KOBE BIOMEDICAL INNOVATION CLUSTER

KOBE, a global hubfor healthcareIn response to the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster (KBIC) was founded to bring research centers, clinical institutes and innovative companies together to take healthcare to the next generation. KBIC is the best example of the transformation of Kobe into a global leader in healthcare innovations.

KBIC has chosen the simple hexagon as its logo, because each vertex represents the source of its success: Business, Culture, Government, Infrastructure, Nature, and People.

Innovative strategy for innovative healthcareBased on its quick success, the KBIC has become a model cluster in Japan and Asia. The cluster is a dense concentration of research centers, medical institutions and companies. The KBIC gives access to diverse organizations who can strengthen your basic research or translate it into a commercial healthcare product.

Excellent placeto work and liveWith just over 1.5 million residents, Kobe ranks as the sixth largest city in Japan by population, but is also surrounded by nature, with the sea to the south and mountains to the north. Historically, it has been a major economic hub for trade and manufacturing and has long been one of the first choices for multinationals in Japan.

KOBE of JAPAN

KOBE

New model for healthcare solutions

INNOVATION

Drug & biotechnology

Regenerative medicine

Medical device

Health promotion

Nursing care and rehabilitation

Highly advanced medical institutions

RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research

RIKEN Center for Computational Science(K computer )

R&D centers for biomedical research

Basic research(Research institutions)

Clinical application(Hospitals)

Industrialization(Companies)

The KBIC brings together three major groups for innovation in healthcare

Clusters 8 medical institutes that provide highly advanced medical treatments and help translate basic and clinical research into commercial products.

In 2001, RIKEN, Japan’s largest comprehensive research organization broke ground in KBIC. Since then, several university campuses and research institutes have opened inside the Cluster.

Japan proudly hosts K computer, which Graph500 ranked as number one for big data processing performance. K computer is just one reason why the KBIC is one of the best places in the world to conduct simulations for drug discovery and other healthcare challenges. A successor to the K computer is scheduled for 2021.

Medical area

R & D area

Simulation area

The KBIC is located on Port Island and less than 10 minutes from the Kobe Airport. The Kansai International Airport can be reached in 30 minutes by ferry. A 25-minute train ride from the KBIC takes you to Shin-Kobe, where every major city on the main island of Japan is accessible by SHINKANSEN.

Conveniently located

KOBEOSAKA

KYOTO

HIMEJI

AWAJISHIMA KansaiInternationalAirport

Kobe Airport

Shin-Kobe

Port Island

Osaka InternationalAirport

TOKYO

JAPAN

The KBIC clusters three areas of specialty into a small radius on Port Island. In its 20 years of operation, KBIC has recruited 350 healthcare companies, which employ just under 10,000 people.

Diversity in density25min to Shin-Kobe SHINKANSEN station

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Taking your research to the next level

Company Breakdown

Number of companies and employees

18 32

60 73

85

101

125

150

170

203 218

233

271

292

316 336344

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Companies:350 (as of Mar. 31, 2019)

Employees : 9,400 (as of Mar. 31, 2018)

(employees) (companies)

Employees

153.2 bn yen (2015) Municipal Tax Revenue:5.3 bn yen (2015)

Companies

Economic Impact on Kobe city

206

745

1,155

1,604

1,757

2,058

2,200

2,885

3,593

4,351

4,890

5,409

6,141

7,024

7,100

9,200

9,400

Regenerativemedicine

8.2%

Pharmaceutical

14.8%

Health promotion

9.1%

27.0%

Medicaldevice

R & D support

15.6%

Universities3.4%

Other7.4%

Nursing care andrehabilitation

4.5%

IT & software4.8%

Medicalinstitutions

(as of Mar. 31, 2019)

2.8%

Logistics2.3%

Success builds on successEvery year, more and more companies are joining the KBIC, strengthening our diversity and expanding our impact. Companies are of all sizes and types, including venture, small- and middle-sized, and multinationals.

