６-Best:Major Projects

Advanced medical technology R&D facilities, medical institutions and related companies have been established on Kobe Port Island to form the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster. These include the Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation (IBRI), which carries out research to bridge the gap between basic research and clinical applications. Other facilities include the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), a world-class research organization for developmental biology and regenerative medicine, the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (CLST), which promotes technology development in the fields of drug launching and diagnosis of diseases by observing molecules in the human body, and the RIKEN Integrated Innovation Building (IIB), established as RIKEN’s hub for business-academia collaboration. In December 2017, the Kobe Eye Center was opened as Japan’s first institution that comprehensively conducts cutting-edge basic and translational research focused on regenerative medicine, as well as treatment and low-vision care. In addition, there is the ultra high-speed computational system, supercomputer Fugaku, boosting the industrial use of supercomputers. The Business Support Center for Biomedical Research Activities (BMA) specially rents out laboratory spaces for bio-related companies, the Kobe Center for Medical Innovation (KCM) offers rental labs suitable for cell culturing to be conducted by pharmaceutical companies and start-ups engaged in drug launching, and the Kobe Medical Device Development Center (MEDDEC) leases labs and offices to encourage the creation of new businesses in the field of medical equipment. As of March 31, 2022, 382 medical related companies and organizations are located nearby, forming one of Japan’s largest biomedical clusters.