Strengthening Support Services for R&D-Focused Companies
MITSUI LINK-Lab Expands Its Open Innovation Support Program
—Establishing a Research Support Framework Through Joint Purchasing of Research Equipment and the Use of Human-Derived Specimens—

August 31, 2026
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
LINK-J

Key Points of this Press Release

• Mitsui Fudosan will launch a second phase of the joint purchasing program for research equipment with Shimadzu Corporation, lowering procurement costs and making it easier to set up research environments.
• Mitsui Fudosan will partner with the Human and Animal Bridging Research Organization and the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research to establish a research support framework using human-derived specimens, thereby supporting research in drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and related fields.
• Leveraging MITSUI LINK-Lab’s community base, Mitsui Fudosan will help strengthen the life science ecosystem.

Tokyo, Japan, August 31, 2026 - Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, announced today that it will expand its support services for R&D-focused startups at MITSUI LINK-Lab, its rental lab and office facilities that drive innovation in the life sciences.

MITSUI LINK-Lab is an R&D hub for the life sciences, bringing together a diverse range of organizations from startups to major corporations. In recent years, research in fields such as drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and diagnostic technology has increasingly advanced. At the same time, an important challenge is to develop the environment that surrounds researchers, including the installation of research equipment and the establishment of systems for using specimens. To address this, Mitsui Fudosan launched the Open Innovation Support Program in 2024, providing (1) research and business support and (2) communication and network support in order to help resolve the issues facing its tenants. These services address such issues, with the aim of creating an environment in which researchers can devote themselves to their research.

With these new services, Mitsui Fudosan will launch a second phase of its joint purchasing program for research equipment in partnership with Shimadzu Corporation (hereafter, “Shimadzu”), a manufacturer of analytical and measuring instruments, medical equipment, and more. Mitsui Fudosan will also establish a research support framework through the use of human-derived specimens for research, in partnership with the Human and Animal Bridging Research Organization (hereafter, “HAB Research Organization”), an NPO that supports drug discovery research that uses human-derived samples, and the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research (hereafter, “JFCR”), which comprehensively conducts cancer research, clinical development, and treatment.

Through these services, Mitsui Fudosan will foster an environment that supports researchers in taking on new challenges, while working to strengthen the life science research ecosystem in the Tokyo Bay area. Going forward, with MITSUI LINK-Lab as the starting point, Mitsui Fudosan will continue to contribute to supporting innovation through community building in collaboration with Life Science Innovation Network Japan (hereafter, “LINK-J”), chaired by Hideyuki Okano.

An initiative providing a wide range of solutions to the diverse challenges faced by MITSUI LINK-Lab tenants, built on two pillars: research and business support, and communication and network support
Click illustration to enlarge

■ Two Initiatives to Create an Environment Where Researchers Can Focus on Their Work

As part of the Open Innovation Support Program, which addresses the diverse challenges faced by tenant companies at MITSUI LINK-Lab from the perspectives of both research and business, Mitsui Fudosan will undertake two initiatives aimed at further improving the R&D environment and creating conditions in which researchers can devote themselves to their research.

(1) Joint Purchasing of Research Equipment

In partnership with Shimadzu, Mitsui Fudosan will offer a joint purchasing program that harnesses the economies of scale generated by the companies gathered at MITSUI LINK-Lab, enabling them to purchase scientific instruments at special prices. (Eligible facilities: All MITSUI LINK-Lab facilities)

This initiative is the second phase of the joint purchasing program, enabling tenant companies to affordably and smoothly procure the equipment that they need for R&D. It also broadens opportunities for manufacturers to present proposals to tenant companies, and is expected to contribute to invigorating the life sciences field as a whole.

