IHRP

What IHRP does

IHRP (Interdisciplinary Highschool Research Program), legally organized as 特定非営利活動法人 IHRP, is a Japan-based Specified Non-Profit Corporation founded in April 2020 and headquartered in Koto City, Tokyo, operating inside Learning Tree International School. The organization runs a single 6-month interdisciplinary research program for high school students across Japan, structured into an input phase (workshops and university laboratory placements), a summer camp, an output phase, and a culminating presentation at the Sustainable Brands Japan international conference. The most recent iteration, IHRP2025, is organized into three specialized course tracks — WHY, HOW, and WHAT — covering humanities/social-science questions, applied improvement of social systems, and resource/energy/engineering questions, respectively.

Cohort sizes have fluctuated materially — 100 students in 2020, 44 in 2023, 23 in 2024 — and the 2026 annual program was suspended in April 2026 for organizational restructuring review. The program is operated by roughly 18 named university-student staff members drawn from institutions including Minerva, Yale, Princeton, Cambridge, Oxford, Melbourne, Edinburgh, and Georgia Tech, supported by 50+ research mentors from Japanese universities and a roster of 50+ corporate, academic, and government-affiliated partners (Fujitsu, Nissin Foods, Patagonia, Takenaka, I-ne, G-Search, NIES, IGES, Kyoto University Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Sustainable Brands Japan, and others). The chairperson is Mio Kobayashi, a Minerva University student studying Political Science.

The business model is sponsorship- and donation-driven: all programming is free to high school participants, with costs (research funding, transportation, in-person event accommodation) underwritten by a multi-tier partnership structure comprising 協賛 (sponsorship), 協力 (cooperation), and 後援 (backing) tiers, supplemented by individual donations processed through a dedicated portal. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on earned media coverage (Yomiuri Shimbun Education Network, Sustainable Brands Japan, TV Tokyo TaMaRiBa), educator outreach, university-student operator referrals, and direct online application via the company's website. Distribution is single-country domestic, primarily online with in-person laboratory placements and a summer camp.

Name

IHRP

Legal name

特定非営利活動法人 IHRP

Website

https://ihrp-japan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IHRP is a Japan-based non-profit operating a 6-month interdisciplinary research program for Japanese high school students, delivered through university laboratory placements and culminating in presentations at the Sustainable Brands Japan conference. The free-to-participant program is funded by corporate sponsorships and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education / Extracurricular Research Programs

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAIAIAA

University-Led Summer/Winter Schools (Credit/Non-Credit)

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Summer/Winter Schools & Short-Term Academic Programs

Keywords

• Interdisciplinary research programs
• Youth education initiatives
• High school research
• Nonprofit educational programs
• Research mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Koto City (江東区)

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate sponsorships and cooperation: Corporations provide financial support in exchange for association with IHRP's educational mission. Sponsorship tiers include 协賛 (sponsorship), ご協力・後援 (cooperation/backing), and 特別後援 (special patronage). Sponsors include I-ne, G-Search, Patagonia, Fujitsu, Takenaka Corporation, Nissin Foods Holdings, and others.
2. Donations from individuals: Individual donations support participant transportation, accommodation for in-person events, and student research expenses. Donations are processed through a dedicated portal.
3. University and research institution partnerships: Laboratories at Japanese universities provide research placement opportunities for participants at no direct cost, reducing IHRP's operational expenses.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IHRP runs a free 6-month interdisciplinary research program for high school students across Japan, operated by university students from around the world. Each annual cohort (e.g., IHRP2025, themed 「見えないもの 〜5年後にみたい世界〜」) covers an input period of workshops and university lab placements, a national summer camp, an output period of guided research, and a culminating presentation at the Sustainable Brands Japan international conference. Within each annual program, students select among three course tracks (WHY — humanities/social sciences; HOW — international cooperation, education, regional development, economics; WHAT — natural sciences, energy, civil engineering, biological resources). Participation, research funding, transportation, and accommodation are fully covered by corporate sponsorships and donations.

