A First Tier Japanese National Graduate University to Reveal Their Medical Innovations for the First Time in the East Coast.

Eight Faculty Researchers From the Nara Institute of Science and Technology Will Present Papers in a One-Day Free Seminar in Hopes of Finding Foreign Business Partners

PHILADELPHIA -- Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) was founded in 1991 as a graduate university specializing in the high technology fields of computer and bio sciences. Belying its short history of 16 years is its rank as one of Japan's top 5 research institutions, and its record as having more licensed technology than any other university in the country. This is only the second time this premiere Japanese research institution will showcase their innovations here in the United States and it will take the form of a free day-long seminar on October 1, 2007, at the Union League of Philadelphia (140 South Broad Street).

One might ask, "why now?" Lack of an international presence is indeed, not only a problem for Nara, but for almost all of the 89 National Universities in Japan. Despite the quality research being done in such institutions, information of their potentially breakthrough innovations has been slow to cross the Pacific. Cited as the number one cause for this lack of notoriety is inaccessibility and the lack of global-mindedness on the part of the academic community.

The language hurdle seems to loom very large. Despite the high level of publication activity in Japan, many researchers choose to publish in their native tongue, not only because it is easier, but more importantly, because incentives encouraging researchers to choose international versus domestic outlets are not in place. Moreover, due to the importance researchers put on personal relationships, papers have been published in domestic journals in order for researchers to strengthen personal ties among those in the same fields. This would be less of a problem if it were not for the fact that many of the journals in which these papers appear are not available outside of Japan. All these factors contribute to an insular community hard to penetrate by foreign companies, and it has really been a self-selected few who tended to be more "internationalized" and presented papers at conferences abroad.

Since the late '90s, however, the Japanese government has been making University reform a top priority as a means to activate its economy and enhance its global competitiveness. A series of economic and University system reforms have been introduced primarily as a way of following the successful example set by the United States a decade earlier.

Among the recently introduced measures is the so-called Japanese version of the Bayh-Dole Act which gave university researchers the right to own the patents to their inventions even if the discoveries were made using government funding. Another reform that has contributed to the opening up of Universities was the 2004 legislation that made "national" universities "independent administrative corporations". The incorporation of universities has been a two-edged sword; on the one hand, it has made them less bureaucratic and more attractive to businesses, but from the stand point of the institutions, this has meant cutbacks in government funding propelling them to seek revenue outside of the government.

Taro Yaguchi, president of Japan Technology Group, which is organizing the seminar, hopes this event will set a precedence for other Japanese Universities: "This is the first time in the East Coast that a team of Japanese scientists have actively sought out licensing partners in the U.S. I think this presents a great opportunity for companies in the Philadelphia area to find innovative core technologies generated by academia for potential development and commercialization. Also, this is an extremely bold move on the part of a Japanese National University, and I am hopeful that this event will encourage others in the future."

The seminar will be held October 1, 2007, at the Union League of Philadelphia (140 South Broad Street). Registration will begin at 8AM. There will be eight technologies showcased at the seminar covering such areas as Neuroscience (Head injury, Alzheimer's, Neuropathy), autoimmune diseases and osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis, Regenerative medicine and Cancer, and Hepatitis and Diabetes Mellitus. For more information on the seminar and detailed description of the presented technologies, please go to http://www.japantechnologygroup.com/naist/seminar.html.

ABOUT THE JAPAN TECHNOLOGY GROUP

JTG (http://www.japantechnologygroup.com) is a Philadelphia-based technology transfer company, serving as an international broker of technology-based intellectual property. It serves as a link between North American companies and untapped promising Japanese innovations. JTG and its affiliates also provide a one-stop solution for the strategic management of international intellectual property rights, helping companies and universities worldwide acquire and protect patents in Japan.

For more information about the Japan Technology Group, please contact Nadia Liss, Business Development Director, at 215-701-6349 or [e-mail].