Bio Japan Cluster Mission : Matchmaking mission in Japan for EU Cluster managers and their SMEs members

Japan is one of the most developed countries in biotechnology sector and its high number of patents produced is one of the evidences. Long time considered as a closed market, the Japanese health sector is rapidly expanding and increasingly opening their doors to foreign firms. The phenomenon of a rapidly aging population and the recent deregulation operated create a favourable environment for foreign companies’ entry on the Japanese market of health and care.

Japan is also the second largest market in the field of biotechnology. This sector keeps on growing each year, and applications related to biomedicines, regenerative medicine and genetic therapies, as well as functional foods represent a highly valued market for foreign companies. Joint research projects or partnerships between Japanese and foreign companies are considerably increasing these last years and it is a strategic must for foreign firms operating in these sectors to have foothold in Japan to growth global.

As part of a new policy aimed at promoting international cluster cooperation for SMEs, DG
Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission has launched in 2012 an initiative that
contributes to organise specific international cluster match-making events to support
cluster organisations and their SME members in their efforts to develop partnerships and
business cooperation on global markets.

The first event of this initiative will focus on Green Materials and was held in Tokyo,
Japan from November 12th to 15th 2012 at the occasion of the Green Innovation Expo 2012.

>> News Report about the matchmaking event

>> More details about the original call

As part of a new policy aimed at promoting international cluster cooperation for SMEs, DG Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission has launched in 2012 an initiative that contributes to organise specific match-making events to support cluster organisations and their SME members in their efforts to develop partnerships and business cooperation on global markets.

November 12th-15th 2012, Tokyo

Focus Sector: Clean technologies - Green Materials

>> More details

The event will be held in Tokyo (Japan), from 12 to 16 November 2012.

This matchmaking mission, co-organised by Fondation Sophia Antipolis and the EU Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, will allow a European delegation composed of representatives from cluster organisations & SME members to work towards establishing new partnerships and networks in the field of green materials and clean technologies.

There will be 3 parts to the mission:
- November 12 & 13: Preparatory lectures and coaching sessions (on cultural & business approaches) & visits (companies, research centres, etc …) to prepare participants for the B2B activity
- November 14 & 15: Plenary session with exchange of views on trends and new opportunities in the field followed by B2B discussions with Japanese companies, hosted by the Green Innovation expo 2012
- November 16: Debriefing session (optional)

The mission will be open to cluster organisations and their SME members.

Application for the mission is be open now.

>> Call for Expression of Interest

>> Questionnaire for the Expression of Interest

>> SME Identification Form

The Fondation Sophia Antipolis has been selected in a consortium with Clusterland and ZENIT (both responsible for the ECCP), inno group (secretariat of the European Cluster Alliance), ERAI (Rhône-Alpes region export agency) by the DG Enterprise to prepare and organise five events in 2012-2013 offering matchmaking opportunities for European cluster organisations and their member SMEs, with international partners such as Brazil, India, China, Japan, and South Korea...

The first events will take place before the summer and a call for interest will be launched via the ECCP platform.