Mission dates: 06 - 10 Oct 2025

Are you running a business that operates in the Biotech and Pharma sector? Would you like to present your technologies, products or services to potential partners and clients from Japan and beyond? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you. This autumn, join us and showcase your business during the Biotech mission in Japan. Don't miss out on some great partnering opportunities!

ABOUT THE MISSION

The mission will start in Osaka on October 6 (Mon) with participation in the EU-Japan Biotech and Pharma Partnering Conference, a one-day partnering event, followed by a site visit on October 7 (Tue), organised in collaboration with local authorities and biotech clusters in the Osaka region, Japan’s second largest Biotech & Pharma Ecosystem and historical Centre of Drug discovery in Japan.

From Wednesday, the mission participants will participate in BioJapan 2025 in Yokohama, the premier Bio-Industry Partnering Event in Asia. This three-day exhibition and partnering event, from October 8 (Wed) to October 10 (Fri), is an excellent opportunity to engage in partnering meetings with Japanese Biotech Pharma and Healthcare companies. At the joint EU-Japan Centre booth in the exhibition area, each participant will be present with a poster translated into Japanese by the EU-Japan Centre. Centre staff and professional interpreters will help to promote mission participants’ products, technologies and services to assure maximum exposure with visitors of the exhibition. Networking events in the evening will provide additional opportunities to connect with potential business partners and clients.

Prior to the mission, a briefing webinar will be organised to prepare for the Japanese market, and access to online partnering systems will be provided.

SCHEDULE

OBJECTIVES

• Explore partnering opportunities with Japanese Biotech, Pharma, and Healthcare companies
  • Directly connect with your target through partnering platforms
  • Showcase your business at the exhibition and at networking events
• Create new business opportunities and partnerships with Japanese companies
• Gain valuable insights and knowledge about the Japanese market Prepare the ground for practical cluster cooperation with Japanese counterparts

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

This call for applications targets individuals working for SMEs (*) (small and medium enterprises, start-ups) or Clusters (**) from the European Union, or a European country associated to the Single Market Programme, SME Pillar (COSME strand / strand ‘Competitiveness of SMEs’) (***), active in the following sectors:

• Drug discovery
• Drug discovery support including AI-assisted drug development
• Regenerative medicine
• Digital Therapeutics such as drug-device combinations, non-pharmacological therapy systems

(*) Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are companies that meet the standard criteria set by the European Commission to be classified as SMEs.

(**) Clusters are those who are registered in the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (https://clustercollaboration.eu/). Registration on that platform is free of charge.

(***) Please check the status of your country here.

ELIGIBILITY

The applicant must:

SELECTION

The Centre will evaluate applicants based on the following selection criteria:

• strategy and potential regarding Japan
• relevance for the topic of the mission and the targeted fair
• professional background of the applicant

Priority will be given to new applicants. Applicants applying again for the same mission may be selected if they can convincingly explain why another participation would be beneficial for their business with Japan.

The mission will welcome 12 to 16 participants depending on budget availability.

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

The EU-Japan Centre will cover the expenses for one representative per selected company/cluster for:

• Access to online partnering platforms
• Participation in the EU-Japan Biotech and Pharma Partnering Conference in Osaka
• One-way transportation by Shinkansen from Osaka to Yokohama on the second day of mission
• Access to the BioJapan partnering area and related network events
• Individual display stands in the joint EU-Japan Centre booth in the BioJapan exhibition
• Translation of poster and company profile, as well as printing of the poster for the exhibition
• Support by EU-Japan Centre staff and professional interpreters at the joint EU-Japan Centre booth

COSTS

Mission participants are responsible for covering:

• Flight and other travel expenses to the starting point of the mission in Osaka and from the end point of the mission in Yokohama
• Accommodation in Osaka and Yokohama
• Other living expenses in Japan, including local transportation and meals

DEPOSIT & PENALTIES

Selected participants for the mission are required to pay a deposit of €1000 to secure their spot. This deposit will be refunded after a post-event survey is submitted. Cancelling after confirming your participation will result in a forfeiture of the deposit.

In practice, the following penalties apply:

• In case of cancellation after paying the deposit, the deposit will be forfeited. However, the deposit will be fully refunded in case of force majeure, such as natural disasters, or other unforeseeable circumstances beyond the participant's control.
• Failure to show up during the mission (at the EUJCIC booth or mandatory side-events): for each day that the participant will be absent without valid reason, between 200 to 250 EUR will be deducted (200 EUR for a 5-day mission, 250 EUR for a 4-day mission).

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

THE BIOTECH SECTOR IN JAPAN

Looking for information about the biotech sector in Japan? Visit the dedicated pages in our EU Business in Japan dedicated content. Free membership registration