First Seeds Proximity-Type Rental Lab and Office Facility in the Mitsui Lab & Office Business
MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1 Opens
Will cooperate with academic and medical facilities within Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City and provide industry-academia-medical partnership services in addition to equipment and environments that promote the aggregation and collaboration of diverse players

Februrary 17, 2022
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
Life Science Innovation Network Japan (LINK-J)

Tokyo, Japan, February 17, 2022 - Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, hereby announces that it has opened MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1, the first seeds*1 proximity-type rental lab and office facility in the new asset class Mitsui Lab & Office business, following office buildings, residences, commercial facilities, hotels and resorts, and logistic facilities. The facility is located within Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, which promotes public-private-academia partnerships for urban development, and aims to invigorate the life sciences domain in Japan by creating opportunities to interact with cutting-edge seeds.

Features of MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1

1. A seeds proximity-type facility that harnesses the special qualities of the area, where leading academic and medical facilities within Japan are located. Various types of equipment have also been installed to enable advanced research and development
2. In collaboration with the nearby National Cancer Center Japan, provides industry-academia-medical partnership support services unique to a seeds proximity-type facility, such as mediation of clinical trials
3. Introduces unique equipment and services to accelerate the creation of open innovation such as an environment for experimentation that can attract diverse companies and organizations including startups and tools to support research and development
4. Promotes collaboration with various players and other industries by providing a space to deepen cooperative exchanges with the life sciences community within the facility, Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, and Japan
5. Research labs from the University of Tokyo and private companies have decided to move in and establish an open innovation hub*2. Going forward, the Mitsui Lab & Office business plans to gradually expand facilities in the Kashiwa-no-ha area

Exterior view of MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1

Entrance

• 1 “Seeds” refers to scientific and technological research with future potential like seeds generating new industries.
• 2 Mitsui Fudosan, the University of Tokyo, the National Institutes of Natural Sciences’ Institute for Molecular Science, SHIMADZU CORPORATION, JEOL Ltd., and Rigaku Corporation jointly issued a press release about the tenancy of this facility on February 17.

(1) A seeds proximity-type facility that harnesses the special qualities of the area, where leading academic and medical facilities within Japan are located. Various types of equipment have also been installed to enable advanced research and development

The Mitsui Lab & Office business involves the rental of facilities that integrate full-scale wet labs and offices, and is being developed through the two concepts of “urban proximity-type” and “seeds proximity-type” facilities. Urban proximity-type facilities such as MITSUI LINK-Lab KASAI and MITSUI LINK-Lab SHINKIBA 1 have already opened. Following on, the seeds proximity-type facility MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1, much like the urban proximity-type facilities, features creation of open innovation and a complete research environment, in addition to rental lab facilities in the vicinity of academic, research lab, and advanced medical facilities.

This business also serves as a part of “developing sites” being undertaken by Mitsui Fudosan to promote innovation in the life sciences domain and “community building” being carried out in collaboration with Life Science Innovation Network Japan (hereinafter, “LINK-J”).

■ Special qualities of the MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1 area

MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1 has been opened within Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, where urban development is advancing through a public-private-academia partnership centered on the three themes of “healthy lifespan,” “coexistence with the environment,” and “creation of new industries.” The facility’s proximity to academic and medical facilities, such as the National Cancer Center Hospital East, the University of Tokyo, and Chiba University, will enable the world’s foremost research and development through an industry-academia-medical partnership between companies and organizations occupying the labs.MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1 has been opened within Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, where urban development is advancing through a public-private-academia partnership centered on the three themes of “healthy lifespan,” “coexistence with the environment,” and “creation of new industries.” The facility’s proximity to academic and medical facilities, such as the National Cancer Center Hospital East, the University of Tokyo, and Chiba University, will enable the world’s foremost research and development through an industry-academia-medical partnership between companies and organizations occupying the labs.