Product overview

IHRP (Interdisciplinary High School Research Program) is a single unified educational program that supports high school students in conducting interdisciplinary research over 6 months. The core IHRP Program is structured into three phases: an input period with workshops and university lab placements, a camp for face-to-face collaboration, and an output period culminating in presentation at the Sustainable Brands International Conference. Within IHRP2025, the program offers three specialized course tracks (WHY, HOW, and WHAT) that participants can select based on their research interests. Additionally, the organization operates four internship programs (Planning, PR/Marketing, Sponsorship, and Administrative) that enable university students to participate in running the program. The organization is currently suspended for 2026 while reviewing its organizational structure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IHRP Annual Interdisciplinary Research Program

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• サton's ba University (さとのば大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2025IHRP entered into a coordination agreement (連携協定) with Sato no Ba University. This partnership represents a formal educational collaboration, likely involving joint program development or cross-institutional support for student research activities.
• SDGパートナーズ株式会社coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 August 2025SDG Partners provides協力 (cooperation) support to IHRP, including joint workshop hosting, and has been listed as a partner since 2022 across multiple program years. They co-created events with IHRP.
• サステナブル・ブランド ジャパン (株式会社博展)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 August 2025Sustainable Brands Japan (operated by Hakuten Corporation) is a協力 (cooperation) partner that provides media coverage and conference platform for IHRP's annual research presentations. Multiple media placements across 2020-2025. IHRP students present their research at the Sustainable Brands Japan international conference as the program's culminating event.
• 福島国際研究教育機構 (Fukushima International Research and Education Organization)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 August 2025Fukushima International Research and Education Organization provides協力 (cooperation) support to IHRP, including research collaboration involving researcher 藤井一至.
• Learning Tree International SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 August 2025Learning Tree International School provides後援 (backing) support and hosts IHRP's headquarters within their facility in Koto City, Tokyo. Also provides support for overseas university student operators.
• 国際開発学会minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 August 2025The International Development Society of Japan (国際開発学会) provides後援 (backing) to IHRP, representing academic recognition of the program's research quality.
• 株式会社リバネス (Leave Nest)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Leave Nest Co., Ltd. has provided協力 (cooperation) support to IHRP across multiple years (2022-2024), contributing to the research ecosystem around the program.
• Glass Rock ～Social Action Community～minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024IHRP became a co-creation partner (共創パートナー) of Glass Rock in April 2025, participating in the Social Action Community initiative.
• ハワイ州観光局 (Hawaii Tourism Authority)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Hawaii Tourism Authority provided support (協力) for IHRP2023, likely related to international exchange or cultural exchange programming.
• 国立研究開発法人国立環境研究所majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) has provided後援 (backing) and協力 (cooperation) support across multiple years, contributing researcher expertise to the program.
• 京都大学防災研究所minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Kyoto University Disaster Prevention Research Institute provides research cooperation to IHRP, offering laboratory access and researcher mentorship.
• 総合地球環境学研究所minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022The Institute for Global Environmental Studies (IGES) provides research cooperation to IHRP.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• JSEC (Japan Science & Engineering Challenge): Japanese high school science competition platform connecting student researchers with mentors and judging, with similar focus on elevating Japanese high school research but competition-focused rather than longitudinal program-focused.
• Ashinaga Foundation: Large Japanese foundation supporting youth education through scholarships and programs, with broader focus on educational access rather than research specialization.
• TOMODACHI Initiative: Public-private partnership between US and Japan supporting youth exchange programs with corporate sponsorship, similar funding model but broader scope across multiple educational themes.
• Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies: Established university-based program offering a wider portfolio of summer academic programs for high-achieving pre-college students, with broader scope and longer history than IHRP.
• Junior Achievement Japan: Established Japanese NPO offering youth education programs in entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy with corporate sponsorship, with broader educational scope than IHRP.
• Society for Science & the Public (Regeneron ISEF): Established US-based nonprofit operating the world's largest international pre-college science competition, with broader scope and longer history than IHRP but similar focus on elevating youth research.

Direct peers

• Summer Science Program (SSP): US-based nonprofit running residential summer research programs for high-achieving high school students in STEM fields, with similar university-mentored research model and selective applicant pools.
• Research Science Institute (RSI): Premier US summer research program operated by Center for Excellence in Education, pairing high school students with research mentors for intensive STEM projects, the most prestigious direct comparable.
• Leave Nest Co., Ltd. Japanese company that supports science education and entrepreneurship for youth through corporate partnerships, with similar focus on bridging universities and aspiring young researchers in Japan.
• Pioneer Academics: US-based online research program for high school students that pairs participants with university mentors, operating a similar interdisciplinary research model with similar participant demographics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ihrp-japan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IHRP