UMI completes collaborative partnership agreement with Kawasaki City to establish an industrial base in Minami-Watarida District

Universal Materials Incubator Co., Ltd. (UMI) and the City of Kawasaki today completed a collaborative partnership agreement involving close collaborations and cooperation in the formation of an industrial hub in the Minami-Watarida District. The goal of this agreement is to build and promote incubation functions for continuous development of the industrial hub, to achieve the vison “The industrial hub that change the world through materials,” as part of the Minami-Watarida District Basic Development Plan, worked out by Kawasaki City.

Through this agreement, the two parties will work to form the industrial hub that demonstrate outstanding international competitiveness in this district.

1. Name:
Collaborative partnership agreement to promote material incubation between Universal Materials Incubator Co., Ltd. and Kawasaki City

2. Main content of collaborations covered by this agreement
(1) Business creation and development of companies
(2) Actions for promoting the formation of industrial hub
(3) Enticing companies to the industrial hub

Image of Minami-Watarida first segment (North region, north side)

[Significance for Kawasaki City]

-In August 2022, the Minami-Watarida District Basic Development Plan was established to form “The industrial hub that change the world through materials,” in order to resolve social issues and strengthen competitiveness in global basis.

-To increase value as an industrial hub that leads the next-generation Kawasaki coastal area, it is essential not only to put in place R&D functions, but also to build company development and collaboration systems (ecosystems) that create innovations one after another. It is therefore necessary to promote collaborative activities with core incubators (organizations that support entrepreneurship and business creation).

-UMI is one of the world’s few top incubators specializing in the materials industry. Because it has a wide range of knowledge in the construction of ecosystems and a track record in the development of material companies, it is expected to demonstrate collaborative effects in the creation of material bases.

[Significance for Universal Materials Incubator Co., Ltd. (UMI)]

-Utilizing its outstanding potential capabilities and past experience in the Japanese material and chemical fields, UMI conducts investment activities specializing in these fields and develops material startups, based on the vision of “Strengthening Japan’s technological capabilities by fostering outstanding material and chemical companies, and cultivating an industry structure that can compete in the global arena.”

-The Minami-Watarida District is a high-potential location with the freedom to develop businesses in the material and chemical fields, as well as easy access to Metropolitan areas as well as overseas. It is ideally suited to the scaling up of material startup businesses and to global expansion. For this reason, UMI is seeking to work with the City of Kawasaki to build unprecedented material ecosystems and to strengthen the global competitiveness of the material and chemical industries.

Based on the above, the two parties will promote activities for continuous development of the Minami-Watarida District.