Digital Solutions Business Mission in Japan
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Application deadline:
June 08 2025
Session dates: 14 - 17 October 2025
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Are you running a business that specializes in digital technologies? Would you like to present your technologies and products to potential partners and clients from Japan and beyond? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you. This autumn, join us for an exclusive showcase of your business during the Digital Solutions Business Mission in Japan. Don't miss out on this great networking opportunity!
ABOUT THE MISSION
Mission participants will exhibit and participate in CEATEC 2025 in Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, Japan’s largest and most recognised trade fair focused on digital innovation. Many visions, concepts, and new businesses for the future society that utilize cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) will be presented. This four-day exhibition, from October 14 (Tue) to October 17 (Fri), is an excellent opportunity to engage with Japanese business partners. At a joint EU-Japan Centre booth in the exhibition area, Japanese-language posters will be provided based on the materials from mission participants, and Centre staff and professional interpreters will help to promote mission participants’ products, technologies and assure maximum exposure with visitors of the exhibition. Networking events will increase the opportunities to connect with potential business partners and clients.
Prior to the mission, a pre-departure briefing will be organised to prepare for the Japanese market.
SCHEDULE
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13 Oct. (Mon) |
14 Oct. (Tue) |
15 Oct. (Wed) |
16 Oct. (Thu) |
17 Oct. (Fri) |
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Recommended arrival in Tokyo/Chiba |
CEATEC 2025 Networking Reception |
CEATEC 2025 Networking Event (TBC) |
CEATEC 2025 Pitching session |
CEATEC 2025 Seminar (TBC) |
OBJECTIVES
- Explore partnering opportunities with Japanese companies
- Meet and network with potential business partners in Japan
- Create new business opportunities and partnerships with Japanese companies
- Gain valuable insights and knowledge about the Japanese market to become more competitive on a global scale as an SME
- Prepare the ground for practical cluster cooperation with Japanese counterparts as a cluster
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’) (***), specialised in innovative digital technologies (i.e. technologies encompassing digital devices, systems, and resources that help create, store, and process data), in particular, but not limited to:
- Artificial intelligence
- IoT and edge computing
- Augmented reality
- Cybersecurity
- Quantum technologies
In this call, we explicitly also want to invite applications from SMEs with a proven track record of developing and implementing digital solutions for government organisations. A networking activity will be organised to connect with government stakeholders in public procurement.
(*) 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:
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Companies or clusters that are outside the scope of the defined sector/type-specific business mission will be rejected. Companies and clusters are allowed to participate multiple times. Applicants may be declined if they have previously cancelled their participation or were absent during part of a prior mission without a valid reason or have in any other way acted contrary to the guidelines of the mission, local laws, customs, and regulations or have disobeyed the instructions of the Centre staff. |
SELECTION
The Centre will evaluate applicants based on the following selection criteria:
- strategy and potential regarding Japan
- relevance to 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:
- Individual display stand in the joint EU-Japan Centre booth in the CEATEC exhibition
- Support by EU-Japan Centre staff and professional interpreters at the joint EU-Japan Centre booth
- Translation of poster and company profile, as well as printing of the poster for the exhibition
- Participation in pitch and networking sessions
- Access to online partnering tool (TBC)
COSTS
Mission participants are responsible for covering:
- Flight and other travel expenses to Japan and the trade fair venue
- Accommodation in Japan
- 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).
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