In the first phase, a joint purchasing scheme was introduced to support the procurement of research equipment, helping to reduce the initial investment burden on tenant companies and to facilitate the smooth development of their research environments.
[Reference release]
・May 30, 2024: “Enhancement of Back-office Support for R&D Startups”
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/news/2024/0530/

(2) Research Support Through the Use of Human-Derived Specimens

At MITSUI LINK-Lab, Mitsui Fudosan will partner with the HAB Research Organization and JFCR to establish a research support framework based on the use of human-derived specimens for research. (Eligible facilities: MITSUI LINK-Lab SHINKIBA 1 to 3, MITSUI LINK-Lab KASAI, and MITSUI LINK-Lab TOYOCHO 1)

In recent years, use of human-derived specimens has become increasingly important in fields such as drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and diagnostic technology. At the same time, establishing a stable and appropriate framework for using such specimens in research settings has become a challenge. This collaborative framework combines the community base of MITSUI LINK-Lab with the HAB Research Organization’s expertise in operations and ethical frameworks, as well as the medical know-how of JFCR, with the aim of realizing an environment in which researchers can pursue appropriate research with confidence. The use of human-derived specimens under this initiative is limited to MITSUI LINK-Lab tenants and to research purposes only.

[MITSUI LINK-Lab mutual aid association volunteer blood donation system]

Click illustration to enlarge

■ About the Open Innovation Support Program

The MITSUI LINK-Lab Open Innovation Support Program is an initiative that provides a wide range of solutions to the diverse challenges faced by tenants, built on two pillars: (1) research and business support, and (2) communication and network support. In the first phase, LINK Stock opened in January 2024 within MITSUI LINK-Lab SHINKIBA 2. Built on the concept of a convenience store for researchers, it sells consumables and reagents from a single item at a time and offers research equipment rental services and experiment support services. The program also provides a Science Concierge for consultations on research and business strategy, has established shared equipment rooms where expensive general-purpose equipment can be used jointly, hosts events that encourage exchange and collaboration, and supports innovation across the wider neighborhood through the local community.
[Reference releases]
・January 29, 2024: “MITSUI LINK-Lab LINK Stock”
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/news/2024/0129/
・May 18, 2023: “MITSUI LINK-Lab Open Innovation Support Program Launched”
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/news/2023/0518_02/

■ About the Rental Lab and Office Business

In Japan, the Company launched the “Mitsui Lab & Office” business, a new asset class, in May 2019. The business forms part of the Company’s work to develop sites that promote innovation in the life sciences, together with the community building it undertakes in collaboration with Life Science Innovation Network Japan (chaired by Hideyuki Okano). By building an ecosystem that advances R&D across industry boundaries in the life sciences through community building, site development, and funding, Mitsui Fudosan supports the creation of innovation in this field. Mitsui Lab & Office currently operates eight locations in Japan: MITSUI LINK-Lab KASAI, MITSUI LINK-Lab SHINKIBA 1, MITSUI LINK-Lab SHINKIBA 2, MITSUI LINK-Lab SHINKIBA 3, MITSUI LINK-Lab KASHIWA-NO-HA 1, MITSUI LINK-Lab NAKANOSHIMA, MITSUI LINK-Lab YOKOHAMA KANNAI, and MITSUI LINK-Lab TOYOCHO 1.

■ About LINK-J

LINK-J is a general incorporated association established primarily by Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. and volunteers from academia and industry in March 2016. The organization celebrated its 10th anniversary in March 2026. Based in the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo, which has a cluster of pharmaceutical companies, LINK-J is expanding its collaboration efforts throughout Japan and internationally to promote open innovation in the life sciences through industry-government-academia partnerships and to support the creation of new industries. With “community building,” “innovation support,” and “reinforcement of trend dissemination” at the core of its activities, the organization will create highly specialized communities as well as promote domestic and international networking and technology exchanges beyond the boundaries of specific fields in the life science domain, which is itself a composite of all the sciences, including medicine, physical science, engineering, ICT, AI, and other new technologies.

■ Sustainability in the Mitsui Fudosan Group

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
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/innovation2030/
・ Group Materiality
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/esg_csr/approach/materiality/