EIC beneficiaries are invited to apply to join the next digital cluster and SMEs mission in the Aichi prefecture, in the industrial heart of Japan. The mission is organised by the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and it will take place from 12 to 15 March 2024, as part of the Smart Manufacturing Summit, where more than 100 Japanese manufacturing companies have already confirmed their participation. The deadline for applications is 24 November 2023.
Through this 4-day mission, you will have the opportunity to:
- promote your technology at a new event dedicated to Japanese & European innovations for Industry 5.0, targeting smart manufacturing and smart mobility
- meet potential business partners
- create new business opportunities
- develop partnerships and business cooperation in global markets
- attend match-making events
- increase your innovation capacity and become more competitive on a global scale (as an SME)
- prepare the ground for practical cluster cooperation across borders and make a more strategic use of transnational cluster cooperation on markets outside Europe in areas of strategic interest (as a cluster)
- Attend a networking event separate from the trade show, one day before it starts.
For more info about Smart Manufacturing Summit 2024: https://sms-gi.com/english/
PARTICIPANT PROFILE
The programme targets participants from SMEs(*) (small and medium enterprises, start-ups) and clusters(**) from the EU or SMP associated countries(***), specialized in digital technologies (i.e. technologies encompassing digital devices, systems, and resources that help create, store, and process data) interested in doing business with Japan, in particular with applications in smart manufacturing and smart mobility.
ELIGIBILITY
The candidate must:
- work for an organization that is a juridical person based in
- the European Union, or
- a country associated to the Single Market Programme, SME Pillar(***)
- be supported by his/her employer through a signed letter
- be able to participate in the entire programme
- have a B2 or better proficiency in English
- have proven experience in the industry
SELECTION
The main criteria for selection are:
- strategy of the participant's company regarding Japan ;
- innovative aspects of the product/technology/service offered by the company.
- the professional & educational background of the candidate
In order to ensure a high degree of personal attention, the number of participants in this mission is limited.
WHAT WE OFFER
The EU-Japan Centre covers costs directly related to the mission: exhibition booth at the fair, printing service to give participants more visibility and interpretation at the fair. The selected participants' companies must cover travel costs to/from Japan, accommodation and any other living costs.
SME participants will benefit from a €600 grant to partially support local travel, accommodation and living expenses in Japan. The grant will be paid within 2 weeks after the mission. However, absences during the mission may lead to deductions amounting to €120/day.
NB: Selected participants will be requested to pay a 100% refundable deposit of €1000 to guarantee a place on the mission. Failure to transfer the deposit by the deadline set by the Centre may result in the offer of the place being withdrawn. The deposit will be refunded within 8 weeks after the end of the mission. Participants must complete a short mission report before the deposit can be released. After confirming participation, cancellations for any reason will result in the loss of the deposit.
The EU-Japan Centre covers costs directly related to the mission: exhibition booth at the fair, printing service to give participants more visibility and interpretation at the fair. The selected participants' companies must cover travel costs to/from Japan, accommodation and any other living costs.
(*) SMEs are companies meeting the standard European Commission criteria for an SME
(**) Clusters are those who are registered in the European Cluster Cooperation Platform (http://www.clustercollaboration.eu. Registration on that platform is free of charge.
(***) Please check the status of your country at https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/smp/guidance/list-3rd-country-participation_smp_en.pdf, for EFTA countries, please only refer to the sub-paragraph: "COSME strand (SMP COSME)". For EU Acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates, please only refer to the countries for which the agreement is in force.
SMP-COSME: Stands for “Countries Participating in the COSME strand of the Single Market Programme". The Single Market Programme is the Commission programme that funds the EU-Japan Centre.
THE DIGITAL SECTOR IN JAPAN
Looking for information about the digital sector in Japan?
Visit the dedicated pages in our EU Business in Japan related content:
Free membership registration.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.