On December 3rd, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and its corporate venture capital firm, MOL PLUS, decided to establish the "MOL Award" at the "Business Plan Contest 2025" held by Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, a national university corporation.
<From left: Aiko Shitara, URA, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology; Tamano Namikawa, Professor; Naoto Nakahara, Professor; Xiaobo Lou, Vice President; Toshio Iseki, President; Junichiro Ikeda, Chairman of the Board, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines; Miwako Ando, Executive Officer; Takuya Sakamoto, Representative, MOL PLUS>
The "Business Plan Contest 2025" will be held on December 20, 2025. The newly established "Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Award" aims to support students' efforts to create new businesses in the marine sector and contribute to the development of the next generation of marine talent.
In 2024, MOL PLUS participated as a judge in the university's business plan contest, and was so impressed by the potential of students' creativity that they decided to establish this award, which offers a prize of 100 million yen.
The winning teams can use the prize money to cover the costs of demonstration tests and trials. It is hoped that this will lead to initiatives aimed at entrepreneurship and social implementation in the marine sector.
In addition to prize money, MOL PLUS also plans to provide ongoing support to the winning teams, including advice during the demonstration process and consultation on commercialization.
