Hi there! This is @afroscript (Yusaku Kinoshita), and I’m in charge of outreach initiatives at Mercari R4D.
On July 1, 2025, the Osaka University ELSI Center and Mercari launched the “Mercari R4D Research Alliance Laboratory.” The newly formed organization aims to leverage knowledge of the humanities and social sciences to establish academic studies on value circulation and light the way to creating a world that circulates all forms of value.
As a prequel to the lab’s activities, we’re publishing this article to introduce the work of Konomi Higo (@higochan), a Specially Appointed Assistant Professor at the Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues, Osaka University. Having leveraged our organization’s Cross-Appointment System (keep reading for more details), @higochan was engaged in research through her affiliation with both Mercari and Osaka University from August 2023 to March 2025.
This article was originally written as a session report on the Cross-Appointment System meeting held internally at Mercari in March 2025.
The first half of this article is a summary of a talk that @higochan delivered at the project report session regarding her experience of our Cross-Appointment System. To allow @higochan to address our readers directly, this portion of the article is written from her point of view in the first person.
The second half of the article covers a panel discussion between@afroscript, @higochan, and Mari Inoue (@inomari) and is documented as a running dialogue.
What is ELSI?
Hi. @higochan here! To get things started, I’d like to tell you about “ELSI,” an acronym that is also included in the name of my main affiliation, the Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues, Osaka University, more commonly referred to as the Osaka University ELSI Center.
ELSI (Ethical, Legal and Social Issues) refers to any issues other than technical challenges that may arise during the research and development phases of new science & technology and upon its implementation in society. For instance, when a new technology emerges, we have to think about questions like whether we can guarantee it will be safe to use, whether it will impact privacy and personal information protection, and whether it will create circumstances for discrimination or inequality; none of these issues can be addressed using technology alone.
(Graphic provided by Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues, Osaka University)
If ELSI-related problems are not adequately considered before new science & technology is put to use in society, various problems and controversies may arise.
This is why “social technology” is essential for bridging the gap between science & technology and society. At the Osaka University ELSI Center, we are committed to co-creating social technology that discovers, addresses, and resolves ELSI while working with diverse stakeholders.
Joint Research between R4D and Osaka University ELSI Center
R4D (formerly Mercari R4D) and the ELSI Center began joint research in September 2020.
- See the details here: Mercari and Osaka University’s ELSI Center Begin Collaborative Research Enhancing Research Ethics Review Processes in Corporate Research and Development with ELSI: Formulating Practical Methodologies for Research Ethics Reviews and Human Resources Development in Corporations | Mercari R4D (available only in Japanese)
For about five years, our joint research has advanced a project to explore ELSI—as seen in Mercari’s various activities—and to develop research practices. In Phase 0 (September 2020–March 2021), R4D enhanced their research ethics reviews and held ELSI training programs; in Phase 1 (April 2021–March 2023), we explored ELSI in specific science & technology fields such as AI utilization and quantum information technology; and in Phase 2 (April 2023–June 2025), we promoted research to expand the field of ELSI exploration to all of our corporate activity.
As our research topics have expanded, the number of members participating in the joint research has also continued to rise. We have grown from 7 members in Phase 0 (3 from Mercari and 4 from the ELSI Center) to 19 members in Phase 1 (11 from Mercari and 8 from the ELSI Center), and 29 members in Phase 2 (17 from Mercari, 12 from the ELSI Center). As the number of participating members has increased and the expertise of those involved has become more diverse, our aim has been to build cross-organization bridges not only to share knowledge but also to bring people together as human resources for the purpose of accelerating knowledge production. To this end, we initiated a personnel exchange program in the form of the Cross-Appointment System between R4D and the ELSI Center.
What is the Cross-Appointment System?
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s (METI) definition of the Cross-Appointment System states that “a researcher or expert is allowed to be employed by two or more organizations including universities, public research institutes and companies, while engaging in R&D and educational efforts in accordance with the role expected of him/her in each organization under the role-management system.” Leveraging this system, I held positions working at both Mercari and Osaka University.
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), there are still only about 65 people who have leveraged the Cross-Appointment System to move from working at a university position to a company as I have. In comparison, there have been 512 cross-appointments to non-company positions (as of February 14, 2025). It therefore seems to be rare for people to leverage the Cross-Appointment System to move between universities and companies.
- Status of Industry-Academia Collaboration at Universities and other institutions as of FY2023 (available only in Japanese)
Cross-appointment activities at Mercari and Osaka University
In this section, I’d like to talk about my experiences with the Cross-Appointment System between universities and companies and what it was like to leverage this system at Mercari and Osaka University, focusing specifically on my activities at Mercari.
