A "Kick-off Event" was held at Katsura Hall on Katsura Campus of Kyoto University from 3:00 pm on Monday, December 11, 2023, with all member companies together. The event began with a greeting from Prof. Shigeki Takeuchi of the Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, as the representative of the consortium, followed by a greeting from Prof. Yasuto Tachikawa, Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering, as the representative of the Graduate School. This was followed by a keynote speech by Prof. Shunsaku Kimura, Vice Director-General of the Open Innovation Institute/Vice-Director of the Office of Society-Academia Collaboration for Innovation entitled "Evolution of Infrared Spectroscopy Equipment and Demand as an Analytical Method," as well as a keynote speech by Takahiro Nishimoto, General Manager of Technology Research Laboratory of Shimadzu Corporation, entitled "Toward the Industrialization of Photonic Quantum Sensing Technology: Expectations for Co-creation," and a seminar lecture by Prof. Shigeki Takeuchi entitled "The Future We Create Together: Prospects for Photonic Quantum Sensing and Expectations for KU-PhotoniQS." Active discussions were held with member companies, making this an event that gave a sense of the broadening reach of photonic quantum sensing technology.
Following the "Conference Session," the "Interaction Session" was held in the Katsura Lounge on Katsura Campus. Participants enjoyed the active interaction, including the exchange of opinions between member companies and discussions with young researchers from the university.