SEED: Science Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development
Support for Start-up and Venture Businesses by the University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo's organization for supporting venture businesses has moved from the stage of planning to the stage of implementation where visible results can be returned to society. The first stage consisted of establishing the tripartite system of the Division of University Corporate Relations; TOUDAI TLO, Ltd. (CASTI); and The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Co., Ltd. (UTEC) to structuralize support for venture businesses. The next stage consisted of procuring a facility, the University of Tokyo Entrepreneur Plaza, that is equipped to support "wet laboratoriesh for venture businesses in the field of bioscience.
We have finally arrived at the stage for implementing activities designed to accelerate creative innovations. Even without making references to case studies in Europe and the United States, it is clear that universities and venture businesses originating in academic institutions have been the precipitators of societal changes and have instigated the birth of new industries, and it is the mission of the University of Tokyo to become a leader in this.
Our motto is "Commitment to Innovation.h
"The Entrepreneur DOJO"---Education Course on Entrepreneurship
As a student or researcher, have you ever wondered whether an idea or the results of your research could be commercialized? Have you ever wondered about what you had to do to make this a reality? Perhaps many questions along these lines have crossed your mind.
The University of Tokyo Entrepreneur DOJO is a unique educational program where you can learn how to commercialize your ideas and your intellectual properties such as inventions that came about as a result of your research activities.
Why not come to the University of Tokyo Entrepreneur DOJO and cultivate your entrepreneurial spirit?
"The University of Tokyo Entrepreneur Plaza"---Incubation Assistance
The Entrepreneur Plaza is looking for private enterprises that need support from the University!
The University of Tokyo opens The University of Tokyo Entrepreneur Plaza on the Hongo Campus in June 2007. This is a support facility for venture businesses originating from the University of Tokyo. Its purpose is to provide effective support to venture businesses that are key players in one of the most important missions of the University: To make research results useful to society. This new facility will be equipped to be responsive to increasing demands of wet laboratories for life-science related venture businesses originating from the University. For the opening of this new facility, we are currently recruiting venture businesses that have the credentials to receive support from the Division of University Corporate Relations.
If you are interested, please read the pamphlet "Introduction to the University of Tokyo Entrepreneur Plazah and contact our staff for further details.
The Importance of the Entrepreneur Plaza within the University of Tokyo
Under the National University Corporation Law Article 22 Clause 5 and according to the preface of the Charter of the University of Tokyo, an important mission of the University of Tokyo is to return the fruit of its research to society. One way to accomplish this mission is to ensure that our intellectual properties such as our patents are put to practical use. With regard to putting intellectual properties to practical use, the University of Tokyo Intellectual Properties Policy 4. (2) asserts the importance of promoting practical application of inventions and other intellectual properties that are the University's proprietary assets.
It states, "As one measure to return the fruit of intellectual creativity to society, the University should proactively be involved in using start-up businesses to commercialize inventions.h This means that maintaining a positive environment for supporting start-ups is one of the tasks set down for the University of Tokyo.
The support provided for venture businesses at the University of Tokyo Entrepreneur Plaza is one of the university-wide services provided by the Division of University Corporate Relations to create a positive environment for newly created businesses. The construction of the University of Tokyo Entrepreneur Plaza is made possible by a charitable contributor.
Message from General Manager
The Department of Science Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (SEED) supports and expedites start-up and venture businesses that seek to commercialize and practically apply results of research and education at the University. "The University of Tokyo Intellectual Properties Policyh is the basic guideline for organizational management of intellectual properties and promotes the practical use of inventions that are University's proprietary assets. Supporting start-up businesses is a major pillar of the Division of University Corporate Relations. According to the Policy, "The University of Tokyo will endeavor to proliferate in society the practical use of inventions and innovations that are University property in cooperation with patent application partners, and other external organizations, including TLOs. (Some lines omitted) The University will also proactively capitalize on university start-ups as one way to commercialize inventions and expedite making the results of intellectual creations useful to society. The University will cooperate with "a technology transfer related corporation (Note: This refers to The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Co., Ltd. (UTEC))h to support start-up businesses.h
Practical steps have been taken to support start-up businesses. In April 2004, the University was incorporated, and, at the same time, the University of Tokyo Edge Capital Co., Ltd. (UTEC) was established to manage venture capital funds for the University of Tokyo. The objective of the establishment of UTEC was to provide support to university start-ups from the perspective of funds and human resources. Our efforts to invest in venture businesses are already underway, with the first round venture capital fund (UTEC Fund), which was launched successfully with more than 8.3 billion JPY of capital fund from 23 limited partners (LPs) with UTEC as General Partner (GP).
The Department of Science Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development manages the Incubation Rooms located within the UCR Plaza, the venture promotion facility. As a response to increasing internal demands from the University, the Department has launched a project to build the University of Tokyo Entrepreneur Plaza (scheduled to be completed in June 2007) next to the UCR Plaza. Our Department also hosts an educational program for students who are interested in entrepreneurship or their start-up businesses, "The University of Tokyo Entrepreneur DOJO (a seminar for writing business plans)". We will continue to support and promote start-ups and venture businesses that originate from our University from different angles.
Shigeo Kagami
Professor, The University of Tokyo
General Manager, Department of Science Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development