I had a workstyle that allowed me to work at the ELSI Center 60% of the time, and at R4D 40% of the time (usually, on Wednesdays and Thursdays). I basically worked from home, but once a month I would also spend a two- or three-day stretch working at Mercari’s Tokyo office located in the Roppongi district.
In holding a concurrent position at R4D through the Cross-Appointment System, my goal was to make knowledge production more flexible and faster through personnel exchanges between different communities. I wanted to achieve this goal by creating opportunities for diverse experts and practitioners in the research and development field within Mercari to exchange opinions and by promoting internal communication regarding ELSI research. In my role as a Mercari member, I was in charge of project management for ELSI joint research and of exploring the seeds of potential new research topics. I was also responsible for presenting project results at academic conferences, writing books and papers, and sharing the results of ELSI projects on the R4D website based on project outcomes.
- Reference:
- Osaka University ELSI Center and R4D’s Quantum Information Technology Team Use IEEE Quantum Week to Announce “Quantum Quest,” a Card Game for Contemplating the Future of Quantum Technology
- Mercari, Osaka University ELSI Center Publish Research Paper on Addressing Trade-Offs in Co-Designing Principles for Ethical AI | Mercari R4D
- Introduction of Application Forms for Ethical Review to Support Go Bold: Research and Development Efforts to Enhance Research Ethics Review at Mercari R4D. Osaka University Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (ELSI Center)
One change that occurred as a result of my becoming a Mercari member through the cross-appointment is that I was able to participate in internal meetings at Mercari. Additionally, when I was with the university, I could view only the Slack channels used for communication with guests working on joint research with the ELSI Center. When I became an official member, I was able to access all Mercari channels.
As a result, I became able to grasp what was happening within Mercari much faster and more broadly, in the same way as other employees. Furthermore, it became easy to exchange opinions with various Mercari members, which allowed me to learn more deeply about Mercari’s culture by observing members’ behavior and by reading the comments in which they expressed their thoughts.
Just to fill you in, before the Cross-Appointment System started, I used to use my real name as my Mercari Slack name, but after my cross-appointment began, I started going by the nickname “@higochan” to match Mercari’s cultural practice of people calling each other by their Slack names. This was yet another experience that was brand new to me.
Additionally, as a part of sharing information about ELSI joint research within Mercari, we regularly held internal events such as our “Philosophy Café” and “Lunch and Learn” sessions (general term describing internal study sessions held over lunch). At the Mercari Family Day held in August 2024, we displayed several exhibits including “Moral IT Deck,” “ELSI Survey,” and “Quantum Quest.”
Differences in Culture between Mercari and Osaka University
I would also like to share some of the surprises I experienced after joining Mercari.
What surprised me more than anything was the vast amount of information that I had access to and the open nature of the information. On the ELSI Center Slack workspace, I have joined about 30 channels for exchanging work-related information. When I asked people at Mercari how many of the internal Slack channels they had joined, many said they were in more than 100 channels. First, I was surprised by the number of channels each member was in, and while I felt pressure to keep up with the information flowing from so many channels, I was impressed by the common understanding that people at Mercari share information openly to advance work quickly.
Also, I had the impression that Google documents where meeting minutes are recorded are basically accessible to anyone within the company, which allows us to understand internal issues and interests. What’s more, since people write and share their schedules on Google Calendar, I can get an idea of what my colleagues are working on and what their plans are. Thanks to this, it takes little effort to schedule meetings, making it easier to connect people with each other.
I found it impressive that Mercari is creating the environment it needs to execute tasks quickly by openly sharing a lot of information.
Casual and Speedy Communication
I also felt that there was an abundance of opportunities to share information, and the ease with which that information was shared was very different from university life. I first discovered one-on-ones in the context of work meetings at Mercari, and I would often set up casual talks with colleagues where we would share each other’s progress one-on-one. Even though we were working online and in different physical locations, I appreciated having frequent communication in such an environment. Thanks to this, I was able to keep myself updated on the pulse of the company, what people were interested in, and what I should do as a member of Mercari. The information came to me not just as written information but also by hearing from people directly.
At R4D, we also held regular meetings frequently for various teams. At the ELSI Center, we hold regular meetings once a week, but rather than sharing the current status of the team, it is held as a study session or a research meeting with invited guests. Sharing the overall situation of the organization is not the main purpose of the meeting. So, I felt a cultural difference regarding things like the purpose of holding regular meetings.
