- Exhibit at the Japan IT Week trade fair in Makuhari Messe
- Gain knowledge about the ICT market structure, sector analysis, business policy
- Identify relevant key contacts (decision makers, R&D centres, business partners)
- Establish relationships with potential partners (trade and technology)
- Benefit from face-to-face meetings leading to possible business opportunities
ABOUT THE MISSION
The ICT Cluster/SME mission will be organised on the fringe of the autumn’s « Japan IT Week » trade fair in Chiba. During the fair (3 days) you will attend B2B meetings and meet with Japanese visitors. In order to maximize your partnering opportunities, you will be able to exhibit in the EU Delegation booth.
Additionally, a partnering event will be organized one day before the fair.
A month before the mission, an online pre-departure briefing will help you prepare for the mission to ensure you get the most out of it.
Professional interpreters will be on hand during the trade fair to help you communicate with potential Japanese business partners. Based on materials you provide, the EU-Japan Centre will arrange Japanese-language posters to promote your product at the EU Delegation booth at the trade fair.
OBJECTIVES
Through this mission you have the opportunity to:
- display your technology at one of Japan’s leading trade shows
- meet potential business partners
- create new business opportunities
- develop partnerships and business cooperation on 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)
PARTICIPANT PROFILE
Clusters and SMEs from European Union and COSME partnering countries. Large companies may apply, but priority will be given to applicants from SMEs and from clusters active in sectors covered by the trade fair.
Target fields:
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Machine to Machine (M2M) communication
- Cloud Computing
- Software Development
- Big Data Management
- Embedded Technology
- Hardware producers
- Mobile Solutions
- Data Center
- Information Security
ELIGIBILITY
The candidate must:
- be a citizen of an EU Member State or of a COSME partnering country;
- work for a company that is > 50% EU (or COSME partnering country) owned;
- work for an organisation that is an EU (or COSME partnering country) juridical person;
- be supported by his/her employer
- be able to participate in the entire programme
- have a good command of English
- be a manager with proven experience in industry
SELECTION
The main criteria for selection are:
- the professional & educational background of the candidate;
- the strategy of the participant’s company regarding Japan.
In order to ensure a high degree of personal attention, the number of participants in this mission is limited to 20.
PARTICIPATION FEE – GRANT – GUARANTEE – CANCELLATION
The EU-Japan Centre covers all costs directly related to the mission (i.e. lectures and seminars, group study trips, including travel outside Tokyo, trade fair registration, booth rental & printing service to give participants more visibility, access to the partnering system; interpretation during B2B meetings and simultaneous interpretation during individual presentation at the fair)
The participants’ companies must cover travel costs to/from Japan, accommodation and any other costs not covered directly by the EU-Japan Centre (living expenses).
SMEs * and CLUSTERS **:
Participation is free. On top, SMEs and clusters benefit from a €600 grant.
SMEs and clusters must pay a 100% refundable deposit of €1,000 to guarantee the 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 mission, minus any unpaid bills, provided that the participant attends the entire mission (absences during the mission may lead to deductions amounting to 150 EUR/day) and submits any and all reports the Centre asks him/her to make.
If, for whatever reason, a participant cannot take up his / her confirmed place, the deposit may NOT be refunded.
OTHER ENTITIES (entities that cannot be considered as SMEs * or clusters **):
Other entities must pay a contribution of €1,000 towards the costs incurred by the EU-Japan Centre in relation to the company’s participation.
Failure to do so by the deadline set by the Centre may result in the offer of the place being withdrawn.
If, for whatever reason, a participant cannot take up his / her confirmed place, the contribution may NOT be refunded.
(*): SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) are companies meeting the standard European Commission criteria for an SME which have applied successfully for a scholarship. Other companies are large companies or SMEs that fail to apply successfully for a scholarship.
(**): Clusters are those who are registered in the European Cluster Cooperation Platform (http://www.clustercollaborati
