From Monday, June 29th to Thursday, July 2nd, we held the "Nakanoshima Qross Anniversary Week".

On June 29, 2026, Nakanoshima Qross (hereinafter "NQ") celebrated its second anniversary. To commemorate this, the "Nakanoshima Qross Anniversary Week" was held for four days from Monday, June 29 to Thursday, July 2.

During the event, five special programs were held focusing on themes such as the manufacturing and industrialization infrastructure for regenerative medicine, connecting startups with investors and established companies, collaborating with overseas life science clusters, and forming an ecosystem to support global expansion. Companies, startups, research institutions, investors, and government and support organizations from Japan and abroad gathered to share knowledge toward the social implementation and international expansion of future medicine, and to engage in exchanges that could lead to new collaborations.

[Monday, June 29th]
VMaCS Pilot Plant Opening Commemorative Event and Nakanoshima Qross Anniversary Week Event

—Towards building Japan's only healthcare startup ecosystem that implements global standards—

On the first day, an opening ceremony was held for the "VMaCS Pilot Plant," which will serve as the base for the "VMaCS" Cell Stable Supply Value Chain Consortium, enabling the development and practical application of next-generation regenerative medicine modalities. Following speeches by Mr. Yoshiki Sawa (Chairman of the Board, Future Medical Promotion Foundation) and Mr. Takayuki Kusanagi (President and CEO, Qualips Inc.), guests from the national government and Osaka Prefecture expressed their expectations for the manufacturing and supply base that will support the industrialization of regenerative medicine, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held.

The afternoon program included lectures on industrial policy in the field of regenerative medicine and the international healthcare startup ecosystem that NQ aims to create. The overall concept of VMaCS and the technologies of partner companies responsible for mass cell culture, freezing, and quality control were also presented. Following the program, participants toured facilities such as the VMaCS pilot plant and engaged in networking, exchanging ideas on potential collaborations to translate research results into manufacturing and commercialization.

[June 30th (Tuesday)]
Nakanoshima Qross Global Life Sciences Cluster KICK-OFF EVENT

-NQ Global Life Sciences Startup & Investment Connect-

The kickoff event for the international life sciences investment community, "NQ Global Life Sciences Cluster," was held at Osaka Life Science Nexus by Nippon Life and CIC (O-Nexus) on the 8th floor of NQ. The aim of this event is to create a network of domestic and international investors, corporations, overseas clusters, startups, research institutions, and support organizations, centered around NQ, that will lead to investment, business collaborations, joint research, and global expansion. In the "Global Startup Pitch," overseas healthcare and life sciences startups that came to Osaka for events such as WHX Osaka 2026 presented their technology and business overviews and potential for collaboration in Japan. In the following "Startup & Investment Connect," domestic startups presented their R&D progress and prospects for commercialization, and VCs who participated as commentators asked questions and provided comments. Active networking took place among participants from both Japan and abroad.

[Wednesday, July 1st, morning]
Japan-Netherlands healthcare startup pathway

—Towards the establishment of a mutual development model through collaboration between support organizations and industrial clusters—

We held a program bringing together representatives from leading support organizations, industrial clusters, regional development agencies, and R&D institutions in the Dutch life sciences and healthcare sectors to consider the European expansion of Japanese startups and how to foster continuous collaboration between the Japanese and Dutch ecosystems. The program began with opening remarks from representatives of Osaka Prefecture, the Japan Medical Promotion Foundation, and the Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Osaka.

RegMed XB, Health~Holland, and development agencies in various regions of the Netherlands presented their R&D, funding, commercialization, and market entry support for overseas companies in the fields of regenerative medicine, MedTech, and HealthTech. Japanese startups also presented their technologies and business concepts. In the panel discussion, the importance of considering regulations, intellectual property, clinical and demonstration environments, local partners, and fundraising in an integrated manner from an early stage was shared, and concrete dialogues toward joint research and expansion into the European market took place during the networking sessions.

[Wednesday, July 1st, afternoon]
Japan-UK Life Science & Tech Innovation Meetup

UK-Japan Life Sciences and Tech Innovation MeetUP

We held a meetup to connect the life sciences and healthcare sectors of the UK and Japan, sharing possibilities for collaboration toward the social implementation and industrialization of regenerative medicine/ATMP, bio, digital health, medical devices, and more. Following opening remarks by Mr. Yoshiki Sawa, Ms. Mio Kondo (Supervisor for Future Medical Industrialization Promotion, Department of Commerce, Industry and Labor, Osaka Prefecture), and Mr. Michael Blyth (Consul General of the UK in Osaka), Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult introduced the UK's ATMP industrialization support system, and also shared information about the manufacturing and packaging infrastructure provided by NQ and VMaCS.

The pitches by Japanese and British startups showcased technologies such as cancer diagnosis, antibody-drug conjugates, dental regenerative medicine, RNA-targeted therapeutic technologies, and healthcare solutions. The panel discussion focused on the capital, market access, policies, local partners, and collaboration with support organizations necessary for global market expansion. A post-event business meetup facilitated information exchange among Japanese and British participants regarding business development, overseas expansion, investment, and support.

[Thursday, July 2nd]
What is the global standard for the healthcare deep tech startup ecosystem?

– Exploring mechanisms to support global expansion with overseas life science clusters – <WHX Osaka 2026 Roundtable & Workshop>

On the final day, at the WHX Osaka 2026 venue, key figures from life science clusters and innovation hubs around the world were welcomed to discuss the "global standard" for ecosystems that support the growth of healthcare deep tech startups. Following the opening remarks by Mr. Nobuhiko Yamaguchi (Vice Governor of Osaka Prefecture), Mr. Yoshiki Sawa introduced NQ's hub strategy. Subsequently, representatives from the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, the US, and Australia shared practical examples of startup support in areas such as regenerative medicine, cell and gene therapy, drug discovery, and MedTech.

The panel discussion focused on the potential of NQ, a hub for research institutions, hospitals, companies, investors, and regulatory/support organizations, as well as the importance of international networks, including talent exchange, funding, and regulatory compliance. The subsequent workshop introduced acceleration programs, joint research/PoCs, connections with KOLs, investors, and businesses, and support programs for overseas companies offered by each overseas base. Participants deepened their perspectives on how to translate collaboration with overseas ecosystems into concrete business growth.

Through Anniversary Week

Over the course of four days, diverse functions and international networks supporting the social implementation of future medicine, from manufacturing infrastructure for regenerative medicine to startup support, investment and business collaboration, and connection to overseas markets, were connected starting from NQ. We will use the personal exchanges and dialogues that arose in each program to lead to concrete collaborations such as joint research, business development, investment, and mutual expansion in the future. Nakanoshima Qross will continue to deepen collaboration with universities, medical institutions, companies, startups, investors, support organizations, and government agencies both domestically and internationally, and promote the formation of an ecosystem that supports the social implementation and global expansion of future medicine.