Speaking of cultural differences, I was initially surprised by the casual tone people used to write Slack messages. Unlike standard business emails that start with a greeting and end with a closing line, it is common for people to cut right to the chase at the top of their messages. My sense was that there is a shared recognition that it is important to communicate quickly and closely. It’s as if I gradually picked up the “Mercari Slack language” like a dialect, and I worry sometimes that I might be too casual on the Osaka University Slack channel!
This is how the idea has spread among employees that making decisions quickly and sharing information to advance the team’s work is important. I think the frequent meetings, including one-on-ones to share our progress and opinions with each other, are a part of Mercari’s culture. I often wonder how Mercari employees have time for individual work. While we do hold meetings at the ELSI Center, I feel that one difference between the two organizations is that securing research time is as important as meetings.
Benefits reaped and issues coined through the Cross-Appointment System
Finally, I will summarize the benefits we reaped and the issues we coined through the Cross-Appointment System.
Expanded “connections” and new perspectives
One of the benefits of trying out cross-appointments is that more people in both organizations have become more familiar with each other. We have more relationships where we know each other’s interests, the work we do, and what we feel are the issues we now face. These ties allow us to ask a larger pool of people straightforward questions about our work. As communication has become smoother, the barriers that might stop Mercari employees from proposing projects to the ELSI Center have lowered. This has made it easier for people from Osaka University to join Mercari and share existing research content and new collaborative research ideas.
Additionally, by taking half a step outside the university to become affiliated with Mercari, I gained an objective perspective of the “university culture.” For example, I was able to learn the importance of looking at the positioning of my ongoing research within the organization and sharing the direction the organization is heading with others. Also, since we are engaged in collaborative research, even if we have the same interests, the methods of information sharing, the pace of advancing research, the frequency of regular meetings, and what we prioritize in our output all differ. I have also become able to think about how to adjust these aspects and promote collaborative research from a more multifaceted perspective than before.
Issues stemming from “wearing two hats”
Next, I’d like to talk a little about the issues I sensed during my cross appointment.
One challenge that I realized only after experiencing cross-appointment is what I call the “invisible effort problem.” Although I was supposed to work 40% of the time at Mercari, I couldn’t proceed with my work with only a 40% understanding of Mercari’s values and internal procedures. There were certain things that I had never noticed until I actually started working on a cross-appointment basis. For instance, it took me some time to learn the internal rules and customs of my new organization. And with only two days a week to catch up on internal developments while also moving projects forward, I found that I needed to set aside extra time just for information gathering.
It wasn’t just about my own effort. The people around me also had to spend time thinking about things like my access rights to internal systems and contract details, since the process for me was different from the usual onboarding flow. It would be a shame if the system we created ended up being used only once. I think it’s important to consider how we can organize and share what we’ve learned so it can serve as a reference for researchers working in diverse ways, such as those on cross-appointments in the future.
There is also a problem I call, “the conundrum of wearing two hats.” During this period, I worked on various research and practical tasks with a theme of “connecting.” However, there were times when people questioned when matters should be considered within Mercari’s operations and when they should be included in the university’s operations. The whole point of having cross-appointments is to allow talent to cross the boundaries between organizations and bring cultures together, but the individual work responsibilities still need to be defined clearly. I can’t say I was able to make the shift 100% smoothly, and I see this as something I’ll need to keep working on.
Panel discussion
The next section will cover the details of the panel discussion that took place in the second half of the project report session.
Joining the panel discussion to talk about how the activities in the cross-appointment were perceived from Mercari’s side were the Research Acceleration Team Manager @inomari, and (now former) Outreach Team Manager @afroscript.
What was the first thing to change with the cross-appointment?
@afroscript: Earlier, @higochan told us about cross-appointments from her perspective, but what do you think @inomari? Have things changed since @higochan was at Mercari?
@inomari: I feel like something changed when she changed her name to @higochan on Slack. A Slack name seems like a small thing, but it is surprisingly important. I also went from calling her Professor Higo to @higochan. The person we knew as “Professor Higo from Osaka University” became “@higochan,” a member of our team. I still remember having to adjust to that change.
@higochan: Actually, in our joint research, we have also started a movement to stop calling people “Professor.” In fact, even within the ELSI Center, colleagues often address each other by name instead of “Professor.” The issue of how to address each other has its own customs in each context, and forcing the matter can make some people feel uncomfortable, which would be counterproductive. However, I think it is a good thing that a unified way of addressing each other has been spreading throughout the collaborative research activities to eliminate barriers between organizations.
