Osaka Prefecture Opens YARUDE Kenkatsu Partner Recruitment Across 10 Municipalities
Osaka Prefecture, where residents' health life expectancy sits below the national average, is using open innovation to pair municipal health challenges with private-sector technology, with the Expo legacy as the stated goal.
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
eiicon, which operates the AUBA open innovation platform, has been commissioned by Osaka Prefecture to run the YARUDE Kenkatsu public-private co-creation program. On August 31, 2026, the health challenges of 10 participating municipalities were published and partner company recruitment began. Selected companies will be matched with municipalities, develop demonstration plans, and receive up to 2 million yen in demonstration support. The program aims to create sustainable healthcare models as an Expo legacy.
Osaka Prefecture's health life expectancy trails the national average, and health gaps between municipalities persist, which is the gap the program is built to close. The prefecture funds demonstration costs up to 2 million yen per municipality for fiscal 2026, and the secretariat pairs eiicon with AstraZeneca, which operates the i2.JP healthcare ecosystem.
Applications run from August 31 to September 30. A government pitch event, YARUDE Kenkatsu 2026, takes place September 3 at the Osaka Innovation Hub, where municipal officials will present their health challenges and field questions. Selected companies move to matching in late October, co-creation plan drafting in November, and demonstration projects start from January 2027, with about four municipalities in each of the two fiscal years.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.