Kyushu University Opens “Kyushu University Nihonbashi Satellite” to Promote Life Sciences in LINK-J’s Nihonbashi Life Science Building
? “Kyushu University Nihonbashi Satellite” in Nihonbashi, home to a number of pharmaceutical companies, promotes industry-government-academia cooperation ?
February 21, 2018
Life Science Innovation Network Japan, Inc.
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
Life Science Innovation Network Japan, Inc. (Head office: Nihonbashi-Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Chairman of the Board: Hideyuki Okano; hereinafter “LINK-J”), established by mainly by Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Masanobu Komoda; hereinafter, “Mitsui Fudosan”) and a group of volunteers from academia, announced today that Kyushu University (located in Nishi-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka; President: Chiharu Kubo; hereinafter, “Kyushu University”) opened “Kyushu University Nihonbashi Satellite” in Nihonbashi Life Science Building, which is the center of LINK-J’s activities, and held an opening ceremony on Thursday, February 15, 2018.
Kyushu University aims to encourage innovation in the life sciences through industry-government-academia cooperation and opened “Kyushu University Nihonbashi Satellite” in the Nihonbashi area, where a number of pharmaceutical companies and research institutes are clustered. LINK-J will not only provide an office environment suitable for business development in the life science industry, but also support the industry-government-academia cooperation of Kyushu University through exchange/cooperation with LINK-J members and tenants. This is the first time Kyushu University has established a satellite office exclusively for the life sciences in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
At the beginning of the opening ceremony, Chiharu Kubo, President of Kyushu University, said, “We want to develop activities in ‘Kyushu University Nihonbashi Satellite’ as a base for creative and advanced research, further accelerating industry-government-academia cooperation in the life sciences through active exchange between life science companies and researchers at Kyushu University.
Hideyuki Okano, Chairman of the Board, LINK-J, said, “We feel very honored that Nihonbashi Life Science Building of LINK-J was selected as a base for encouraging the life sciences at Kyushu University. We will continue to provide exchange opportunities that lead to more innovations, offering support from the hardware and software perspectives.”
About 100 participants from life science companies and organizations, and related government ministries, such as the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, participated in the opening ceremony and the initiatives and state-of-the-art research projects of the University in the life sciences were presented. In addition, an information exchange meeting was held after the ceremony, where participants actively exchanged opinions.
LINK-J has three bases, “Nihonbashi Life Science Building”, “Nihonbashi Life Science Building 2” and “Nihonbashi Life Science Hub” in the Nihonbashi area, where a number of pharmaceutical companies are clustered, to encourage open innovation in the life sciences through industry-government-academia cooperation. At the end of January 2018, about 50 life-science-related universities, corporations and industry associations, including Tokyo University, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Tohoku University, Keio University and University of California-San Diego, had offices in the three LINK-J bases, creating opportunities for industry-government-academia exchange.
LINK-J will continue in creating life science innovation as well as new industry by supporting the commercialization and industrialization of the life science field through sharing information, interaction, operating symposiums, seminars, events, and fostering entrepreneurs.
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 several 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 190, including corporations and individuals, in the year and a half since recruitment began. For more details, please visit its website.
The Nihonbashi Life Science Base
Mitsui Fudosan has put in place the following life science bases in Nihonbashi:
Click map to enlarge
