R & D Needs of Committee Member Companies
We have compiled the needs of member companies of the R & D Committee for academics and startup representatives.
- Click on a company name to access its innovation-related website.
- Some companies also include messages for academics and startup representatives, as well as contact information, listed below their company names.
- Please review the information for each company and contact them directly according to your needs.
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Asahi Kasei Therapeutics Corporation
(Updated April 1, 2026)
Asahi Kasei Therapeutics is promoting open innovation activities to further strengthen in-licensing and partnerships both domestically and internationally.
Through innovation driven by collaboration, we aim to create groundbreaking new drugs for diseases with high unmet medical needs and to “eliminate the number of people who have to give up on what they want to do because of illness.”
For more details, please visit our Open Innovation website.
Astellas Pharma Inc.
(Updated October 28, 2024)
To deliver “value” to patients eagerly awaiting treatments, Astellas aims to expand its pipeline through partnering. Guided by the principles of open innovation, our partnering team explores opportunities to collaborate with partners aligned with Astellas’ strategy.
AstraZeneca K.K.
AstraZeneca is seeking partnerships with companies, universities, and research institutions in the following areas and fields related to drug discovery and research and development.
Target Areas and Fields
- Oncology (Cancer)
- Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolic Diseases
- Respiratory and Immune Disorders
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy
Inquiries
AstraZeneca K.K., Research and Development DivisionBiotech.Transfer.Japan@astrazeneca.com
Alfresa Pharma Corporation
(Posted December 1, 2025)
Therapeutic Areas of Focus
- Sleep Disorders
- Neurological Disorders
- Specialized Pediatric Fields
- Areas with High Unmet Medical Needs
- Emergency and Critical Care
- Gastrointestinal Diseases
- Autoimmune Diseases
Inquiries
www.alfresa-pharma.co.jp/support/form/EA Pharma Co., Ltd.
We are seeking drug discovery research partners interested in collaboration and joint research related to exploratory drug discovery, development research, and fundamental drug discovery technology research for gastrointestinal diseases. While our focus is on gastrointestinal diseases, we aim to integrate research from various fields beyond this area to drive drug research and development from unprecedented perspectives and ideas.Therefore, we will also consider proposals for collaboration or application from other disease areas, as well as from the fields of pharmacy, engineering, and the natural sciences.
Eisai Co., Ltd.
(Updated July 29, 2024)
We are aiming to develop treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and a wide range of dementias, building on our work with amyloid-β and tau, and we welcome proposals from scientists with unique ideas and research programs in these fields. For details, please visit our corporate website listed above.
OTSUKA PHARMACEUTICAL Co., Ltd.
Click here for the English site
Therapeutic Areas of Focus
- Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders
- Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Renal and Cardiovascular Diseases
- Autoimmune Diseases
- Immune System / Inflammatory Diseases
- Blood Cancers
- Ophthalmic Diseases
- Rare Diseases
Inquiries
OPC_Partnering@otsuka.jpONO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.
(Updated October 28, 2024)
We have identified cancer, immunology, neurology, and specialty areas—where unmet medical needs are high—as our priority areas.
By actively promoting open innovation to leverage advanced technologies and selecting the optimal modality (treatment method) for our proprietary drug discovery leads, we aim to create groundbreaking new drugs that have a significant impact on healthcare.
Inquiries
customer_info@ono-pharma.comK-row
KISSEI PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.
Kissei’s priority areas are urology, nephrology and dialysis, and intractable and rare diseases. The company is concentrating its management resources on these areas and focusing on the creation of pharmaceuticals with high levels of uniqueness and competitive advantage.In-house drug discovery focuses on small-molecule drug development. For targets where our strengths in small molecules can be leveraged, we aim to create new drugs capable of delivering unprecedented innovation and utility. We are working to strengthen our compound discovery and evaluation technologies and are pursuing the speed and quality of drug discovery research by utilizing open innovation and digital technologies, including AI.
KYORIN Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd.
(Posted October 28, 2024)
Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.
Kowa Company, Ltd.
(Updated July 29, 2024)
Kowa Company, Ltd. focuses its research and development on the following areas.
Lifestyle-Related Diseases
- Dyslipidemia
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Atherosclerotic Diseases
Immune and Inflammatory Diseases
- Autoimmune Diseases
- Inflammatory Diseases
- Skin Diseases
Sensory Organs
- Eye Diseases
- Hearing and Vestibular Disorders
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Sanofi K.K
SANWA KAGAKU KENKYUSHO CO., LTD.
(Posted October 28, 2024)
We are promoting open-innovation-based drug discovery for small-molecule and nucleic acid therapeutics, without limiting ourselves to specific disease areas.
SHIONOGI & CO., LTD.