Map of Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City

■ Lab design enabling support for various kinds of experiments

• BSL2*3 compatibility and wet lab*4 specifications that enable experiments using liquids, gases, etc.
• Local exhaust ventilation for experiments is concentrated along the ceiling in the central corridor. Designed without a ceiling to facilitate inspections and additional construction
• Dedicated exhaust ducts for experiments and additional space for equipment, such as outdoor air-conditioning units, have been made available

Tenanted area

■ Common areas to promote lively communication within and among companies

Communication lounge

Meeting rooms

Cafe

• 3 BSL (biosafety level) is a rating for labs and facilities that handle microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, pathogens, etc. In accordance with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Laboratory Biosafety Manual, each country determines the handling of risk groups broken into four levels depending on the danger posed by the pathogen. BSL2 indicates pathogens which pose a risk of illness but no risk of serious disaster.
• 4 Wet labs refer to places where researchers for things like drug development and regenerative therapy conduct experiments using liquids and gases.

(2) In collaboration with the nearby National Cancer Center Japan, provides industry-academia-medical partnership services unique to a seed proximity-type facility, such as mediation of joint research

MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1 will advance discussions toward collaboration with the nearby National Cancer Center Hospital East, Exploratory Oncology Research & Clinical Trial Center, and Center for Promotion of Translational Research (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “NCC”), and aim to support the following research and development based on joint research with the research organizations occupying the facility and NCC in order to support industry-academia-medical partnerships.

1. Utilizing lab facilities and cutting-edge lab equipment
2. Conducting clinical trials
3. Providing human tissue samples
4. Using information managed by NCC (such as various types of clinical data and recorded images)

Wide-ranging collaborations are already underway. For instance, the National Cancer Center Japan and Mitsui Fudosan have signed a basic agreement together with H.U. Group Holdings, Inc. toward collaborating and cooperating to develop next-generation medical technology and healthcare services in the Kashiwa-no-ha area. Additionally, Mitsui Fudosan will construct Mitsui Garden Hotel Kashiwa-no-ha Parkside*5, a hospital-linked lodging facility within the grounds of the National Cancer Center Hospital East meant to welcome people including family members of patients and researchers.

• 5 At this hotel, Mitsui Fudosan is planning systems to support emergency responses and a balance between treatment and jobs in collaboration with the National Cancer Center Hospital East. NCC and Mitsui Fudosan are also moving ahead together on considerations toward specific services and functions that will support cancer patients and their families.

(3)Introduces unique equipment and services to accelerate the creation of open innovation such as an environment for experimentation that can attract diverse companies and organizations including startups and tools to support research and development

This facility offers shared labs that are easy for startups and other companies to occupy, a common lab equipment room, and services within Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City to support research and development. Through this equipment and these services, the facility will attract diverse companies and organizations and help to create open innovation.

■ Environments to attract diverse companies and organizations including startups (planned)

Shared labs for an open experimentation environment

Shared labs have been installed to allow companies, primarily startups, to move in and work on research and development in an open environment. Mitsui Fudosan will broaden the scope of collaboration between tenants by attracting diverse players.

Development and support of startups

Mitsui Fudosan plans to offer tenant startups various acceleration programs by working together in collaboration with multiple venture companies.

Common lab equipment room

A common lab equipment room featuring both all-purpose and costly equipment necessary for experiments has been arranged. Cutting back on the initial investments of companies and organizations hoping to occupy the labs will provide an environment conducive to concentrating on research and development.

■ Services within Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City to support research and development

Cutting-edge tools to support research development through genome analysis and utilization of data

Using cutting-edge technology will enable collaboration with Kashiwa-no-ha Omics Gate (KOG)*6, a general incorporated association that provides comprehensive support services for genome analysis, and Kashiwa-no-ha Data Platform (KDPF)*7, which links various data held by individuals, businesses, medical institutions, and governments to promote data utilization across fields.

