Press release: Flanders strengthens cooperation with Japan for innovation & startups (FIT-JETRO) and semiconductors (IMEC-RAPIDUS)
Brussels, 6 December 2022 – The first two days of the Belgian Economic Mission (BEM) to Japan were very fruitful for Flanders’ trade delegation led by Minister-President Jan Jambon. On Monday 5 December, FIT CEO Joy Donné signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with JETRO in Tokyo. This is the first cooperation agreement for the support of startups concluded between FIT and another international trade promotion agency. Still in Tokyo, on Tuesday 6 December, Minister-President Jambon endorsed a MoC between Flanders-based strategic research center imec and Japanese chip manufacturer Rapidus to cooperate in the field of semiconductor technologies. The government of Flanders entrusts Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) with the task of strengthening the cooperation between Flanders’ and Japan’s semiconductor industries.
Both agreements are centered around innovation and illustrate how Flanders is putting itself firmly on the map as a tech region – both worldwide and specifically in Japan. The Japanese industry is showing itself to be very open to various forms of cooperation while looking across national borders for Research & Development (R&D) partners. The new collaboration agreements highlight how Flanders is a crucial partner in this regard.
Flanders and Japan supporting startups together
In addition to connections with research institutions like imec, Japanese companies are looking for partnerships with high-tech startups. On the 32nd floor of the impressive Shiodome City Center, which houses Japanese technology giant Fujitsu, FIT signed a MoC with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).
The signing was done by FIT CEO Joy Donné and JETRO Executive Vice President Ichiro Soné in the presence of Minister-President Jan Jambon. The goal of this MoC is to facilitate the access of Flanders-based startups to the Japanese market while linking Japanese startups to Flanders’ strong technological network and the European market.
FIT-CEO Joy Donné en JETRO-Executive Vice President Ichiro Soné signing the MoC in the presence of Minister-President Jan Jambon (Tokyo, December 5 2022)
Our goal is twofold: we want to give Flanders’ startups maximum support in their international growth and attract innovative Japanese companies to Flanders to further strengthen our region’s ecosystem with complementary expertise. Our new collaboration with JETRO fits perfectly with this vision.
The cooperation agreement is part of the government of Flanders’ ambition to promote startups more strongly around the world and position them as ambassadors of Flanders as a dynamic and innovative knowledge region.
The MoC signing was followed by the endorsement of a partnership between Flanders-based scale-up SettleMint and Japanese tech company Fujitsu. The blockchain technology pioneer from Leuven will help accelerate the digital transformation of Fujitsu’s blockchain solutions. SettleMint announced this news the day before the Belgian Economic Mission.
CEO SettleMint Matthew Van Niekerk and Ichiro Aoyagi, Senior Vice President, Global Solutions, Fujitsu during the signing ceremony (Tokyo, December 5 2022)
Flanders and Japan cooperate on semiconductor technologies
On Tuesday 6 December, Luc Van den hove, president and CEO of imec (Flanders’ strategic research center for nanotech) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with Japanese chip manufacturer Rapidus, represented by Atsuyoshi Koike, president and CEO of Rapidus.
The goal is to work together on advanced semiconductor technologies. The intended cooperation was also endorsed by Flanders’ government through Minister-President Jan Jambon and by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI) through Minister of Economy Yasutoshi Nishimura.
As such, Flanders and Japan confirm their commitment to strengthening the cooperative ties between their respective semiconductor industries, with the government of Flanders entrusting this assignment to Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT). Els Verhulst, Science & Technology Counselor for Digital Tech & Health Tech in FIT’s Tokyo Office, will be responsible for carrying out the task.
Flanders has unique assets when it comes to nanotechnology. Virtually all our universities strongly focus on this innovative domain. Meanwhile, imec is known the world over as the main reference for nanotech research. International collaborations – such as the one between imec and Rapidus – are more crucial than ever to strengthen competitiveness in the field of micro- and nanochips.
MoC imec and Rapidus: Minister-President of Flanders Jan Jambon, Luc Van den hove - president and CEO of imec, Yasutoshi Nishimura - Minister of Economy Japan, Atsuyoshi Koike - CEO of Rapidus and Terry Higashi, Chairman of Rapidus (Tokyo, December 6 2022)
Minister-President Jan Jambon is leading a 258-member trade delegation from Flanders during the Belgian Economic Mission (BEM) to Japan from 5 to 9 December. During the five-day mission, which includes stops in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) is offering a startup program in addition to the official program for the first time during a BEM. In this context, Startup.Flanders acts as the ‘brand’ that brings Flanders to international attention as a startup hub, positioning itself worldwide as the gateway to Flanders startup ecosystem.
