Walk-in buffet lunch to celebrate the opening of the 2022 Japan Brabant Innovation Days

Well over 100 CEOs and representatives from Japanese research organisations, universities, hospitals and clever startups arrived early to enjoy the walk-in buffet lunch. Did you spot the typical Dutch food?

Opening Video Presentation

The summit started with a short introduction to the 2022 edition of the Brabant Innovation Days. This is the first time since 2019 that a delegation from Brabant has made an official trip to Japan. We focus on the two main discussion topics today: Personalised Healthcare and Smart and Green Mobility 

Opening remarks by the Vice-Governor of the Province of North Brabant

Martijn van Gruijthuijsen is responsible for Economic Affairs, Finance, Knowledge- and Talent Development. Because of COVID-19, Martijn joined us live from his home in Tilburg. He explains  the importance of the Brabant Innovation Days and its connection and relevance to the upcoming World Expo in 2025.

Welcome by Netherlands Ambassador

駐日オランダ王国大使よりご挨拶 

Words of welcome from the Netherlands Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

Brabant Innovation Days Japan are being organised with the kind cooperation of the Netherlands Embassy in Japan

Plenary Session Keynote Speeches

The hosts introduced the plenary keynote speeches on personalised healthcare and smart mobility.

Overview of Medical Innovations in Brabant 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world. But also highlighted the fact that no diseases respect country borders. Before we started with our first keynote speaker, we presented a short video introduction to the wider medical research landscape going on in the Southern Netherlands.

We covered Pivot Park Drug development,  Organ on Chip research and work to scale up regenerative medicine by the new Smart Biomaterials Consortium. All these research institutions are looking for partnerships in Japan.

We also heard from Geert Langereis (IMEC- Holst Centre), on the broader program for bioelectronic medicine called autonomous therapeutics. These are advanced closed-loop systems that access the peripheral nervous system to monitor other organs in the body with the goal of improving personal health. 

Why FUJIFILM transformed into a Life Science company

Fujifilm in Tilburg is an important partner in several life-science projects. You will hear their name come up at universities and new industry pilot lines. But most people remember Fujifilm from their top-quality film products. But now that this consumer business has gone away, Fujiifilm has transformed itself into a life science company. At the Fujifilm facilities cells, cell culture media and other life sciences products are developed for various applications. We thought it is a perfect example of smart innovation, so it is a pleasure to hear from Yutaka Yamaguchi, Fujifilm about the challenges and successes of the journey.

Towards artificial organs by 2030

Via a live link to Eindhoven, Professor Fokko Wieringa (IMEC Holst Centre, Eindhoven) shared his international work to launch an eco-efficient portable, wearable kidney dialysis machine by 2024. But the ultimate goal is to create an artificial kidney that can be implanted in the body. Holst Centre is aiming for the realization of the implantable artificial kidney by 2030, using the latest Organ-on-Chip technologies using new biocompatible materials and nanotechnology. Wieringa estimates that an implantable artificial kidney could reduce the cost of caring for patients with kidney disease by 60 to 80 per cent.

Breakthrough Smart Mobility Solutions for 2025 and beyond

The Director of RAI automotive Industry NL gave us an overview of the solutions they are working on for the Mobility roadmap until 2030. With CO2 reduction at the top of the automotive industry's roadmap, many Dutch and Japanese companies are working together to deliver world-class technology as soon as possible. The Dutch Automotive Industry accounts for one of the largest export volumes in the Netherlands. This has a value of about Euro 20 billion annually, mostly exported to countries like Japan.  In a country with a high cost-structure success can only be achieved by delivering world-class technology. The video includes examples like the solar car Lightyear now being launched in the Netherlands.

Towards smarter and more sustainable vehicles as soon as possible

TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Research) Traffic and Transport division in Helmond is currently working with several Japanese companies on advanced perception detection. Their slogan on the office wall reads " Society needs zero-impact powertrains tomorrow. We create them today!"  In order to reduce spiralling congestion on our roads, semi-autonomous smart truck “convoys” are now being trialled. This is all part of the 2025 roadmap which combines systems for smart positioning and zero collisions.