(Updated February 17, 2026)
SHIONOGI is advancing initiatives aimed at providing comprehensive care for infectious diseases and enabling vibrant, fulfilling lives. To effectively identify various partnering opportunities, we have published our list of research topics of interest (Wish List) on our website. If you have any proposals or inquiries, please register via the contact form linked below.
Sumitomo Pharma CO., LTD.
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DAIICHI SANKYO CO., LTD.
At Daiichi Sankyo, we are undertaking numerous initiatives related to open innovation, with the goal of expanding our external drug discovery network and securing diverse sources of innovation. We are particularly interested in novel drug targets, evaluation systems useful for research, and new modality technologies; please visit our website for more information.We welcome proposals for various types of alliances, including TaNeDS and joint research, at any time, so please feel free to contact our inquiry desk.
Inquiries
OpenInnovation@daiichisankyo.co.jpTAISHO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.
(Added July 29, 2024)
TAIHO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.
We are working to develop new treatments for intractable cancers.
TAKEDA PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY LIMITED
(Updated December 1, 2025)
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited’s Main Research Areas (as of September 2025):
- Oncology: Solid tumors (including non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, and other thoracic malignancies; colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and other gastrointestinal malignancies, etc.), hematologic malignancies
- Neuroscience: Neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, etc.), neuromuscular diseases (ALS, DM1, etc.)
- Gastroenterology and Inflammation: Fibrosing stricturing Crohn’s disease, advanced liver fibrosis, atopic dermatitis, systemic sclerosis, etc.
Tanabe Pharma Corporation
(Updated December 1, 2025)
Tanabe Pharma is seeking partnerships with companies, universities, and research institutions in the following areas and fields related to drug discovery and research and development.
Target Areas and Fields
- Neurological Disorders
- Autoimmune Diseases
- Cancer
Inquiries
partnering-ml@ml.tanabe-pharma.com
CHUGAI PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.
TEIJIN PHARMA Limited
(Updated July 29, 2024)
TEIJIN PHARMA Limited promotes the following open innovation activities.
- Drug discovery targets, drug discovery leads, and novel evaluation systems for neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases
- New Modality Technologies Applicable to Rare Diseases and Other Conditions
- Drug delivery technologies targeting specific tissues, such as crossing the blood-brain barrier
* We welcome proposals at the basic research stage, regardless of whether they involve the acquisition of drug discovery leads.
Inquiries
National Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Kazuya Takenouchik.takenouchi@teijin.co.jp
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NIPPON KAYAKU CO., LTD.
While collaborating with external research institutions, we are vigorously advancing the research and development of novel anticancer drugs using small-molecule drug discovery, biotechnology, and polymer synthesis technologies.
If you have any proposals for collaborative research, please contact us via the “About Collaborative Research” section in the contact information below.
NIPPON SHINYAKU Co., Ltd.
We welcome information on drug discovery leads, drug targets, and technologies that can be utilized in drug discovery. For details, please visit our R&D Partnering website.
Inquiries
Research and Development Partnering Contactzz_mail_partnering@po.nippon-shinyaku.co.jp
NIPPON BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM CO., LTD.
(Added July 29, 2024)
Contact Information
BIAlliance.JP@boehringer-ingelheim.comH-row
Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co.,Inc
(Posted June 30, 2025)
Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical specializes in transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) and has developed numerous pharmaceuticals based on this technology.
Currently, to accelerate the development of innovative pharmaceuticals, we are exploring opportunities for open innovation with external partners who bring different perspectives and ideas.
We also offer access to shared laboratory spaces and our research equipment at our research facility (SAGA Global Research Center) in Tosu City, Saga Prefecture.
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MARUHO CO., LTD.
(Updated July 29, 2024)
Please refer to the link below.
Inquiries Regarding Partnering and Life Sciences
Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd.
(Updated January 31, 2025)
Our focus areas are immunology and inflammation (autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases), cancer (hematological cancers and cancer in general), and infectious diseases (vaccines, antivirals, and anti-AMR drugs). We conduct drug discovery using nucleic acid therapeutics technologies, primarily based on macromolecules (such as antibodies) and mRNA.We are advancing new drug development through open innovation, including joint research with academia and collaborations with startups, and are beginning to see research results through the organic integration and collaboration of researchers both inside and outside the company.
Inquiries
Research and Development Division, Research and Development Strategy Departmentakira.suwa@meiji.com
MOCHIDA PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD.
(Updated July 29, 2024)
Mochida Pharmaceutical’s drug discovery research focuses particularly on “nucleic acid therapeutics,” and we are advancing the creation of innovative new drugs to address unmet medical needs. We aim to create unprecedented and original pharmaceuticals by maximizing the excellent properties inherent in nucleic acid therapeutics.