【KOSAINN+】 Challenges of Japanese Companies 2022

KOSAINN+ (Keihanna Open Global Service Platform for Accelerated Co-Innovation Plus) enhances international joint projects that overseas startups and SMEs adapt their innovative technologies and solutions to Japanese enterprises’ issues/projects.

The platform is implemented by Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) in collaborations with National Research Council Canada (NRC) and State of Bavaria. ATR is a leading institute in Keihanna Science City, Kyoto Japan, and it takes initiatives in developing global innovation ecosystem. Japanese enterprises entry their challenges to ATR, and startups and SMEs present their technologies and solutions to NRC or State of Bavaria. NRC IRAP and State of Bavaria subsidize a part of the collaborative project budget for the startup/SME.

See the following Japanese companies facing challenges and waiting for your new, innovative technologies and services in “Food-tech/Agri-tech, Trading of Technical product, Manufacturing, Precision Machinery, Manufacturer and Trading”.

Challenge 1 Challenge 2 Challenge 3 Challenge 4 Challenge 5 Challenge 6 Challenge 7 Challenge 8 Challenge 9 Challenge 10

Challenge 1

Organization information:
– Name: Global Japanese Tea Association
– Brief description: Global Japanese Tea Association is a membership-driven, non-profit, non-governmental organization that aims to spark growth in the Japanese tea world through global collaboration.

Overview of issue/project:
The tea shoots that emerge in the spring are the new tea of the year and provide a major source of income for tea farmers. At this time of year, tea shoots grown on mountainsides in Wazuka can be severely damaged by frost. There are countermeasures such as frost prevention fans and water sprinkling methods, but they are costly and pose a challenge. We are looking for a low-cost solution to reduce frost damage.

Anticipated joint PoC/project:
We envision several PoC possibilities.
1. Experiments with biostimulants, nutrients, etc. to make tea trees (leaves) more resistant to frost damage.
2. Experimenting with systems that pinpoint and predict where frost will occur (care only in the predicted areas, thus reducing cost and manpower).
3. Experiments of agricultural materials that reduce frost damage.

In-kind support for startup/SME in the joint PoC/project:
– Tea plantation for PoC
– Personnel to help with the PoC
– Co-working space for local activities

Potential startup/SME:
– Stage and profile of the type of company: no specific requests
– Specific technological and industry expertise: Biostimulants or Agricultural materials or a system that uses AI and sensors to be able to forecast localized frosts.

Challenge 2

Overview of issue/project:
To achieve sustainable agriculture by moving away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides that devastate the land, as well as to address the aging of farmers and the decline in the farming population, we are looking for agricultural materials that can be expected to yield more with the same amount of labor.

Anticipated joint PoC/project:
We envision several PoC possibilities.
1. Experiments with biostimulants, pesticide, etc. for tea trees or other crops.

In-kind support for startup/SME in the joint PoC/project:
– Tea plantation for PoC
– Personnel to help with the PoC
– Co-working space for local activities

Potential startup/SME:
– Stage and profile of the type of company: no specific requests
– Specific technological and industry expertise: Biostimulants and pesticides that increase yields and have a low environmental impact

Challenge 3

Overview of issue/project:
As the way society works as a whole is changing, many beginners are being utilized in tea cultivation as volunteers and for hands-on learning. On the other hand, education for these novices is inefficient and reduces productivity, and we are looking for ways to achieve efficient technology transfer.

Anticipated joint PoC/project:
1. PoC by education system for plucking tea leaves using AR
2. PoC by education system for farm work other than plucking tea leaves using AR

In-kind support for startup/SME in the joint PoC/project:
– Tea plantation for PoC
– Personnel to help with the PoC
– Co-working space for local activities
– (inexpensive goggles can be purchased)

Potential startup/SME:
– Stage and profile of the type of company: no specific requests
– Specific technological and industry expertise: AR-based newcomer training technology

Challenge 4

Overview of issue/project:
We would like to promote the health-promoting, relaxing, and mental health care benefits of tea (Japanese tea) in combination with mindfulness. We are looking for a company that can scientifically demonstrate this.

Anticipated joint PoC/project:
A proposal and PoC to demonstrate the high relaxation and health-promoting effects of Japanese tea when combined with mindfulness (≒ Zen) for the promotion of Japanese tea.

In-kind support for startup/SME in the joint PoC/project:
– Tea plantation for PoC
– Personnel to help with the PoC
– Co-working space for local activities

Potential startup/SME:
– Stage and profile of the type of company: no specific requests
– Specific technological and industry expertise: Mindfulness skills and the ability to measure/analyze emotions based on biometric data, facial expressions, brain waves, etc., and prove the effects of relaxation.

Challenge 5

Organization information:
– Name: LINX Corporation
– Brief description: LINX is a technology provider with proven track records working with various top manufacturing companies. We have been partnering with ambitious tech companies with disrupting ideas around the world to create new waves of innovation in manufacturing industry.

Overview of issue/project:
#5.1 Software to orchestrate robot or other equipment smart warehouse Robotics similarity (Warehouse Executing System)
#5.2 Smart warehouse-related software.
#5.3 Robotics simulation software.

Anticipated joint PoC/project:
Introduce our customer who want to try Start-UP’s technologies.

In-kind support for startup/SME in the joint PoC/project:
Distribute Start-up’s product.

