Engineering

This course introduces theories and practices on technology startup to students majoring in technology management or engineering. The course provides students with the basic knowledge needed to start a technology-oriented business or prepare career path related to the technology start-up ecosystem in the future. Topics include entrepreneurship, business planning, financing, and other related topics such as laws, finance & accounting strategy, and intellectual property rights. 

This six-week summer course provides individual research training through the experience of belonging to a specific laboratory at Tohoku University. Students are assigned to a laboratory research group with Japanese and international students under the supervision of Tohoku University faculty. They participate in various group activities, including seminars, for the purpose of training in research methods and developing teamwork skills. The specific topic studied depends on the instructor in charge of the laboratory to which each student is assigned. The methods of assessment vary with the student's project and laboratory instructor. Students submit an abstract concerning the results of their individual research each semester and present the results near the end of this program.

This course covers concepts and characteristics required to build and operate a smart factory to improve manufacturing competitiveness. Students first learn about the composition and functions of the 4th Industrial Revolution and smart factories, then examine the general concept of factory automation and learn about the basic components of factory automation such as control systems and PLCs.  The course covers functions of corporate information systems such as ERP, MES, APS, and PLM, and concepts of smart factory digital platforms and big data-based decision-making required for intelligent factory operation. 

This course cultivates entrepreneurship through understanding the current status and trends of the semiconductor industry and the experiences of company founders. In the class, students meet representatives of recently established semiconductor companies, hear about the startup motivation, business model, and future prospects, and share understanding of the overall semiconductor industry and various experiences related to technology-based startups through a Q&A session with the semiconductor CEO.