@afroscript: Members of R4D also call the people from Osaka University ELSI Center by their name or else a nickname, right? How we address each other helps set the psychological distance between individuals, so I think the cross-appointment provided a good opportunity to build closer relationships between people.
What was it like introducing cross-appointments for the first time?
@afroscript: Did you need to make any preparations when R4D introduced cross-appointments for the first time? Was there anything that differed from your expectations?
@inomari: This was the first time that R4D had introduced the Cross-Appointment System, but Mercari had experience accepting external people in the form of secondments, which was helpful. I consulted with the Public Policy team, who had frequently accepted secondments. By talking with them I learned some tips and tricks and about procedures regarding things ranging from contracts to expense reimbursements. As @higochan also mentioned, I think it was challenging to work at Mercari 40% of the time and at Osaka University the remaining 60% of the time. Thanks to @higochan being able to use the Cross-Appointment System, I think the psychological distance between Mercari and Osaka University has shrunk significantly, making things flow between the two organizations much more readily. At the same time, I think @higochan also faced the difficulty of being assigned work from both sides. I remember having discussions with her that involved worrying about the distribution of work and how to proceed.
@afroscript: The conundrum of wearing two hats is indeed a challenge. Similar to cross-appointments, there are also people within Mercari who hold multiple positions, so I would like to consolidate such insights.
Did the cross-appointment change the issues involved in joint research between universities and companies?
@afroscript: @higochan, did you feel that having positions at both Osaka University and Mercari through the Cross-Appointment System changed how joint research was conducted?
@higochan: I have seen an increase in casual inquiries from people at Osaka University asking, “If I show this kind of paper to people at Mercari, will someone show an interest?” It helps people test the waters when they are hesitant about directly approaching a colleague involved in joint research on the other side of the proverbial fence. Ideally, both sides should be able to talk freely, but I think having someone familiar with both sides of the equation through a cross-appointment worked well as a step toward that. I have also been asked by people from R4D whether there is a professor at Osaka University who is knowledgeable about such and such a topic.
@afroscript: There is a Slack channel with participants from both Osaka University and Mercari, but I sometimes hesitate to post thinking that it might be rude to toss out a question. When I want the people from Osaka University to cooperate with my outreach work, I also sometimes struggle over who I should ask. So this is why it was great that I could casually consult with @higochan first.
@inomari: Originally, the relationship between Osaka University and R4D was already good, but I think we have taken another step closer due to the cross-appointment. While @higochan will be the go-between contact for the two organizations, I’m glad that we could explore the output together by understanding each other instead of just connecting once and then ending things there. If we convey Mercari’s intentions in a one-sided manner, it might not garner any interest from the perspective of Osaka University research, and if we pay too much respect to Osaka University’s research, it may become difficult for Mercari to contribute. I believe that being able to design a project as someone who has both perspectives is a strength.
@higochan: Even though we are working on the same research topic, the output and methods of communication that Osaka University and R4D each expect are surprisingly different, and I have been working with @inomari to explore the common ground between the two. I think we were able to prevent ourselves from falling into the trap of trying collaborative research, but then ultimately being dissatisfied that the output was different from what we expected. However, I don’t know if having experts who can oversee both sides through cross-appointments will lead to better outcomes, or if it will depend on each individual’s mindset, so I would like us to keep thinking about this point together.
@afroscript: Finding a landing point in an internal project is difficult, so it becomes even more challenging when it comes to collaborative research between different organizations. I think it’s important to note that close collaboration can be achieved through cross-appointments.
Thoughts and future ELSI research
We’ll close out this article with the following message from @higochan looking back on the project report session.
“This event was a good opportunity to reflect on activities through cross-appointments. During my cross-appointment, I was very happy when people told me how well I fit in at Mercari and how they thought I was a Mercari member. Because everyone at Mercari has an open mind and respects diversity, I was inspired by “Go Bold,” one of Mercari’s values, to actively take on a variety of challenges during my cross-appointment. My cross-appointment ended in March 2025, but I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for being given the chance to take on this challenge.
Osaka University and Mercari have continued collaborative research since September 2020, a total of five years. Our collaboration will scale up with the “Mercari R4D Research Alliance Laboratory” established in July 2025. Previous collaborative research focused on ELSI, but our scope will expand to fields in the humanities and social sciences. While the members of the ELSI Center will take the lead, researchers from other departments at Osaka University are also expected to participate in various ways going forward. Our collaborative research lab in fields of the humanities and social sciences will be a historical first for Osaka University, and I am ecstatic over what our work has yielded in the last five years.