Global Business Innovation Programme in Japan - Semiconductors

The Global Business Innovation Programme is structured around three main stages and each business will have a designated Innovate UK Business Growth innovation & growth specialist to support them for at least the duration of the offering, including developing a work plan to capitalise on the opportunities identified. The three main stages of the Global Business Innovation Programme are

• Get ready: A two-day workshop to build knowledge and understanding of the market and potential opportunities, including how to do business, cultural aspects, how to protect your IP, and training on how to better articulate your value proposition.
• Visit the market: Explore the opportunities first-hand through meetings with key companies, research organisations, and potential collaborators and partners, through pre-arranged meetings and organised matchmaking.
• Exploit the opportunity: An exploitation workshop and one-to-one support from an Innovate UK Business Growth innovation & growth specialist to help you follow up and maximise the opportunities identified through the programme.

To apply for this initiative, you must:

• Be a UK based innovation- led company with ambitions to grow and internationalise
• Be a business with fewer than 250 employees
• Be a CEO, founder, or senior decision maker and able to attend and complete all activities

Japan, the world’s third-largest economy by GDP, leads in R&D investment as a percentage of GDP, generating numerous scientific publications and patents. Home to over 200 Forbes Global 2000 companies, Japan ranks third in global corporate R&D spending, trailing only the United States and China. This economic and technological prowess makes Japan a critical partner for the UK, especially in the semiconductor industry, where Japan’s manufacturing capabilities complement the UK’s strengths in design, intellectual property, and advanced materials.

The UK and Japan have built robust collaborations, particularly in semiconductors, marked by a joint statement between Japan’s METI and the UK’s DSIT. This partnership focuses on joint R&D in chip design, fabrication, advanced packaging, and materials.

The collaboration includes leveraging R&D budgets, sharing expertise, organising skill exchanges, and accessing research and prototyping facilities. The establishment of a UK-Japan semiconductor industry dialogue aims to enhance cooperation in trade and investment and bolster the resilience of semiconductor supply chains.

In May 2023, the UK and Japan renewed their science, technology, and innovation agreement, underscoring their mutual desire to strengthen ties. This renewal includes a 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Innovate UK (IUK) and Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to boost co-innovation in key technological areas such as semiconductors. Japan’s significant investment in the semiconductor sector, surpassing $36 billion, along with plans by seven major semiconductor manufacturers to expand in the country, further highlights Japan’s strength and growing commitment to this field, especially in automotive, power semiconductors, sensors, and datacenters.

Applications will be considered from a wide range of innovative semiconductor companies working in the following areas:

Applications:

• Power Systems
• Automotive
• Telecoms
• Sensors
• Datacentres
• High Performance Compute

Technologies focused on, but not limited to:

• Compound/WBG Semiconductors
• Heterogeneous/Hybrid Integration
• Advanced Packaging
• Photonics (including Silicon Photonics)
• Design/IP
• Advanced Materials
• Manufacture/Processing

Innovate UK will fund and organise flights, accommodation, in market travel, and conference fees for successful applicants. Innovate UK will also pay for any reasonable adjustments throughout the initiative. One senior representative from each company will be funded. On acceptance to the initiative a commitment fee of £1,000 will be obtained from each delegate, which will be refunded on completion of the full activities and agreed work plan. Non-completion after formal acceptance may result in forfeiting some or all the commitment fee.

To learn more about the programme, register for the application briefing event on the 10th September.

Application form can be found here.

• Closing date for applications: 29 September 2024
• Get Ready workshop: 28 & 29 October 2024
• Visit the market: 9 – 13 December 2024
• Exploit the opportunity workshop: 6 March 2025