Facilitating innovations in life sciences through a partnership with the laboratory that plays a central role in Tsuruoka Science Park, a bio-cluster Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture
On April 1, 2018, Life Science Innovation Network Japan, Inc. (head office: Nihonbashi-Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; chairman of the board: Hideyuki Okano; hereinafter "LINK-J") and the Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University (location: Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture; Director General: Masaru Tomita; hereinafter "IAB"), which plays a central role in Tsuruoka Science Park, a bio-cluster in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, signed a partnership memorandum.
With this partnership, LINK-J and the IAB will collaborate on commercialization and industrialization in life sciences and contributions to the creation of innovations and new businesses through events, personnel exchange and information exchange. Some collaborative events have already been planned and put into action, including the LINK-J × Tsuruoka Science Park Series, consisting of three sessions, the first of which took place in March 2018 and the second and third are scheduled for May and July 2018, respectively, for introducing activities in the park, and the Tsuruoka Science Park Inspection Tour scheduled for September 2018. In the future, they will organize events that stimulate personnel and information exchange with the participation of business ventures derived from IAB.
With respect to the partnership, Masaru Tomita, Director General of IAB, said, "The convenience of Nihonbashi in Tokyo and the openness of Tsuruoka, which is rich in nature and food culture, are an ideal combination to generate innovations. I hope that many corporate members will visit IAB for training and camps, viewing Tsuruoka as the second home of LINK-J, and they will create original ideas with us."
Akihiko Soyama, Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of LINK-J, said, "We are very delighted to have the opportunity to tie up with IAB, which attracts global attention. In the future, we will be offering opportunities to create new ideas and innovations beyond disciplinary and national boundaries and make further contributions to the development of life sciences through our domestic and international networks as well as in collaboration with IAB and business ventures derived from IAB that boast original technologies."
LINK-J has signed business partnership memoranda with leading life science organizations based in Japan and overseas. The partnership with IAB marks the 7th of its kind. In the future, LINK-J will positively expand its partnerships with life science affiliated organizations, universities and research institutions in an aim to boost its presence as a global hub in the field of life sciences.
About the Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University
The Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, attracts global attention as a pioneer in the emerging life sciences field known as integrated systems biology, which effectively makes use of information technology. For instance, it comprehensively measures and analyzes the cellular activities of organisms and microorganisms using state-of-the-art biotechnology and carries out computer-assisted analyses and simulations to apply findings to the areas of medical care, the environment, food and others. Based on its research achievements, so far six business ventures have been launched, including Human Metabolome Technologies, Inc. (head office: Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture; President and Representative Director: Ryuji Kanno) and Spiber Inc. (headquarters: Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture; Director and Representative Executive Officer: Kazuhide Sekiyama). For more detailed information, see the following website: http://www.iab.keio.ac.jp/
Life Science Innovation Network Japan, Inc. (LINK-J)
LINK-J is a general incorporated association established by Mitsui Fudosan and volunteers from academic circles. With its base in the Nihonbashi area, home to a number of pharmaceutical companies, LINK-J aims to promote open innovation in the life science realm through industry-government-academia cooperation and to extend support to the creation of new industries. As a platform for the entire life science area, namely the area where all sciences are combined, ranging from medicine to science and further to engineering or new technologies, such as information and communication technology (ICT) or artificial intelligence (AI), it will accelerate interdisciplinary human and technological exchange. The number of members has exceeded 200, including corporations and individuals, in the year and a half since recruitment began. For more details, please visit its website.
(Reference) History of LINK-J's partnerships
| Time | Organization | Description of partnership |
|---|---|---|
| May 2016 | University of California San Diego (UCSD) (U.S.) | -Exchanging publications, documents and information -Mutually organizing programs and events - Organizing symposiums in Nihonbashi and inviting a well-known professor, etc. |
| May 2016 | BIOCOM (U.S.) | - Providing services to members of both organizations - Exchanging publications, documents and information - Mutually organizing programs and events, etc. |
| June 2017 | Eurobiomed (France) | - Providing services to members of both organizations - Exchanging publications, documents and information - Mutually organizing programs and events, etc. |
| July 2017 | Kyoto Research Park Corp. (Japan) |
- Cooperation in organizing, co-sponsoring and |
| December 2017 | One Nucleus (U.K.) | - Providing services to members of both organizations - Exchanging publications, documents and information - Mutually organizing programs and events, etc. |
| January 2018 | Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe | - Cooperation in organizing, co-sponsoring and announcing activities, events, programs and others - Exchanging publications, documents and information - Mutual visits, etc. |
| April 2018 | Institute for Advanced Biosciences（IBA）, Keio University | - Cooperation in organizing, co-sponsoring and announcing activities, events, programs and others - Exchanging publications, documents and information - Mutual visits, etc. |