Date: 1 Apr 2023
The research group, in which multiple universities, companies, and municipalities collaborate as project leaders, with Tomoyuki Miyazaki, Professor, Center for Promotion of Research and Industry-Academic Collaboration / School of Medicine was adopted by the National Institute for Research and Development Science and Technology Promotion (JST) in a full-scale in the field of the program on Open Innovation Platforms for Industry-academia Co-creation(COI-NEXT) in fiscal 2022.
The difficulties young people face in life, as evidenced by the increase in depression and adjustment disorders and the higher suicide rate, is a major social problem. Furthermore, new difficulties in living, such as isolation and loneliness, have become apparent due to the changes in social structure under the influence of COVID-19.
Our recent experience in dealing with children who have withdrawn from school and are not attending school, as well as mental health measures for those who are employed, has revealed that the increasing complexity of the environment surrounding young people has led to a decline in their self-characteristics such as independence, self-esteem, and ability to connect, and has contributed to their difficulties in life. In order to create a society in which young people can achieve a sustainable high level of well-being, it is necessary for them to improve their self-characteristics and acquire a resilient mind (psychological resilience).
In this research project, we are working toward comprehensive research on the psychological challenges faced by young people who are experiencing difficulties in life, as well as the verification of the effectiveness of digital medicine on the Metaverse platform, and the creation and dissemination of a new market.
We contribute to the creation of a society in which young people gain psychological resilience and live robustly in the midst of new connections.
We set up a new academic area to comprehensively study the mental challenges of young people with difficulty living, and construct a metabar platform (defined as Meta-Care City in this base) that provides content (digital medicine) to facilitate the acquisition of psychological resilience based on the knowledge gained. Therefore, by working with physicians and companies and caring for young people in Japan through a meta-care city, we aim for a future in which young people have resilience. We then set the 3 targets and 5 R&D projects to develop a new market for digital medicine to reach those who have not been able to get access to it through the conventional medical system.
Improvement of survey environment to understand the minds of young people
(indicators development)
Creation and promotion of markets centered on digital medicine for Young People
Creation and promotion of markets centered on digital medicine on MeeTaa in metacare city
Development of indicators for early detection of mental health problems in young people
Development of digital medicine to improve mental health problems
Development of objective indicators and feedback system to evaluate effectiveness
Development of data knowledge on the minds of young people
Industrialization and market development of metacare cities
University, etc.
Kanagawa University, Kanagawa University of Human Services, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Keio University, Shiga University of Medical Science, Chuo University, Yokohama National University
Company, etc.
ASCADE, Inc., Benesse Corporation, DUMSCO Inc., Garmin Japan Ltd., HIKARI Lab Inc., KODANSHA Ltd., Malus, Inc., Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., PST Inc., Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., SUSMED, Inc., TEN UP Co., Ltd. (currently Real Virtual Incorporated), VIE STYLE Inc.
Municipalities
City of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
Representative of the center
Tomoyuki Miyazaki, Project Leader (Professor, Center for Promotion of Research and Industry-Academic Collaboration / School of Medicine)
Atsuya Fujimoto, Deputy Project Leader (Specially-appointed project professor at Yokohama City University)
Michiko Aihara, Party responsible for establishment of the center (President, Yokohama City University)
* Meta-Care City
A platform on metabars that realizes 'metabars communication' and 'digital medicine'. This article provides counseling and care content, communication venues, and digital medicine clinics to help youth live less well and to gain mental strength (psychological resilience).