Healthcare InnovationThe KBIC promotes “ Translational Research” for the clinical application of basic research

Basic research Commercialization IndustrializationTechnology development

The KBIC is home to the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation (FBRI), which aids at every step from the point of a scientific discovery to the release of a commercial healthcare product, with strengths in regenerative medicine, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals.

Support from beginning to end

Regenerative medicine

Medical devices

Pharmaceuticals

Regenerative medicineHealthcare Innovation

Japan is a global leader in regenerat ive

medicine, and the KBIC is a leader in Japan,

with strengths in cell development and cell

processing. In 2 014 , t wo members of the

KBIC, RIKEN and the Institute of Biomedical

R e s e a r c h a n d I n n o v a t i o n , w i t h t h e

cooperat ion of Kobe Ci t y Medical Center

General Hospital, announced the world’s first

transplant of an induced pluripotent stem cell

product into a human patient . Other stem-

cell-based regenerative therapies are also

being developed at the KBIC.

First in cell therapies

Medical devicesHealthcare Innovation

As a super-aging country, Japan is investing

heavily in robotics and other medical devices

for the unique heal th challenges that are

emerging with its demographics. Therefore,

the KBIC has assembled many companies and

organizat ions with exper t ise in medicine,

engineering, and industrialization for new

solutions to minimally invasive treatments,

value-based healthcare, and elderly care. The

KBIC provides a synergistic environment for

these companies to realize their goals.

Bring Japan technology to healthcare

Pharmaceutical powerhouse

Speed up and cost reduction in creating new drugs

Innovative drugs

Faster R&D2-3years

A bridge fromresearch to

business

PharmaceuticalsHealthcare Innovation

The region of Kansai , of which Kobe is a

member, has long been a powerhouse in

pharmaceuticals. K computer is the most

prominent example of how the KBIC can assist

in pharmaceutical solutions, but so too are the

many universit ies, research institutes and

medical centers found in the Clus ter. I t s

s up er- ag i ng s ocie t y has made hea l t h y

longevity a high priority in Japan, and the KBIC

is a major beneficiary of resulting policy.

Supporting you and your goals

Network building on global networkIndustry-academia collaborationBusiness matchingIncubation

FBRI

Carries out fundamental research and provides support for

Foundation for Biomedical Researchand Innovation at Kobe

The KBIC was created to build a vibrant network between industry and academia for innovation in the healthcare sector. We will help you make your ideas into commercial solutions.

Medical Innovationthrough

collaboration

Basic research(Research institutions)

Clinical application(Hospitals)

Industrialization(Companies)

Copyright © Nobel Media AB 2018. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud.

Since its inception, the KBIC has built a new model that we want to see spread not only to Japan, but to

Asia and the world. It has revitalized the city of Kobe following the devastating Hanshin-Awaji

Earthquake of 1995 by transforming Kobe into a global biomedical hub.

The KBIC has built a large conglomerate of research institutes, companies and medical centers that

together have writ ten a blueprint for translating an abstract idea into a commercial solution for

healthcare. This is symbolized by where the KBIC stands, which was first an empty plot of land that is

now full of research centers, medical institutes and companies.

Many developed countries are experiencing dropping birthrates and aging populations, but none more so

than Japan. Japan has made preparation for this demographic change a policy priority, and the KBIC is

using its vision to show countries how to solve the accompanying healthcare challenges.

The key to this success is our vibrant network, which continues to grow. Join us in our journey.

We succeed when you succeed

Tasuku Honjo, M.D., Ph.D.President, Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe

Kobe City Government

6-5-1, Kano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe City 650-8570, JapanTEL +81-78-322-6319 FAX +81-78-322-6010

Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe

2-2, Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe City 650-0047, JapanTEL +81-78-306-1700 FAX +81-78-306-1708 https://www.fbri-kobe.org/kbic/