The other area of interest is alternative fuels for the hydrogen combustion engine. This is a field that TNO Helmond is developing with Japanese partners, including their modular energy management systems. This is a bespoke technology designed for automotive OEMs to implement hybrid technologies, including next-generation batteries as well as various types of fuel cells. Note that hydrogen fuel is going to be important to power large ships as well. The presentation gives a broad introduction to many areas that TNO is already active in. There will be more detail about the battery competence centre in the breakout session following the coffee break.

Coffee Break and transition to parallel sessions

Time to network and follow up with speakers

Parallel session on Healthcare I

The Healthcare breakout session started with  a detailed presentation by  Ton van Mol, who will start with a presentation on the Holst Centre’s Innovations for Remote Patient Monitoring. The newly developed health patch is one such innovation. This smart plaster is equipped with printed electronics that measure and transmit the wearer’s heartbeat, respiration, blood oxygen saturation, and temperature. look out for the fascinating work they are doing with the Dutch air force to monitor the health of pilots. 

Parallel session on Healthcare II

The Healthcare breakout session concluded with a presentation and demo by TNO eFAM 3D Food & Pharma Printing Kjeld explained the technology developments that increase the relevance of 3D pharmaceuticals & nutraceuticals 3D printing. He gave plenty of examples of why Food and Pharma printing are especially important for children and those people who need to maintain top performance. 

Parallel session on Sustainable and Smart Mobility I

Martijn Stamm and colleagues will start this breakout session by examining the work being done by TNO Helmond and partners going into more detail than in the first keynote.

Parallel session on Sustainable and Smart Mobility II

The breakout session included a video contribution from Maarten Steinbuch, Chief Scientific Officer at Eindhoven Engine on the campus of the Eindhoven University of Technology. He looks at how The Netherlands established the global standard for fast battery charging and the rapid rise of e-mobility in Europe. He emphasises the importance of the Battery Competence Center and international collaboration. He debunks the myth that batteries in modern e-vehicles will not last very long. 

Parallel session on Sustainable and Smart Mobility III

Ronald van den Putte followed up on the points raised by Maarten Steinbuch by examining the work being done by TNO Helmond and partners such as ELEO on batteries for industrial vehicles.  This takes place at the Battery competence center. TNO will discuss the concept of a battery passport and why this is important. Brabant is also home to next-generation battery developers like LeydenJar and Lionvolt, On the automotive campus, several important developments are happening with solar cars, the most prominent being Lightyear. These topics came up in the breakout session.

The session was also attended by Japanese Mirai Data which is developing an autonomously controlled single-seater for older people on the automotive campus in Helmond. And Sekisui is a major Japanese materials company working in Brabant on designing safety technologies for both cars and trucks.

Parallel session on Sustainable and Smart Mobility IV

The final contribution to the breakout session came from Professor Susumu Noda, Director of Kyoto University Center of Excellence (COE) for
Photonic-Crystal Surface-Emitting Laser (PCSEL) They have a breakthrough approach to smart mobility and manufacturing in the context of Society 5.0. They are currently showcasing breakthrough photonic Lidar developments at the Automotive Campus. The centre of excellence in Kyoto recently signed an agreement with PhotonDelta, the photonics ecosystem based in Eindhoven.

Wrap-up discussions and One-on-one meetings

We will briefly wrap-up today's discussions.

We can arrange private meetings between Dutch knowledge institutions and Japanese companies. 

Networking Drinks

The day concluded with networking drinks and the chance to speak with colleagues from the Brabant Development Agency as well as all of today's keynote speakers. The advantage of the BID event is that everyone sticks around, so it is easier to follow up and discuss one-on-one. 

We were also able to arrange private meetings between Dutch knowledge institutions and Japanese companies.

Thank you to all who attended and we hope you will participate in our survey in December to make future events even better.