Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe has been advancing various initiatives to support startups in the life sciences field since 2018. As a result, approximately 70 startups are actively pursuing their R&D and business development activities in the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster.
To foster startups with global presence from Kobe and the Kansai region, we have cooperated with many companies and organizations with KLSAP aimed at supporting the oversea expansion of life sciences startups. We hope and expect to see many startups achieving significant growth through this program.

• Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster
• https://www.fbri-kobe.org/kbic/english/

Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster was launched as an earthquake disaster reconstruction project and has grown into one of the leading biomedical clusters in Japan with more than 360 companies and organizations.
City of Kobe also has been focusing to support startups, providing the “Kobe Life Science Gap Fund Subsidy” to accelerate R&D activities for commercialization. In 2020, “Creative Lab for Innovation in Kobe”, an incubation facility for startup equipped with shared research facilities has established to provide startups for their research development environment.
We hope that KLSAP which aims to support startups to build overseas networks will be utilized as a foothold to expand their business globally.

• Life-Tech KOBE
• https://life-techkobe.com/

The Bayer Collaborate to Cure Japan Hub operates as the Japanese center for the Global BD&L / Open Innovation team. Our core objective is to foster the development of a healthcare ecosystem within Japan, connecting research and drug discovery initiatives originating from Japan with Bayer's internal research and development. Through these collaborations, our goal is to develop innovative therapeutic drugs that make significant contributions to patient care. Achieving this objective necessitates leveraging external innovation through research partnerships, especially those with startups, which are pivotal drivers of innovation.
We are eager to engage with startups via the KLSAP program that align with our vision of "From Japan to the World." Together, we aim to fulfill our corporate mission of "Science for a Better Life."

• Co.Lab Kobe
• https://colab.bayer.com/en/page/co-lab-kobe-en

Celltrion is a South Korean biotechnology company that has achieved distinction for introducing a novel business paradigm through the development of the world's first antibody biosimilar.
Having grown from a startup in 2002 to a leading player in the Korean biotech sector, the company is leveraging its experience to accelerate drug development by engaging in open innovation with technologically advanced startups in Korea and abroad.
With the KLSAP program, Celltrion will continue to be dedicated to fostering innovation and will actively seek to collaborate with startups possessing exceptional technological capabilities in Japan.
We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and remain committed to pursuing innovation through strategic collaborations.

• Celltrion, Inc.
• https://www.celltrion.com/en-us

Through our corporate philosophy of "Shaping the advancement of healthcare," we aim to contribute to solving societal issues and achieving sustainable growth, not only in the field of medicine but throughout society. Following the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, lifestyles have dramatically changed, and the roles that companies involved in healthcare need to pursue have become more diverse and expanded. By providing innovative testing and diagnostic services, we strive to save lives and improve the quality of life for patients as soon as possible. We envision nurturing a healthcare ecosystem in collaboration with startups, set against the backdrop of the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster, together with our sponsor companies.

• Sysmex Open Innovation Lab.(SOLA)
• https://www.sysmex.co.jp/en/rd/open-innovation/

AstraZeneca is driving a healthcare open innovation network around the world that connects healthcare professionals, local governments, academia and private companies, including startups, to achieve the common goal of patient-centered healthcare.
In Japan, the network was launched in November 2020 as i2.JP (Innovation Infusion Japan) and has grown into one of the largest ecosystems in the country with more than 450 partners in just over three years.
We look forward to leveraging AstraZeneca's global network and working together to bring Japanese innovation to the world, realizing KLSAP's vision of "From Japan to the World."

• i2.JP Innovation Infusion Japan
• https://www.i2jp.net/en/index.html

Japanese academia-based startup companies are gradually achieving large-scale funding from overseas venture capital and successful licensing deals with foreign pharmaceutical companies. These cases demonstrate that many domestic technological seeds have the potential to be highly valued on a global scale. In order for Japanese startup companies to expand overseas, we have high hopes that promising domestic startups can leverage the Kansai Life Science Accelerator Program (KLSAP), which provides opportunities for coaching by investors and serial entrepreneurs in US, the forefront of life sciences, to take flight on the global stage.

• INNOVATION HUB KYOTO
• https://www.ihk.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en