Academic Industry Research

What Academic Industry Research does

Academic Industry Research Inc. (株式会社 産学連携研究所, AIR) is a privately-held Japanese professional services firm founded on February 15, 2010, and headquartered in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto. The company was established to address the gap between academic research and industrial commercialization that persisted after Japan's 2004 incorporation of national universities. AIR provides contracted coordination, management, and consulting services for academia-industry-government collaboration, covering competitive funding acquisition, technology transfer, business plan development, licensing negotiations, and startup formation support. Its primary client base spans national and private universities, research institutions, university-originated startups (primarily in life sciences), corporate partners seeking open innovation, and government bodies (Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto City, JST, AMED).

AIR generates revenue through three principal service streams: academia-industry collaboration services (contracted TLO-style work for universities), startup support services (from formation through Series A/B fundraising), and ecosystem development programs delivered under government contract. The flagship program is NQ Deep Tech Studio, operated as a joint venture with MIRACLE SCIENCE INNOVATION under contract from Osaka Prefecture, providing structured deep tech startup development at the Nakanoshima Qross innovation hub. AIR holds formal positions as a core member of the Kansai Startup Academia Coalition (KSAC) and a partner organization of the Inland Japan Innovation Ecosystem (IJIE) under JST's Startup Ecosystem Co-Creation Program.

Beyond human-delivered services, AIR operates LabTech, a life sciences R&D information platform that curates research instruments, reagents, and outsourced services, and supports crowdfunding for researchers and startups. The company's competitive position rests on a dense Kansai-region network across 30+ universities, venture capital firms, and government bodies; an experienced leadership team with backgrounds at NEDO, Osaka University, the Ministry of Education, and Kyoto University; and a track record including the SCREEN Holdings acquisition of AFI Technology, a venture AIR helped create. Paid-up capital is JPY 39.65 million (approximately USD 260,000); no external funding rounds, M&A activity, or parent company relationships have been disclosed.

Name

Academic Industry Research

Legal name

株式会社 産学連携研究所

Website

https://aird.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Academic Industry Research is a Kyoto-based Japanese professional services firm that coordinates academia-industry collaboration, technology transfer, and university startup creation, primarily serving Kansai-region universities, life sciences startups, and government bodies such as Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto City, JST, and AMED.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academia-Industry Collaboration Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Strong Industry Partnerships (EDAHAEAG)

Keywords

• Academia-industry collaboration
• Technology transfer services
• University startup support
• Innovation ecosystem consulting
• Deep tech incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Academia-Industry Collaboration Services: AIR provides contracted services for universities and research institutions, handling competitive funding acquisition, technology transfer, and startup coordination. Revenue is generated through service fees for coordination and management of academia-industry collaboration projects.
2. Startup Support Services: The company supports university spin-off ventures from formation through growth stages, including business planning, licensing agreements, fundraising support, and alliance formation. Services are provided to research teams and newly formed startups.
3. Ecosystem Development Programs: AIR operates programs like NQ Deep Tech Studio as part of joint ventures or contracted work with government bodies (e.g., Osaka Prefecture), providing entrepreneurial training and startup development services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AIR provides professional services that bridge Japanese academia and industry, including contracted coordination of competitive funding acquisition, technology transfer, startup creation, and regional innovation ecosystem development. The company supports universities and research institutions in commercializing research, backs university-originated startups from formation through Series A/B, and operates programs such as NQ Deep Tech Studio (contracted by Osaka Prefecture) and the LabTech life sciences information platform.

