Artificial intelligence and Internet of things mission to Japan – October 27 to November 1, 2019

The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) and Global Affairs Canada are pleased to invite Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises to submit an expression of interest to join in a partnering mission to Tokyo, Japan. This mission will take place from October 27 to November 1, 2019, and is anchored around the Innovation Leaders Summit, the largest open-innovation event in Asia with over 10,000 participants expected. The program will include pitch sessions and B2B meetings with selected top tier Japanese multinational enterprises. Priority selection of Canadian companies will be in sectors involving the industrial application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT).

1. Mission objective

This mission is focused on connecting Canadian businesses to Japanese multinational enterprises looking to integrate AI and IoT into industrial products and processes, with the aim of forming collaborative research and development (R&D) partnerships that lead to co-innovation projects. Through this support, Canadian businesses will be better equipped to build their innovation capacity, successfully commercialize their technology, and become more competitive in the global marketplace.

2. Sectors of focus

AI and IoT in industrial products and processes in the domains of:

• transportation
• digital health
• advanced manufacturing

3. Key Dates

4. Canadian delegation profile

Participants must be Canadian small or medium-sized enterprises (SME) that meet the requirements below in order to participate in this initiative.
Minimum requirements:

• Be a profit-oriented SME incorporated in Canada
• Be committed to aggressive growth and global market expansion
• Have world-class, differentiated, protectable technology
• Have sufficient working capital and resources to undertake a 2 to 3-year R&D collaboration and commercialize the results

Preference will be given to SME applicants who:

• employ a minimum of 20 or more employees and have $2 million or more in revenue
• have commercialized their product in the domestic market

5. Mission description

The main event of the annual Innovation Leaders Summit is Power Matching – a series of one-on-one innovation meetings between major Japanese companies and startups. Other activities during the Innovation Leaders Summit include startup pitches, key player sessions, and networking sessions.

NRC IRAP, in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada, secured a Canadian pitch session to an audience of major Japanese corporations on day one of the summit. Subsequent days will be dedicated to B2B meetings and networking.

Following the Innovation Leaders Summit, the delegation will participate in a program specifically designed for Canadian AI and IoT SMEs, which will include visits to major corporation sites for more B2B meetings. For example, Digital Health sector companies will travel to Keihanna Science City in Osaka for pitch and B2B sessions with Japanese organizations specializing in this sector.

Preliminary mission agenda

Sunday October 27:

• Preparatory session

Monday October 28 to Wednesday October 30:

• Participation in Innovation Leaders Summit
• Canadian cohort pitch program
• Networking sessions
• B2B meetings

Thursday October 31 to Friday November 1:

• B2B meetings and pitch sessions on site with major corporations

6. Background

The Innovation Leaders Summit was established in 2014 with major support from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI). In 2018, the 5^th Innovation Leaders Summit had 6,732 participants including more than 100 major corporations, more than 400 startups, and boasted 2,272 B2B meetings that resulted in 866 new innovation deals.

Examples of major corporations who will attend the Innovation Leaders Summit include Panasonic, Nikon, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Toyota, Sumitomo, NTT, Fujitsu, and many more.

7. Financial support

NRC IRAP may provide financial support to eligible SMEs for up to 75% of the cost of economy airfare and accommodations, to a maximum of $3,000.

8. Contact Information

For more information, contact the NRC IRAP International Office or Harvey Lam.

9. How to apply

Interested participants must register by clicking the register button at the bottom of this page by the date listed in Section 3 – Key Dates (above). Those who register may be contacted by an NRC IRAP representative for further information and/or a preliminary eligibility screening.

After the initial registration screening, the NRC IRAP International Office will provide an Expression of Interest (EOI) form to potentially eligible applicants. The EOI application form will request more information about the applicant, organization, technology and co-innovation opportunities of interest, and must be submitted by the date listed in Section 3 – Key Dates (above).

10. Register