As awareness of partnerships between industry, education, and government has risen at both the national and local levels, Tokushima has promoted several projects. We spoke with Dr. Masayuki Shibuya, vice-president of the University of Tokushima, about the phenomenon. Continuing steady progress towards the future of "One Tokushima" as a region with unique gifts is critical, and businesses playing an active role in the prefecture are already focused on taking the next step.