Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (located in Kyoto; President: Toru Asami; hereinafter referred to as "ATR") has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Marine Transport Entrepreneurs Center (AAST EC) in the MENA region, the Global Entrepreneurship Centre (GEC) in Düsseldorf, Germany, and the Innovation Agency Lithuania (IAL) in Lithuania, respectively. This marks the first time an MOU has been signed with an organization in the MENA region.

Since the start of the Keihanna Research Complex project in October 2016, ATR, located in Keihanna Science City, has established a collaborative network with innovation promotion organizations and individuals around the world. The network extends to Catalonia and Barcelona in Spain, Israel, Canada, New York City in the United States, India, Bavaria in Germany, Taiwan, and London in the United Kingdom. ATR has developed three open innovation promotion platforms by leveraging the strengths of Keihanna Science City, including the world-class scientific and technological capabilities of research institutes and companies, its function as a PoC-friendly city with resident participation, and its international character. These platforms include “KGAP+”, a global startup acceleration program, “KGAP Explore”, facilitating market development for research and product seeds, and “KOSAINN/KOSAINN+”, where startups contribute to tackling challenges and developing new businesses for Japanese organizations. With these platforms, ATR is growing the innovation system in Keihanna Science City.

As the global collaboration network continues to expand, ATR signed MOUs with the following three new organizations in September 2023 to facilitate collaborations. Building upon these MOUs, ATR aims to promote collaboration that captures the distinctive regional characteristics and features of each institution. The joint effort seeks to further foster the internationality and diversity of the innovation ecosystem in Keihanna Science City. ATR will also cooperate with the three institutions in promoting their innovation ecosystem by supporting their startups and facilitating internationalization.

1. The Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Marine Transport Entrepreneurs Center (AAST EC) in MENA (Middle East and North Africa)

Established in Egypt in 2015, AAST EC is dedicated to empowering youth and fostering a sustainable growth ecosystem in the MENA region. Positioned at the crossroads of the Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Asia, Egypt is a rapidly growing country with a population exceeding 100 million people, offering abundant labor and market potential. The region has witnessed significant growth in youth entrepreneurship and startup investments from the West. Beyond its focus on education and research, AAST EC offers a range of incubation and acceleration programs for startups at various stages of growth.

The collaboration began with the signing of a MOU at an international startup event held on 5th September at the AAST campus, one of the first established in New Alamein, a city of 5 million population that is built as one of Egypt's seven major national projects.

“I would like to assert that we are really excited about this collaboration with ATR, for the first time to link the ecosystem here in the MENA and Egypt to the Japanese ecosystem. We are looking forward to sharing knowledge, and helping startups to have access to both markets to be able to scale and grow their impact,” said Wael El-Desouki Bedda, Founding Director of AAST EC.

2. The Global Entrepreneurship Centre (GEC) in Düsseldorf, Germany

GEC runs support programs and investments for sustainable deep tech startups in sectors such as food and agriculture, textiles, energy, mobility and transport, construction and living in Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), the state with the largest population and GDP among the 16 German states.

On 20th September, an MOU signing ceremony was held at GEC in Düsseldorf, accompanied by a joint event to introduce each other's ecosystems and showcase startup pitches. During the event, presentations were delivered by three Japanese companies: Keigan (based in Keihanna Science City), Chinougijutsu (a KGAP+ alumni), and iROBOTICS (also a KGAP+ alumni). Furthermore, Omnivore-Recycling has been selected among the three GEC startups for Batch 10 of KGAP+ (scheduled from late November 2023 to March 2024).

“Partnering with ATR and KGAP+ is an excellent opportunity for us to attract green-tech innovation from Japan to Germany and help Japanese entrepreneurs expand to Europe. GEC is an impact investor and innovation hub, founded in 2021, for scaling sustainable technology innovation and entrepreneurship. We address the scaling challenges of deep-tech startups with a clear focus on sustainability, circularity and the climate agenda. Germany and Japan have a very sophisticated mutual understanding of research and development, engineering, and IP protection. We are looking forward to the collaboration and the future opportunities it will bring to startups in Germany and Japan,” said Friedrich Barth, Founder and CEO of GEC.

3. The Innovation Agency Lithuania（IAL）in Lithuania

After Prime Minister Kishida's visit to Lithuania for the NATO Summit in July 2023, Ms. Aušrinė Armonaitė, the Minister of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania, visited Japan in early October this year. These high-profile exchanges have significantly contributed to building momentum for increased economic collaboration between the two countries. IAL promotes sustainable economic development based on scientific knowledge, advanced technology and innovation by supporting entrepreneurship, growth and innovation.

On 21st September, an MOU signing ceremony occurred in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuanian, with the presence of Mr. Tetsu Ozaki, Ambassador of Japan to Lithuania, and Mr. Gediminas Varvuolis, former Ambassador of Lithuania to Japan. In tandem with this, “KGAP+ Batch 10 Lithuania Challenge” was held, during which Integral Solutions was selected for the upcoming program.

“A MOU has been signed between ATR and IAL on cooperation between the two countries in the fields of technological innovation, industrial research and development. The intention is to implement programmes and projects that will promote cooperation between Lithuanian and Japanese companies and organisations. I am pleased that ATR has selected a participant from among promising Lithuanian startups for KGAP+. This programme stands out for its focus on purpose and diversity – startups from Japan and abroad cooperate with Japanese organisations, global innovation hubs and join the international innovation ecosystem,” said Romualda Stragienė, Director of IAL.

Description of business: R&D and commercialization in the field of Computational Neuroscience, Deep Interaction Science, Wireless and Communication and Life Science.