Product overview

Academic Industry Research (AIR) is a service-based organization that provides academia-industry collaboration services, startup creation support, and ecosystem development primarily in the Kansai region of Japan. Their main product/service is LabTech, an information platform for life sciences products and services. They also operate the NQ Deep Tech Studio as a joint business entity providing startup support programs for the medical and life sciences sector. Kyoto Commons serves as an ecosystem component for innovation network building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LabTech LabTech is a product and service information platform that supports R&D in the life sciences field, providing researchers and companies with curated information on the latest research instruments, reagents, and outsourced services. It also supports researchers and startups in raising funds through crowdfunding.
• NQ Deep Tech Studio NQ Deep Tech Studio is a deep tech / medical and life sciences startup development program operated by AIR as part of a joint venture, providing phased support from research-stage seed discovery through commercialization and founding for university and research-originated deep tech ventures.
• Kyoto Commons Kyoto Commons is an NPO activity AIR participates in, providing regular seminars and community-building activities on advanced science and technology under the leadership of Prof. Keisuke Makino (Kyoto University Emeritus Professor), strengthening Kyoto as an innovation ecosystem hub.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• UNITT (一般社团法人大学技術移転協議会)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026AIR became a supporting member of UNITT, an association of university technology transfer organizations, enhancing its network in the national academia-industry collaboration community.
• NQ Deep Tech Studio Joint Venture (MIRACLE SCIENCE INNOVATION株式会社との共同企業体)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025AIR operates as part of a 6-company joint venture with MIRACLE SCIENCE INNOVATION to deliver the NQ Deep Tech Studio program, a deep tech startup development program contracted by Osaka Prefecture, operating from Nakanoshima Qross innovation hub.
• Kansai Startup Academia Coalition (KSAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010AIR serves as a core/joint member of KSAC, a consortium supporting startup creation from Kansai region universities. KSAC operates under JST's Startup Ecosystem Co-Creation Program, coordinating academia-industry collaboration across the region.
• Inland Japan Innovation Ecosystem (IJIE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010AIR serves as a partner organization of IJIE, supporting startup ecosystem development as part of the JST Startup Ecosystem Co-Creation Program.
• BIE JapancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010AIR participates in the operation of BIE Japan as part of KSAC initiatives, supporting global human resources development in academia-industry collaboration and startup creation.
• Kyoto Commons (特定非営利活動法人京都コモンズ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010AIR participates in Kyoto Commons activities, a non-profit organization providing information and networking on advanced science and technology under Prof. Keisuke Makino's leadership. Focuses on developing Kyoto as an innovation ecosystem hub.
• Osaka Chamber of Commerce and IndustrysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on medical device development matching and healthcare industry events, supporting the medical device industry ecosystem in Osaka.
• 公益財団法人京都高度技術研究所 (ASTEM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration on life science startup creation and support programs in Kyoto, including KYOTO Startup Entrepreneurship Program and digital transformation initiatives.
• 京都市 (Kyoto City)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIR is contracted by Kyoto City to operate the Kyoto GX Seeds Project program, supporting researchers in commercializing green transformation technologies.
• 大阪府 (Osaka Prefecture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIR serves as secretariat for NQ Deep Tech Studio, a deep tech startup support program operated as a joint venture contracted by Osaka Prefecture, supporting healthcare and life sciences innovation.
• Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIR participates in JST's Startup Ecosystem Co-Creation Program as part of KSAC and IJIE, supporting university startup creation through competitive funding programs.
• Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIR supports researchers participating in AMED programs for technology transfer and startup creation in the medical/life sciences field.
• Kansai Innovation Initiative (KSII)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIR participates in KSII, a regional innovation initiative, with its representative serving as a senior area coordinator.
• J-Startup KANSAIsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAIR participates as a supporter company in J-Startup KANSAI, Kansai region's startup support program operated by Kansai Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry.
• 京都知恵産業創造の森supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on university startup support and open innovation events in Kyoto, including the Open Innovation Showcase program.
• 未来医療推進機構 (MIRACLE SCIENCE INNOVATION)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner in operating NQ Deep Tech Studio deep tech startup program, combining AIR's academia-industry expertise with MIRACLE's future healthcare focus.
• 京都大学 (Kyoto University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration on technology transfer and startup creation from Kyoto University's research outcomes, including support for the university's innovation ecosystem.
• 大阪大学 (Osaka University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on startup creation and industry-academia research projects, including pharmaceutical science research support programs.
• 公益財団法人新産業創造研究機構 (NIRO)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on life science startup growth support programs in the Kansai region, including co-hosting events and initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners (UTEC): University-affiliated VC firm originating from Tokyo University's TLO ecosystem; broader incumbent serving overlapping deep-tech commercial mandates through investment rather than service contracts.
• Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ): Public-private open-innovation fund supporting university-originated ventures; broader incumbent operating across deep tech and life sciences with a national mandate paralleling AIR's KSAC/UNITT positioning.
• Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO): Government-affiliated trade and innovation promotion body running startup support programs (e.g., J-StarX); a broader incumbent that overlaps with AIR's ecosystem-development mandate and government-linked program delivery.
• Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting (DTC): Large consulting practice with active government- and university-facing open-innovation programs; a broader incumbent that competes for institutional transformation mandates AIR also pursues.
• EIJI KINAMI / Tokyo University TLO (CASTI - 株式会社キャストディー): Operating University of Tokyo's technology licensing and startup creation programs; a foundational incumbent in the TLO space that AIR cooperates with at the boundaries but competes with for tech-transfer mandates.

Direct peers

• Leave a Nest Co., Ltd. (株式会社リバネス): Japan-based 'science bridge' company that supports university-originated startups and academia-industry collaboration, particularly in life sciences and deep tech — directly comparable to AIR's mission and operating model.
• MIRACLE SCIENCE INNOVATION (未来医療推進機構): Direct JV partner with AIR on the NQ Deep Tech Studio program at Nakanoshima Qross; a tightly adjacent organization in life-science and deep-tech startup development with shared program operations.
• Plug and Play Japan: Operating startup acceleration and corporate open-innovation programs in Japan; competes for similar government- and corporate-sponsored mandates to build deep-tech and life-science startup pipelines.
• Healthcare Innovation Network (HINC / ヘルスケアイノベーション): Japanese cross-border innovation platform connecting life-science startups with corporates and universities; overlaps with AIR's life-sciences startup support and corporate open-innovation work.
• Industrial Growth Platform, Inc. (IGPI / 産業成長プラットフォーム): Japan-based consulting and investment platform with a strong innovation and venture-creation practice; overlaps with AIR in advising corporations and universities on technology commercialization and startup creation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Academic Industry Research