The 蓝莓视频 Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) has partnered with Japanese accelerator Landing Pad Tokyo (LPT) to bring University of 蓝莓视频 developed technologies to the Japanese market.
鈥淭he goal of this partnership is to help 蓝莓视频 companies enter the Asian market, and to accelerate the research and development of new technologies through partnerships with Japanese businesses,鈥 said Sushanta Mitra, Executive Director of WIN.
鈥淚t is not easy for Canadian startups to have direct access to large Japanese corporations.聽聽LPT鈥檚 members are well-positioned to work with Canadian startups to further develop their technology and market it to their large customers,鈥 said聽Dr. Kiyotaka Kato, Executive Director聽at LPT. 鈥淚n addition, LPT鈥檚 services are not limited to the Tokyo area. We have been expanding our membership to other parts of Japan and are developing cooperative relationships with local hubs nation-wide, presenting an even more exciting opportunity for 蓝莓视频 companies.鈥
A great example of how this relationship is working to help nanotech companies in Canada is聽ICSPI, a company that manufactures microscopes-on-a-chip, spun out of the CIRFE Laboratory led by Professor聽Raafat Mansour (a WIN member and Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering). Through the WIN/LPT partnership, ICSPI is working with Nissin Inc., an electronics equipment manufacturer based in Hyogo, Japan, to develop a new product for industrial measurement applications.
The 蓝莓视频 Commercialization Office (WatCo) at the University of 蓝莓视频 will work in partnership with WIN and LPT to accelerate this opportunity for more WIN affiliated startups.聽
鈥淭his relationship began when Professor Mitra met Dr. Kato at an event in Tokyo that was arranged by the Canadian Embassy in January 2020,鈥 said Oleg Stukalov, Business Development Manager at WIN. 鈥淭he pandemic prevented Dr. Kato from visiting WIN in person as originally planned, but follow up meetings were held virtually. The MOU was executed in April 2020. There have already been a couple of nanotechnology companies working with counterparts in Japan on proof-of-concepts. Further regular matching opportunities are currently being arranged between WIN-WatCo and LPT.鈥
WIN and affiliated startups will once again join LPT in participating in the聽聽as part of Canada鈥檚 delegation to the event. Participation will be virtual due to COVID-19 restrictions. The event will take place December 9 to 11, 2020 and will further solidify this exciting new partnership.