid intensifying global competition for innovation, a key challenge is to rapidly translate the outcomes of research and development into practical applications that address societal needs and create new value. One effective approach to achieving this goal is open innovation, which promotes new initiatives by combining knowledge, technologies, and management resources across organizational boundaries.

Against this background, the Japan Open Innovation Prize was established to further promote open innovation in Japan. The prize recognizes pioneering and highly original initiatives that are expected to serve as role models for future open innovation efforts.
Reference:
Japan Open Innovation Prize (Cabinet Office, Government of Japan)
https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/openinnovation/prize/

【Award ceremony】
From left: Michihito Sasaki (Hokkaido University), Akihiko Sato (Shionogi & Co., Ltd.), Takao Sanaki (Shionogi & Co., Ltd.), Yasuko Oba (Hokkaido University), and Hirofumi Sawa (Hokkaido University).