The visit, organized by TECH Tokyo and coordinated by ICEX, brought together four large Japanese corporations with startups, spin-offs and research groups from the Universitat Politècnica de València to explore new opportunities for innovation and technology transfer.
UPV Innovation’s participation in VDS continues to generate international opportunities for the entrepreneurial and scientific ecosystem of the Polytechnic University of Valencia. As a result of the contacts established during this international technology event and the work carried out by TECH Tokyo to bring major Japanese corporations closer to Valencia’s innovation ecosystem, a Japanese business delegation recently visited the StartUPV facilities to see the university’s innovative potential firsthand.
The visit was organized by TECH Tokyo and coordinated by ICEX Spain Export and Investment as part of an initiative aimed at exploring collaboration opportunities between Japanese companies, startups, spin-offs, and leading research groups. The meeting facilitated connections between representatives of major Japanese corporations and the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem of the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
The event brought together representatives from four major Japanese corporations: Oji Holdings, one of the world’s largest paper groups with nearly 39,000 employees and annual revenue exceeding 1.8 trillion yen; Terumo Corporation, a leading multinational in medical technology with over 30,000 professionals and annual revenue exceeding 1 trillion yen; Rohto Pharmaceutical, an international company specializing in health, personal care, and biotechnology with over 9,000 employees; and Tokyu Land Corporation, one of Japan’s leading real estate developers and urban managers.
The delegation was received at the Polytechnic University of Valencia by José Alberto Conejero, Vice Rector for Students and Entrepreneurship, and Salvador Coll, Vice Rector for Innovation and Technology Transfer, who presented the UPV’s capabilities in entrepreneurship, innovation, and knowledge transfer.
Following the presentation by the Japanese companies and their areas of interest, several startups and spin-offs from the UPV ecosystem had the opportunity to present their technologies and value propositions to representatives from these corporations. Mekreo, Colibrí Biomed, Ajax DNA, ZZ Pharma, Celentis, Corify Care, and EBHealth3 participated, showcasing developments in fields such as biotechnology, digital health, advanced diagnostics, and industrial technologies.
The session also featured the participation of university research groups and institutes, including the Institute of Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP) and the Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (CBIT), which presented some of their research areas and opportunities for collaboration with international companies.
One of the highlights of the event was the networking session that followed, which facilitated direct conversations between Japanese companies, startups, and UPV researchers. The interest generated was significant, and several participating entities identified potential avenues for collaboration just a few hours after the event concluded.
One of the participating startups shared its assessment of the event with IDEAS UPV, noting that it had been “a high-impact meeting with one of the world’s leading companies in the pulp sector” and that two potential avenues for collaboration had already been identified during the initial contact. The company also indicated that it plans to hold further meetings in the coming weeks to explore these opportunities in greater depth.
The initiative also involved TECH Tokyo, an organization specializing in connecting innovation ecosystems between Japan and Europe, which played a key role in identifying opportunities and organizing this business mission. Their work, together with the coordination provided by ICEX, helped bring the participating Japanese companies closer to the UPV’s entrepreneurial and scientific ecosystem and fostered the creation of contacts with the potential to become future collaborations.
ICEX highly praised the experience and the UPV’s ability to connect major international corporations with startups, spin-offs, and high-tech research groups. The visit reinforces the position of the Polytechnic University of Valencia as one of the leading hubs for innovation and entrepreneurship in Southern Europe and highlights the impact that initiatives such as VDS can have on generating real opportunities for the university’s innovation ecosystem.
This meeting serves as a new example of how collaboration between institutions, companies, and universities can lead to strategic connections with the potential to evolve into innovation, technology transfer, and business projects on an international scale.
