Market Entry-Business Plan Support ("Keys to Japan")

"Keys to Japan" - Compete for sponsorship of your market entry plan for Japan

Testimonial by Remco Aberson / Head of APAC
PLUGWISE (The Netherlands) - www.plugwise.com
Winner of "Keys to Japan" 2018

The JMEC team that made the business plan for Plugwise was a great, dedicated and professional team that really put in the effort to write the best Market Entry Plan. Read more

Testimonial by Elisabet Romeu Codina / General Management
IMPETUX (Spain) - http://www.impetux.com
Winner of "Keys to Japan" 2015

Although, we market a disruptive technology with applications in very specialised fields, the team who worked on our entry plan and with whom we cooperated had no difficulties in really understanding our technology and its potential applications. Read more

Keys to Japan is an European Commission-funded initiative, managed by the EU-Japan Centre. If you are considering marketing a product or service in Japan  and you are an SME* from an EU Member-State or SMP Associated Country**,  under Keys to Japan, you can get a detailed and personalised market entry business plan, prepared by JMEC.

For 2023 there will be two winners.

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Who is eligible to apply?

Any relevant industrial or consumer product or service company is eligible to apply (please see more conditions below).

Applicants must be:

- working for an SME(*) that is a juridical person based and headquartered in:

• the European Union, or
• a country associated to the Single Market Programme, SME Pillar(**)

- working in a management position
- at least 20 years of age at the date of submission of the application form

(*) SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) are companies meeting  the standard European Commission criteria for an SME which have applied successfully for a grant. Other companies are large companies or SMEs that fail to apply successfully for a grant.

(**) Please check the status of your country at https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/smp/guidance/list-3rd-country-participation_smp_en.pdf, for EFTA countries, please only refer to the sub-paragraph: "COSME strand (SMP COSME)". For EU Acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates, please only refer to the countries for which the agreement is in force.

SMP-COSME: Stands for “Countries Participating in the COSME strand of the Single Market Programme". The Single Market Programme is the Commission programme that funds the EU-Japan Centre.

<< APPLICATION FORM >>

Deadline to apply: 3 July 2023 (17h30 Tokyo time)

Valid applications will be assessed on the quality of the proposed market entry project, the justifications given for wanting to enter the Japanese market, the potential for a successful market entry of the product / service, and on possible risks and challenges in Japan.

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Financial conditions for session 2023/2024

Each market entry draft plan is worth €10,000 and will be prepared by JMEC (http://www.jmec.gr.jp/).

The cost of each plan will be covered partially by the EU-Japan Centre (€ 9000), and partially by the SME (€ 1000).

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Terms and conditions

Disclaimer

In no event can the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation be considered liable for the selection or non-selection of any candidate for the "Keys to Japan" programme.

In no event will the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation be liable for any advice or information given by JMEC.

In no event will the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, punitive, exemplary, consequential or subsequent damages or any loss of business or profits, regardless of legal theory, whether or not the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation has been warned of the possibility of such damages, for the use, non-use or omission of any information or advice provided by "Keys to Japan" programme affiliates.

Confidentiality

Successful candidates will receive a detailed and personalised "market entry plan" which will remain confidential. Successful candidates have the duty to keep all information received from the Japan Market Expansion Competition confidential unless otherwise stated by the Japan Market Expansion Competition. The EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation will keep confidential all information provided by the candidates for the application.

Copyright

"Keys to Japan", the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and the Japan Market Expansion Competition are protected by copyright, logos, trademark, and such other intellectual property rights. In no event the candidates are granted any right, title or interest in the aforementioned trademarks, logos and other intellectual property rights. Any intellectual property right owned by the candidates will remain the property of the candidates.