Sony participates in collaborative projects involving industry and academia with the aim of realizing innovation and contributing to the development of next-generation engineers capable of driving future science and technology R&D over the medium to long term. Since fiscal year 2009, Sony and Keio University in Tokyo have implemented three programs: (1) a donated lecture series, "Strategic Management for Innovation," for students and a symposium for the general public; (2) a medium- to long-term internship program for next-generation engineers that emphasizes manufacturing and design, engineering and R&D, together with the dispatch of lecturers with the goal of cultivating personnel with strengths from a broad perspective in R&D and education; and (3) joint research utilizing Sony facilities. As a company making an active contribution to the academic sphere, Sony's activities in this area have received substantial positive media coverage and government recognition appraising its effectiveness. In the future, as open-based R&D becomes increasingly mainstream, Sony anticipates even greater opportunities for collaboration with academic institutions.