[Event Report] BioJapan—The Future of Global R&D Collaborations in Japan

BioJapan, the world's oldest biotechnology exhibition and Asia's largest partnering event, was held in Yokohama from October 9 to 11, hosting key biotech business and academia players from other countries and regions, including Switzerland, Belgium, and Taiwan.

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's latest report on the Fifth Industrial Revolution*, Japan's R&D investment in health, a key bio field, is large compared to a number of other countries. Underpinning this is the government's commitment to promoting research and development in the medical field to provide world-class healthcare.

We interviewed participants for insights into Japanese biotech and to discover what international academic and research institutions are expecting from the field in the coming years.

David Pejoski, Co-founder of small molecule pharmaceutical company Adoram Therapeutics talked about the quality and size of Japan’s healthcare market, which is driven by government health benefits and an accessible healthcare system, that is, meaning that an approved health product is likely to have a large customer base. "There is a high concentration of pharmaceutical companies, and the industry is known for being a top performer."

Maria Hahn, CEO & Founder of Nutrix, a digital health company, also praised Japan's advantageous position as a gateway to other Asian markets: "It's a great place to not only enter and sell, but also collaborate, co-create, and further grow our company."

A representative from Illumicell AI, a fertility tech startup exhibited in Swiss Biotech Pavilion, cited the accessibility of Japan's healthcare as a unique feature of the Japanese market:

"The government is incredibly interested in making fertility treatment a lot more accessible. There's a huge market for our product here."

Matthew J. Curran, CEO & Co-Founder of Nanoflex Robotics, a vascular robotic system company, said cutting-edge research and technology and highly skilled human resources made partnership opportunities in Japan attractive:

"Japan has some of the most sophisticated health systems and physicians in the world. We would eventually like to come into the Japanese market, and I think that is best done with a local Japanese partner."

Dr. Catherine Perrodin and Dr. David M Collier, Senior Business and Innovation Managers of University College London, noted that UCL comes to Japan every two years to develop links and collaborations with Japanese pharma and biotech companies:

"We have a metric that says that when scientists collaborate with Japanese scientists, the publications they write together are actually the most cited of any of the other partners we have."

"Aside from the outstanding academic prowess here, there is a rich history of drug development and expertise, which we're keen to tap into. There's also the financing and venture capital, and organizations like Life Science Innovation Network Japan which bring everybody together."

A representative from Imperial, a 2024 exhibitor, said, "It is exciting to see your cutting-edge science expertise progressively opening up to new collaboration opportunities. This open innovation approach will benefit all and revolutionize the healthcare sector well beyond Japan."