Visit to Keihanna Science City

The S&T Diplomatic Circle Kansai recently visited Keihanna Science City, the ATR, and the Keihanna Global Innovation Ecosystem. As one of Japan's two science cities constructed as a national project, Keihanna Science City spans across the Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara prefectures. It serves as a hub for the transmission of new industry and attracts research and development institutions from academia, government, and industry. The city aims to become a world-class R&D and open innovation hub.

With KGAP+, one of Japan's largest accelerator networks, the Keihanna Science City offers a solid international accelerator program that seeks to lead startups to create proof-of-concept demonstrators while finding new investment and enabling partners both domestically and overseas. Our visit included two activities: Sand Cultivation and Wellbeing as Proof of Concept with Local Residents and Advanced Cybernetic Avatar Interaction Research Project, which is part of Japan's Moonshot R&D program and RIKEN.

The S&T Diplomatic Circle Kansai express their gratitude to ATR Executive Vice President Hiroyuki Suzuki and Strategy Director Makiko Tatsumi for the insightful tour and for hosting them at ATR. We are also especially grateful for Marc Kuipers, Consul General of the Netherlands, and Trevor Holloway, Consul General of Australia, who coordinated this visit for the benefit of the S&T Diplomatic Circle Kansai.

Keihanna Science City is a prominent example of Japan's commitment to promoting innovation and research. With its ambitious goal of becoming a world-class R&D and open innovation hub, the city is poised to attract even more institutions and accelerate the development of new technologies.