Structure of the Alliance Business
In order to solve the technical issues that exist in the industry and create innovation in the industry through breakthroughs,
In fiscal 2017, QST and a group of companies in a specific field jointly conducted research and development in an alliance project, and the first phase ended in fiscal 2022.
From FY2023, we have started the second phase with more developmental objectives, while inheriting the basic structure of the alliance business in the first phase.
Social Background of the Alliance Business
As corporate activities become more globalized and global competition intensifies, there are various technical issues that need to be solved in the industrial world. In order to solve these technical issues, it is often necessary to bring together not only our own technology but also a wide range of fields. In addition to the facilities and equipment for development, a large amount of research funds are required. It is difficult for a single company to cover all of these costs, even for large companies. In addition, it is not easy to start due to concerns about the risk of failure in development. It is conceivable that multiple companies may work together, but there are few opportunities to match between different fields, and companies in the same field The current situation is that it is difficult to adjust because they are rivals with each other. In solving problems in development that require multidisciplinary collaboration in this way, The need for open innovation has been pointed out, and in the future, not only the private sector but also national research institutes are required to make efforts that will produce effective results. QST, a national research and development corporation, does not develop products, but conducts cutting-edge research and development in various fields, such as materials development and diagnostic imaging research. We have abundant human resources and the latest research facilities and equipment. Therefore, QST is designed to solve the technical problems that exist in industry. We have launched the Alliance Business, which is a mechanism for companies in specific fields and QST to conduct joint research and development.
Basic Structure of the Alliance Business
In this project, QST establishes an "alliance" to conduct research and development in a specific field, and companies that are interested in this alliance join as "members."
As a basic mechanism, we promote R&D through the following three stages.
Stage 1
QST and all members will identify technical issues in the relevant field, exchange information and discuss solutions to them, and set goals that should be prioritized for development.
Stage 2
A small number of members and QSTs who are particularly interested in the development goals set in the first stage actually conduct research and development to solve technical problems, and obtain various results.
Stage 3
A small number of members enter into a one-to-one contract with QST, or a member and QST, and develop commercially available products and technologies that are useful for practical use based on the research results obtained up to the second stage.
We aim to solve the final technical problem and create innovation based on it.
Benefits of the Alliance
By promoting this alliance business, each company will not only be able to efficiently obtain the latest R&D trends, but also reduce the investment risk caused by new entrants.
In addition to efficiently working on technological development, it is possible to deliver products and technologies that are the final products to the world at an earlier stage.
In particular, the initial investment in accelerators, radiation imaging equipment, high-field MRI equipment and peripheral technologies is extremely high.
Since technological accumulation and renewal are indispensable for the effective use of this technology, it is a technology field that is difficult for a single company to enter. In addition, as an alliance association, QST acts as an intermediary.
It can be expected that it will be easier to collaborate between companies in specific fields.
On the other hand, QST makes it possible to utilize its own knowledge, facilities, and equipment for the industrial development of Japan, as well as to utilize the needs of companies and the technological seeds and knowledge of companies.
It can be used for more advanced research and development. In addition, the alliance business is open not only to private companies but also to academia such as universities and research and development corporations.
We can also look forward to a wide range of deep collaborations between industry and academia in the future.
In fiscal 2020, 22 private companies and one R&D corporation participated, and each alliance is promoting research and development.
Contact Information
Please contact us at the following address for any comments or questions.
Department of Innovation Strategy, Social Collaboration and Strategy Section
Tel:+81-43-382-8061 Fax:+81-43-206-4061
E-mail:innov-alliance@qst.go.jp