NOF Corp. Open Innovation Program

This program is for developping technologies and products for medicine and medical device, in collaboration with NOF CORPORATION, providing new values to realize a prosperous and sustainable society.

Thank you for your application.
For the application terms and conditions, please click here.
For detailed application method, please refer to the following
・Application Guidance
・Tutorial Video
If you have trouble accessing the application form,
you can also apply by email (phd2@ninesigma.com).

From the Biosphere to Outer Space

Based on our cooperate philosophy, “contributing to humanity and society as a corporate group that creates new value through the power of chemistry, from the Biosphere to Outer space”, NOF Group have been committed to their mission of developing various industrial fields by providing products that meet the needs of the times.

NOF has identified the following four materiality factors and is promoting specific developments based on “Innovation through businesses”, “Contribute to medicine, medical care and health”, “Contribute through environmentally-friendly products”, and “Contribute to smart society”.

This time, in medical and medical device fields,NOF will promote technology and product development in collaboration with universities, research institutes, and startups worldwide.

THEME

Publicly solicited themes

THEME 01

Materials for regenerative medicine, cell therapy, and gene therapy

Materials and technologies with low toxicity, biocompatibility, and targeted delivery

  • For high gene deliveryefficiency and high tissue specificity
  • For high-yield cell isoltaion and purification
  • For 3D cell culture
THEME 02

In vitro diagnostic materials

Materials and technologies that can significantly improve detection sensitivity and reduce inspection time

  • For improving detection sensitivity and precision
  • For speeding up testing and diagnosis
  • For Stabilizing diagnosis markers, antibodies, etc.
THEME 03

Materials for pharmaceuticals (small molecules, peptides, nucleic acids, biotechnology, etc.)

Materials and technologies that can contribute to the development of next-generation drugs, such as highly tissue-selective drug delivery and novel drug modification technologies.

  • For providing tissue specificity or drug absorption property in the body
  • For novel vaccine adjuvants
THEME 04

Materials for medical devices

Materials and technologies to meet next-generation technology needs in the medical device field

  • For high-performance wound healing
  • For high safety, high biodegradability, and high biocompatibility

Other materials for the medical field

Materials and technologies for other medical fields (reproductive medicine, dentistry, oral medicine, ophthalmology, etc.)

TARGET

Applicants are expected the following:

Have technology related to the theme of the project

Want to strengthen industry-academia collaboration

Want to create new business through joint development with NOF

Want to commercialize their research results and realize them in society

Want to actively disseminate information about our research

Want to grow their business by utilizing assets of NOF

MERIT

Benefits of Participating in the Program

Research fund provided

The amount of funding will be determined based on the nature of the research.See also the “FAQ” section below.

Branding

An enhanced brand value can be expected through press releases as well as through the achievements of universities, research institutes, etc. brought about from the research commissioned by NOF.

Utilization of NOF’s commercialization assets

The research results can be commercialized by utilizing NOF’s existing assets such as sales channels and markets.

Contract extension available

Depending on the results, the research will be continued into the next fiscal year and beyond.

SCHEDULE

Application Acceptance Schedule and Examination Scheme

Start of application acceptance.

Individual consultation is available even during the application period.
phd2@ninesigma.com

October 2, 2023
Joint Online Explanation Meetings
Oct 24th, 10:00 a.m. PST (1:00 p.m. EST)
Oct 24th, 9:00 a.m. UTC+1
End of the application period
November 30, 2023
Document examination
Early January 2024
Interviews

NOF will carefully examine the applications and select candidates for interviews.
Presentations on the proposals and Q&A sessions will be held.
In principle, interviews will be conducted online.

Late January–February 2024
Announcement of the selected candidate(s)
End of March 2024

online explanation meeting

Joint online explanation meeting

Oct 24th, 10:00 a.m. PST (1:00 p.m. EST)
Oct 24th, 9:00 a.m. UTC+1

In addition to an explanation of the nature of the program, a Q&A session will be held.

If you are interested in participating in the program and want to participate in the meeting, please click the “Register” button below.

Eligibility:

Universities, research institutes, startups, etc. that are incorporated and have the skills and knowledge to conduct research in line with the theme of the program.

EXAMINATION CRITERIA

Examination Criteria and Attribution of Deliverables

Examination criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Outline and performance of the proposed seeds and technology (superiority over existing technology and uniqueness of functionalities)
  • Level of technological perfection and expectations for commercialization
  • Potential for application in a wide range of fields, not just in one particular field

The applicant’s past performance in the relevant research field is not necessarily a requirement for selection; rather, emphasis will be placed on the proposed technology, the applicant’s research motivation and enthusiasm, and the applicant’s future potential.

Attribution of deliverables

The handling of intellectual property rights obtained as a result of the research and research equipment acquired will be agreed upon in the contract.

Notes for proposal submission

By submitting a proposal for this program, you agree to the following:

  • To the best of the applicant’s knowledge, the proposal does not contain any confidential information of the applicant or any third party.
  • Any intellectual property or other rights, such as patents, included in the proposal are clearly stated.
  • If the proposer already holds the rights to the proposed technology, the transfer of concession rights, etc., will be determined in subsequent negotiations.
  • If the proposal is accepted, the name of the proposing organization will be made public.

MESSAGE

Message

The vision of the NOF Group is to continuously create new value with the power of chemistry in the three business fields of “Life/Healthcare”, “Environment/Energy”, and “Electronics/IT”, in order to realize a prosperous and sustainable society. Based on our vision, we are actively engaged in open innovation activities, including the collaborative creation of new values through industry-academia partnerships.

Modern society faces a wide range of challenges, including climate change, resource and energy issues, and health and safety concerns.

In the medical field, we are required to solve issues such as the rapid aging of society and the spread of infectious diseases worldwide, as typified by COVID-19, to improve the quality of life of all people and establish a healthy and sustainable society in which people can live with peace of mind.

Cooperation of researchers from universities, research institutes, and startup companies is indispensable to address these issues. We would be very grateful if you could give us your support.

In this project, we aim to collaboratively create new value by combining our assets with excellent materials and technologies possessed by research institutions. We look forward to receiving applications from researchers who are willing to take on this challenge with us.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How many research applications will be adopted for your project?
Multiple applications will be adopted for the themes as a whole.
What if I am not sure whether my technology or material will match any theme?
If you have difficulty in deciding, please feel free to contact the NineSigma Office (phd2@ninesigma.com).
When will the research period start? When will it end?
In the case of a commissioned research, the research period is expected to start in April 2024 and continue for one year. In the case of a joint development contract or a license agreement, we will discuss and set the necessary period on a case-by-case basis.
How much funding will there be for the research?
We expect research and PoC expenses to be in the range of several million yen to several tens of millions of yen per research project, but we will discuss this on a case-by-case basis depending on the nature of the proposed research. Depending on the research results, we are prepared to continue the research in the following year or later.
How do you handle the technical information contained in the application proposal?
Please click here to refer to for our policy when we receive disclosure of technical information that is not yet publicly known and for which no rights have been obtained.
How do you handle intellectual property rights generated during the research period?
This will be agreed upon in the research contract. For details, please refer to the Application Terms and Conditions.
How is personal information handled?
The personal information registered at the time of application for this program will be obtained and managed by NOF.
For the handling of personal information by NOF, please refer to the “Privacy Policy”(https://www.nof.co.jp/english/privacy-policy).

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