RIKEN Innovation Co., Ltd.

RIKEN Innovation Co., Ltd. (株式会社理研イノベーション) is a Japanese corporate entity established in December 2019 as a wholly owned subsidiary of RIKEN, the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research. It was originally incorporated under the name RIKEN Teigyo (株式会社理研鼎業) and renamed RIKEN Innovation in June 2024. The company was created to lead RIKEN's industry collaboration and innovation activities, acting as the bridge between the institute's advanced and diverse research results and their implementation in society. The company's stated vision is "Drawing the future with science and technology," and its mission is to act as an agent and producer for the social implementation of research results. Rather than limiting itself to intellectual property creation and licensing, RIKEN Innovation supports the full commercialization process, including the founding of startups based on RIKEN research. Its four core business areas are: intellectual property creation and licensing; startup establishment support; industry co-creation; and new business creation and commercialization support. RIKEN Innovation is headquartered within the RIKEN campus in Wako, Saitama, and also maintains a Kobe office at the RIKEN Integrated Innovation Promotion Building in Kobe, Hyogo. According to its company profile, it has capital of 90 million yen and 43 employees as of April 2026. Its representative director and president is Takashi Yamamoto, who also serves as a RIKEN vice-president. The company is 100% owned by RIKEN and is not publicly listed. As a technology transfer organization, RIKEN Innovation handles patent discovery, filing, rights acquisition, introduction to companies, and license negotiation on a one-stop basis. It also coordinates joint research between RIKEN seeds and industry needs, and supports the planning and commercialization of new businesses using RIKEN's tangible and intangible research assets. It publishes a RIKEN Seeds Collection (理研シーズ集) of patent seeds and participates in technology briefing sessions such as the JST New Technology Presentation Meetings.

RIKEN Innovation was established as part of a policy push to strengthen technology transfer and innovation at Japan's national research institutes. In December 2018, the Act on the Activation of Science, Technology and Innovation Creation (科学技術・イノベーション創出の活性化に関する法律) was enacted, and it came into force in January 2019. This law enabled national research and development agencies such as RIKEN to establish wholly owned subsidiary companies for the purpose of commercializing research results. In May 2019, RIKEN submitted an investment application for the establishment of a new company. In September 2019, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) granted investment approval, and the company was registered under the name RIKEN Teigyo (株式会社理研鼎業). It was formally founded in December 2019 as a normal corporation (普通法人) wholly owned by RIKEN. The company was created to lead RIKEN's industry collaboration and innovation activities. Its role was to act as a partner for commercializing RIKEN's diverse and high-quality research results, creating a cycle of mutual growth between RIKEN and society. It took over and expanded functions related to intellectual property and industry collaboration, operating under RIKEN's industry-academia collaboration policy. In June 2024, the company changed its name from RIKEN Teigyo to RIKEN Innovation Co., Ltd. (株式会社理研イノベーション). The new name reflects its broader mission of connecting RIKEN's knowledge to society and creating new value through innovation. By 2026, the company reported capital of 90 million yen and 43 employees as of April 2026. It operates from its headquarters within the RIKEN campus in Wako, Saitama, and from a Kobe office at the RIKEN Integrated Innovation Promotion Building in Kobe, Hyogo. It also maintains a Tokyo office at the Nihonbashi 1-chome Mitsui Building (COREDO Nihonbashi) in Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Its leadership includes Representative Director and President Takashi Yamamoto, who is also a RIKEN vice-president, and Director and Vice-President Takehiko Matsushita, also a RIKEN vice-president. The company's activities include publishing a RIKEN Seeds Collection of patent seeds, participating in technology briefing sessions such as the JST New Technology Presentation Meeting, and providing a search service for RIKEN's intellectual property information. In October 2025, it concluded a partner agreement with Incubation CANVAS TOKYO, and in September 2026 it renewed its official website.

• Act on the Activation of Science, Technology and Innovation Creation enacted

• Act on the Activation of Science, Technology and Innovation Creation comes into force

• RIKEN submits investment application for establishment of new company

• MEXT grants investment approval; RIKEN Teigyo registered

• RIKEN Teigyo founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of RIKEN

• Company name changed to RIKEN Innovation Co., Ltd.

• Partner agreement concluded with Incubation CANVAS TOKYO

• Official website renewed

A technology transfer and commercialization partner wholly owned by RIKEN, bridging the institute's research outputs and society.

• Intellectual property creation and licensing

  Discovery of intellectual property and know-how from RIKEN research results, filing, rights acquisition, introduction to companies, and license negotiation on a one-stop basis.

• Startup establishment support

  Support for the establishment of startups that create new social value using RIKEN research results.

• Industry co-creation

  Coordination of RIKEN seeds and industry needs for joint research and various co-creation support.

• New business creation and commercialization support

  Planning and commercialization support for new businesses using RIKEN research assets, from tangible assets such as research equipment to intangible assets such as data and know-how.

• RIKEN Seeds Collection

  A collection introducing part of RIKEN's research results as a patent seeds catalog.

1. 1株式会社理研イノベーション | 理化学研究所100%出資会社innovation-riken.jp
2. 2会社案内 | 株式会社理研イノベーションinnovation-riken.jp
3. 3RIKEN Innovation - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4理研鼎業 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org