Innovation Management

Whyit matters

Under its Corporate Credo “to contribute to society through the development of superior, original technology and products,” Hitachi has focused its efforts on the Social Innovation Business. Our 2021 Mid-term Management Plan sets the goals of creating social, environmental, and economic value for our customers. In fiscal 2020, we established an R&D policy of becoming a global innovation leader in delivering social, environmental, and economic value. By further enhancing Lumada and NEXPERIENCE, a methodology for collaborative creation with customers, and making use of “Kyōsō-no-Mori,” a new research initiative for open collaborative creation, we will accelerate open innovation and support our customers in resolving their challenges.
Hitachi believes that intellectual property (IP) activities make an important contribution to creating social, environmental, and economic value for our customers. Our Intellectual Property Division takes part in creating solutions that enhance such value, contributes to the global deployment of IP, and leads the way in resolving social issues toward achieving the SDGs and Society 5.0 through IP activities.

Whatwe are doing

R&D

Core initiatives

Create value at the frontline (promote open innovation)
Leverage technological strengths for value creation (redesign innovation processes)
Become a technology leader (promote innovation)

Goals and KPIs

Expanding collaborative creation “spaces”
Creating a vision in each region
Contributing to expanding the Lumada business in each region
Accelerating innovation in our five core sectors
Strengthening our technological foundation
Developing top digital talent in the field of AI: 350 employees by fiscal 2021

Achievements in FY 2019

Launched Kyōsō-no-Mori, a research initiative for open collaborative creation
Established a corporate venture capital fund
Promoted open innovation with governments and academic institutions in each country and region
Globally expanded “Scale of Digital” business and “Scale by Digital” business
Promoted development of AI, digital trust, “Beyond 5G/6G” technologies, electrification, and robotics for Lumada CPS and other products
Developed disruptive technologies in the areas of quantum computing, regenerative medicine, and environment
Established the Lumada Data Science Lab. by bringing together top data scientists

IP

Core initiatives

Provide support for creating solutions
Promote IP activities to resolve social issues toward the SDGs and Society 5.0

Goals and KPIs

Strengthening solution creation
Carrying out IP activities based on specific projects that contribute to solving social issues

Achievements in FY 2019

Developed new method of collaborative creation to drive solution creation using patent information as a catalyst
Introduced the “IP for society” concept, which promotes the use of IP in certain areas of high public interest to maintain and evolve social norms (for example, allowing free use of IPs to resolve social issues)
Established the IP Strategy Department to develop and implement IP activities; in fiscal 2020, established a Data Science Group within the department

Download “Innovation Management,” Hitachi Sustainability Report (PDF format)