• 6 KOG was established in April 2020 to contribute to the development of genome analysis in Japanese life sciences and is headquartered in the Kashiwa-no-ha area, which is home to cutting-edge genome analysis research.
• 7 A data linking platform built in a collaboration between Mitsui Fudosan, Nihon Unisys, Ltd., Accenture Japan Ltd., Hitachi, Ltd., and Toppan Inc.

(4)Promotes collaboration with various players and other industries by providing a space to deepen cooperative exchanges with the life sciences community within the facility, Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City and Japan

In the life sciences domain, which requires open innovation through collaboration spanning companies and industries, Mitsui Fudosan will provide places for tenant companies and organizations to deepen exchanges aimed at generating collaboration with diverse players and other industries, and will work on forming communities matching the scale of this collaboration.

(5)Research labs from the University of Tokyo and private companies have decided to move in and establish an open innovation hub. Going forward, the Mitsui Lab & Office business plans to gradually expand facilities in the Kashiwa-no-ha area

MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1 has already made progress in attracting tenants. Plans are being made to occupy and establish FS CREATION, an open innovation hub featuring participation by the University of Tokyo’s research labs and private companies, in February.

FS CREATION is a hub centered on integrated molecular structure analysis, which forms the foundation of life sciences research. From academia, the hub will feature participation of a lab led by Makoto Fujita, a distinguished professor at the University of Tokyo awarded with the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, which is given to scientists and artists who have made outstanding achievements in fields such as chemistry, farming, and the arts. Additionally, the Integrated Molecular Structure Analysis Laboratory led by Sato Sota and the Division of Advanced Molecular Science’s Institute for Molecular Science (Fujita Group) will also participate. From the industry field, SHIMADZU CORPORATION, a manufacturer of analytic equipment, JEOL Ltd., and Rigaku Corporation will participate. By collaborating with academia and companies within Japan, FS CREATION will enable streamlined molecular structure analysis and strive for an ideal environment for open innovation research.

Going forward, while Mitsui Fudosan continues to proactively attract companies to MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1, it plans to expand the Mitsui Lab & Office business in the Kashiwa-no-ha area in order to further enhance seeds proximity-type facilities. By making progress on these initiatives, it will accelerate efforts toward new industry creation in Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City.

Through this project, Mitsui Fudosan and LINK-J will promote the creation of innovation in the life sciences, and contribute to the development of the life sciences industry in Japan.

MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWANOHA 1

1F ground plan and typical floor plan

About the “Mitsui Fudosan 9BOX Infection Control Measure Standards”

The Mitsui Fudosan Group has so far carried out thorough measures against COVID-19 according to each facility. However, the Group considered the necessity for easily understood infection prevention measures based on medical and engineering knowledge so that its facilities could be used with peace of mind even if a new variant were to spread in the future, and formulated the “Mitsui Fudosan 9BOX Infection Control Measure Standards” to be shared across the Group. The Group has developed diverse facilities such as office buildings, retail properties, hotels, resorts, logistics centers, and homes. By presenting measures that are easy to share not only within the Group but with all of society, it hopes to help solve society-wide issues.
Mitsui Fudosan will continue working to achieve a sustainable society through safe and secure neighborhood creation.

The contributions of Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. in SDGs

https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/esg_csr/
The Mitsui Fudosan Group aims for a society that enriches both people and the planet under the principles of coexist in harmony with society, link diverse values and achieve a sustainable society, and advances business with an awareness of the environment (E), society (S) and governance (G), thus promoting ESG management. By further accelerating its ESG management, the Group will realize Society 5.0, which the Japanese government has been advocating, and contribute significantly to achieving the SDGs. Additionally, the Group formulated the following Group guidelines related to “Realize a Decarbonized Society” and “Diversity & Inclusion Promotion” in November 2021. The Mitsui Fudosan Group will continue to work toward solving social issues through neighborhood creation.

Group Action Plan to Realize a Decarbonized Society
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/news/2021/1124/
Diversity & Inclusion Promotion Declaration and Initiative Policy
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/news/2021/1129_02/

* The initiatives covered in this press release are contributing to four of the UN's SDGs.