Niigata Technology Licensing Organization

Niigata Technology Licensing Organization (株式会社新潟TLO, commonly "Niigata TLO") is a Japanese technology transfer company based in Niigata City. It was established in November 2001 under the leadership of Niigata University and was approved by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in the same month. Its purpose is to transfer intellectual property arising from research at universities, junior colleges and colleges of technology in Niigata Prefecture to private-sector needs, and to broker joint research between academia and industry. Niigata University is the largest shareholder. The company's business is centered on technology transfer and intermediation rather than on filing patents itself: patent applications are handled primarily by each university, while Niigata TLO works on transferring those technologies to companies and arranging collaborative research. Its best-known technology is a hydrogen sensor originating from Niigata University. The transfer of this technology to domestic companies earned the organization, together with the university and partner companies, an award from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). In 2007 the hydrogen sensor technology was selected among the "100 best transfer technologies in the world" at the AUTM conference, which gathers technology transfer professionals from across the United States. Beyond hydrogen sensing, Niigata TLO has handled other university-originated assets. It provided the plasmacytoid dendritic cell line PMDC05, established by Niigata University's Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, to a total of 60 institutions, including bioscience research organizations and pharmaceutical companies involved in cancer immunotherapy in Japan and overseas. The organization also works on engineering related to hydrogen sensors with an eye to addressing climate change and realizing a decarbonized society. Niigata TLO is a small, privately held company with capital of 70,000,000 yen. Its representative director and president is Yoji Yuki (結城洋司), who is also described as a technology transfer specialist. Its board includes directors with backgrounds as technology coordinators, including holders of doctoral degrees in engineering, and an industry-academia collaboration coordinator with a doctorate in economics. The company is located in the Yūkyū Kaikan building of Niigata University's Faculty of Engineering. It collaborates with a long list of universities and colleges in Niigata Prefecture, including Niigata University, Nagaoka University of Technology, Niigata Institute of Technology, Nagaoka University of Design, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, Niigata University of International and Information Studies, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, the Nippon Dental University School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, Niigata Seiryo University, Nagaoka National College of Technology, Niigata Sangyo University, Keiwa Gakuen University, Niigata College of Technology, Joetsu University of Education, Niigata University of Management, International University of Japan, Niigata Prefectural University, and Meirin College. In recent years the organization has continued to develop and commercialize hydrogen-related technology. In August 2023 it signed a patent licensing agreement with Meiwa Kogyo Co., Ltd. covering manufacturing technology for hydrogen concentration sensors in the medical, health and sports fields. In April 2023 the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun reported on its "unicorn-type" hydrogen (H) sensor capable of detecting hydrogen across the full concentration range. In November 2025 it announced shipment of a research-use-only (RUO) device for measuring hydrogen concentration in blood. The company also maintains a membership scheme and provides information about joining.

Niigata Technology Licensing Organization (株式会社新潟TLO) was established in November 2001 under the leadership of Niigata University and was approved by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in the same month. Its founding purpose was to transfer intellectual property generated by research at universities, junior colleges and colleges of technology in Niigata Prefecture to private-sector needs, and to act as an intermediary for joint research. Niigata University became its largest shareholder. From the outset, the organization operated as a technology transfer office (TLO) rather than as a patent-filing entity: patent applications are handled primarily by each university, while Niigata TLO focuses on transferring those technologies to companies and brokering collaborative research. Its most prominent success has been the hydrogen sensor technology originating from Niigata University. The transfer of this technology to domestic companies was recognized with an award from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), shared with the university and partner companies. In 2007, the hydrogen sensor technology was selected among the "100 best transfer technologies in the world" at the AUTM conference, which brings together technology transfer professionals from across the United States. Another notable achievement has been the handling of the plasmacytoid dendritic cell line PMDC05, established by Niigata University's Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. Niigata TLO provided this cell line to a total of 60 institutions, including bioscience research organizations and pharmaceutical companies involved in cancer immunotherapy in Japan and overseas. The organization has also framed its hydrogen sensor engineering work in terms of addressing climate change and realizing a decarbonized society. In recent years, Niigata TLO has continued to develop and commercialize hydrogen-related technology. In April 2023, the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun reported on its "unicorn-type" hydrogen (H) sensor capable of detecting hydrogen across the full concentration range. In August 2023, the company signed a patent licensing agreement with Meiwa Kogyo Co., Ltd. covering manufacturing technology for hydrogen concentration sensors in the medical, health and sports fields. In November 2025, it announced shipment of a research-use-only (RUO) device for measuring hydrogen concentration in blood. The company also maintains a membership scheme and provides information about joining. As of the mid-2020s, Niigata TLO remains a small, privately held company with capital of 70,000,000 yen, headquartered in the Yūkyū Kaikan building of Niigata University's Faculty of Engineering in Niigata City. Its representative director and president is Yoji Yuki (結城洋司), who is also described as a technology transfer specialist. Its board includes directors with backgrounds as technology coordinators, including holders of doctoral degrees in engineering, and an industry-academia collaboration coordinator with a doctorate in economics. The company collaborates with a long list of universities and colleges in Niigata Prefecture, including Niigata University, Nagaoka University of Technology, Niigata Institute of Technology, Nagaoka University of Design, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, Niigata University of International and Information Studies, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, the Nippon Dental University School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, Niigata Seiryo University, Nagaoka National College of Technology, Niigata Sangyo University, Keiwa Gakuen University, Niigata College of Technology, Joetsu University of Education, Niigata University of Management, International University of Japan, Niigata Prefectural University, and Meirin College.

• Established under the leadership of Niigata University and approved by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

• Hydrogen sensor technology selected among the "100 best transfer technologies in the world" at the AUTM conference.

• Website renewed.

• Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun reported on the "unicorn-type" hydrogen sensor capable of detecting hydrogen across the full concentration range.

• Signed a patent licensing agreement with Meiwa Kogyo Co., Ltd. for hydrogen concentration sensor manufacturing technology in the medical, health and sports fields.

• Shipped a research-use-only (RUO) device for measuring hydrogen concentration in blood.

A university-led technology licensing organization bridging academic research in Niigata Prefecture to industry, with a focus on hydrogen sensor engineering for a decarbonized society.

• Hydrogen sensor technology (EMF-type, unicorn-type)

  Hydrogen sensor technology originating from Niigata University, transferred to domestic companies; the "unicorn-type" sensor can detect hydrogen across the full concentration range.

• Research-use-only (RUO) blood hydrogen concentration measurement device

  A device for measuring hydrogen concentration in blood, comprising a measurement unit, a measurement start switch unit, and a measurement calculation and display unit.

• Plasmacytoid dendritic cell line PMDC05

  A cell line established by Niigata University's Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, provided to 60 institutions including bioscience research organizations and pharmaceutical companies involved in cancer immunotherapy.

1. 1株式会社 新潟TLOniigata-tlo.com
2. 2会社概要 | 株式会社 新潟TLOniigata-tlo.com
3. 3Niigata Technology Licensing Organization (Japan) - Wikidatawikidata.org