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Mitsui Fudosan Entrusted with Management and Administrative Operations of Facilities of the "CRIK Shinanomachi" Center for Research and Incubation, Keio University at Shinanomachi Campus

Key Points of this Press Release
  • Mitsui Fudosan has been entrusted with the management and administrative operations of CRIK Shinanomachi, a research and incubation facility that opened on May 29 in the Keio University Hospital Building on Keio University's Shinanomachi Campus to support the creation of the university's ecosystem.
  • Contribution to the development of startup companies and entrepreneurs from Keio University by leveraging know-how cultivated through the Life Science Innovation Promotion Project, which has been realized by establishing locations and building communities, and experience as an industrial developer that has contributed to the creation of added value for society through urban development.
  • Contribution to Japan's globally developing life science innovation through the promotion of industry-academia collaboration.

Tokyo, Japan, May 31, 2024 - Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, announced today that it has been commissioned by Keio University to operate and manage CRIK Shinanomachi, a research and incubation facility that opened on May 29, 2024 in the Keio University Hospital Building 2 on Keio University's Shinanomachi Campus, in order to foster joint research and support startup companies.

Mitsui Fudosan has been commissioned by Keio University to be involved in operations at CRIK Shinanomachi related to (1) management support for tenants, etc., (2) management and operational support for reception, meeting rooms, offices, etc., and (3) services for tenants. We will collaborate with Life Science Innovation Network Japan, Inc. to support the development of startup companies and entrepreneurs from Keio University by leveraging our experience and know-how cultivated through the Life Science Innovation Promotion Project, which integrates "establishing locations" such as offices and laboratories with "building communities," as well as our experience in creating new industries as an industrial developer through urban development projects such as Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City and venture co-creation projects. We have been working with several universities, including establishing a department dedicated to industry-academia collaboration in 2020 and taking on the challenge of fostering innovation. Since 2018, we have been conducting management and administrative operations of incubation facilities of the University of Tokyo, and this initiative is a follow-up to that. By providing know-how to universities, which are centers of research, we will contribute to Japan's globally developing life science innovation. In addition, we plan to collaborate with LINK-J on (3) services for tenants (event management support, etc.).

Mitsui Fudosan and LINK-J will continue to promote industry-academia collaboration, support the creation of ecosystems where innovation and new industries continue to emerge autonomously, contribute to the development of Japanese industries, particularly in the life sciences, and aim to globally contribute to solving issues for the next generation.

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Outsourcing scheme

■Center for Research and Incubation, Keio University at Shinanomachi Campus ("CRIK* Shinanomachi")

Keio University, which strives to be "a research university that creates the common sense of the future," opened this incubation facility on May 29, 2024, on the 9th floor of Building 2 of Keio University's Shinanomachi Campus (35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) to make people-focused medicine and healthcare into the common sense of the future. The facility provides a place for startups and major companies in a wide range of fields, including medicine and healthcare, to come together and conduct research and development and grow.

The facility has furnished offices, desk rooms and lounges for co-working, and open spaces where tenants can freely interact and hold events, and it offers multiple membership plans to suit different growth stages and uses. CRIK Shinanomachi is unique in that it provides a space to conduct joint research while consulting with data scientists on how to utilize medical data from Keio University Hospital, and an environment that facilitates casual discussion and knowledge sharing among medical professionals and participating companies. It enables one-stop research and development aimed at social implementation.
*"CRIK" stands for "Center for Research and Incubation, Keio University"
Website: https://crik.keio.ac.jp/(in Japanese)

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CRIK Shinanomachi lounge CRIK Shinanomachi community space CRIK Shinanomachi lounge

Comment from Kazunori Yamashita, Executive Managing Officer, General Manager of Innovation Promoting Division, Mitsui Fudosan

To date, we have promoted the establishment of locations and community building for life science innovation, expanding to Nihonbashi, Kashiwanoha, Shinkiba, and Osaka. Through these efforts, we have also accumulated know-how in supporting startup companies and entrepreneurs. We are honored to be able to support Keio University, one of Japan's top educational and research centers, by bringing our know-how to the operation of its research and incubation facility. We will continue our efforts to promote industry-academia collaboration to foster innovation at Keio University and life science innovation in Japan.

Comment from Shunichi Takahashi, Ph.D., President and Chief Operating Officer, LINK-J

LINK-J aims to promote open innovation and foster ecosystems in the life sciences by conducting activities that facilitate connections among people and information. The number of members has grown to 810 (as of February 2024), including both individuals and corporations, and it offers more than 1,000 events annually through its platform. We are very pleased to be working with Keio University's research and incubation facility to contribute to the future development of the life science industry.

■Life Science Innovation Network Japan, Inc. (LINK-J)

LINK-J is a general incorporated association established primarily by Mitsui Fudosan and academia-industry volunteers. Based in Tokyo's Nihonbashi area, which serves as a hub for pharmaceutical-related enterprises, LINK-J aims to facilitate creation of new industries by promoting open innovation in the life sciences realm through industry-government-academia cooperation. LINK-J promotes interdisciplinary exchanges of people and technologies in the complex field of life sciences, which spans various scientific disciplines including medical science as well as physics and engineering, along with new technologies such as information and communications technology (ICT) and artificial intelligence (AI).

■Mitsui Fudosan's Initiatives for Industry-Academia Collaboration

Mitsui Fudosan is engaged in industry-academia collaboration with the aim of discovering hints for innovation through the wisdom found at universities and applying them to urban development and business. In 2020, we launched the Industry-Academia Collaboration Department and began joint research and other industry-academia collaborations with the University of Tokyo, Waseda University, Ochanomizu University, Kyushu University, and others. In April 2024, in conjunction with the full-scale launch of the Tohoku University Science Park Concept, we announced that we will work together with Tohoku University to build a space for co-creation aimed at solving social issues and creating new industries. While leveraging our experience in urban development and track record in community building to date, we aim to create new industries through the social implementation of cutting-edge research found in academia.

■Management and Administrative Operations of the Incubation Facilities of the University of Tokyo

In October 2018, Mitsui Fudosan was entrusted with operations related to the management and administration of facilities and startup support at incubation facilities which the University of Tokyo established in the south research building on Hongo Campus and concluded an agreement for the same. Subcontracted by Mitsui Fudosan, LINK-J provides some of the services related to tenant support (including facilitating exchanges among tenant companies and with investors and other supporters, as well as supporting events for tenant companies, etc., by leveraging the knowledge we have accumulated in building a platform for human interaction and information exchange).

■Sustainability in the Mitsui Fudosan Groupy

Based on the meaning of its "& mark," "to generate new value with society through cooperation, coexistence and co-creation, we forge ahead, innovating," the Mitsui Fudosan Group views the "creation of social value" and the "creation of economic value" as two wheels of a cart. Accordingly, we believe that the creation of social value leads to the creation of economic value, and that this economic value then creates even greater social value. Moreover, we identified six Group Materiality priority issues when formulating our new management philosophy in April 2024. These Group Materiality priority issues are (1) Contribute to industrial competitiveness, (2) Coexist with the environment, (3) Health and Vitality, (4) Safety and security, (5) Diversity and inclusion, and (6) Compliance and governance. The Mitsui Fudosan Group will work to address each of the materialities through its core business activities and contribute to the promotion of sustainability.


(References)
Group Management Philosophy and Long-Term Vision
Group Materiality
*The initiatives outlined in this release are designed to help address the following 3 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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CRIK Shinanomachi
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