Potential startup/SME:
– Stage and profile of the type of company: We are interested later stage Star-up or small-mid size company even have long history. Especially, we like hidden champion in particular segment which have firm technology background. We also like company who has practical success cases with their customer.
– Specific technological and industry expertise: Factory Automation in general. Image processing, Industrial IoT, Robotics, Sensing, Control.

Challenge 6

Organization information:
– Name: Sanyo Chemical Industries Ltd
– Brief description: We engage in the manufacture and sale of chemicals such as surfactants, polymers, etc. We were founded in 1949, our headquarter is in Kyoto and the number of employees is more than 2000.

Overview of issue/project:
As our new business, we are aiming to produce high-value ingredients for food or high-value fertilizers or feeds from food loss or food waste by using biotechnology.

Anticipated joint PoC/project:
Producing high-value ingredients for food or high-value fertilizers or feeds from food loss or food waste by using biotechnology and evaluating them.

In-kind support for startup/SME in the joint PoC/project:
We have polyether-type defoamers for fermentation. If startups need, they can use our other products, such as surfactants, polymers, etc.

Potential startup/SME:
– Stage and profile of the type of company: We are interested in middle- or later-stage startups. We may be able to market and distribute to make them enter the Japanese and Asian markets.
– Specific technological and industry expertise: We are interested in startups that have biological expertise or technology for producing high-value ingredients for food or high-value fertilizers or feeds from food loss or food waste.

Challenge 7

Organization information:
– Name: Shimadzu Corporation
– Brief description: Shimadzu Corporation is a manufacturer of Analytical Instrument, Industrial Machinery and Equipment, Medical Systems, and Aircraft Equipment.

Overview of issue/project:
We are looking for a Special filter that can be used at high temperatures to separate other foreign substances in order to measure CO2 with high sensitivity.

Anticipated joint PoC/project:
We envision several PoC possibilities.
1. Using our CO2 analyzer, we will verify the accuracy of CO2 separation.
2. Filter performance verification experiment using our CO2 measurement device.

In-kind support for startup/SME in the joint PoC/project:
Working space

Potential startup/SME:
– Stage and profile of the type of company: no specific requests.
– Specific technological and industry expertise: MEMS technology and materials engineering

Challenge 8

Organization information:
– Name: TOA Corporation
– Brief description: Specialized manufacturer of sound equipment for the public spaces, which has provided the sound systems at, airports, train stations, schools, factories, and commercial facilities, in over 120 countries.

Overview of issue/project:
We’re searching the possible collaboration to apply sound technology to healthcare and well-being fields.

Anticipated joint PoC/project:
We’d like to try to know about the below.
– whether if some kinds of the sound can the human condition better
– whether if it is effective to pick up the sound from human’s body or behavior

In-kind support for startup/SME in the joint PoC/project:
We have technologies that pick up the sounds, or emits the sounds, with unique characteristics in the space.
-the directive speakers which can deliver the sounds only to a specific person in the space.

-the directive microphones which can pick up the sounds only from a specific person in the space.

Potential startup/SME:
– Stage and profile of the type of company: Startups which have the healthcare technologies related to know the human conditions and are seeking the new business field.
– Specific technological and industry expertise: We’re interested in the companies which have the healthcare needs which can be solved by the sound, or which have analysis technologies of time series data.

Remarks:
We’re a specialized manufacturer which has very narrow business field focused on the “sound”, so we wish to collaborate with startups motivated to use the niche technologies.

Challenge 9

Organization information:
– Name: TOYO Corporation
– Brief description: TOYO Corporation is a technology provider specializing in measurement in a wide range of industries, such as ICT, Automobile, Mobility, Mechatronics, Energy and Environment, Physics, EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) Testing, Antenna, Ocean Surveys, Software Quality and Productivity, Life Science, Bio-Technology, Material Analysis, and Cyber security. TOYO Corporation is a multi-functional organization that functions as a manufacturer, trading company, and R&D organization. Our businesses are based on B to B.

Overview of issue/project:
In the development of drones, various evaluations using different measurement methods are involved. We are interested in measurement techniques required specifically in the R&D process and quality control in the development of drones. Test simulation software is also included in our interest.

Anticipated joint PoC/project:
PoC/Project includes activities for evaluating the methods with research institutes and manufacturers in drone fields in Japan.

In-kind support for startup/SME in the joint PoC/project:
Arrangement of PoC with above-mentioned parties, providing H/W platform such as PCs for the software if required.

Potential startup/SME:
– Stage and profile of the type of company: We are interested in later-stage start-ups with products/software/technologies that are already used in the drone R&D process in the country of origin.
– Specific technological and industry expertise: We are interested in innovative technology start-ups with expertise in the measurement process in R&D of drones.

Remarks:
We look forward to seeing innovative technology in the field.

Challenge 10

Overview of issue/project:
We are interested in innovative analytical techniques, peripheral technologies, and analytical software as well as instruments in the biotechnology field, specifically in the single-cell genomics area. Also interested in new microfluidic chip manufacturing technology.

Anticipated joint PoC/project:
PoC/Project includes activities for evaluating the methods with research institutes in the biofield in Japan.

In-kind support for startup/SME in the joint PoC/project:
Arrangement of PoC with a research facility, providing H/W platform such as PCs for the software if required.

Potential startup/SME:
– Stage and profile of the type of company: We are interested in later-stage start-ups with products/software/technologies that are already used in the local bio research market in the country of origin.
– Specific technological and industry expertise: We are interested in innovative technology start-ups with expertise in the single-cell genomics market.

Remarks:
We look forward to seeing innovative technology in the field.