News Release
FY2019
March 16, 2020
Results of Final Selection in the Accelerator Program "Innovation Challenge for the Next Generation"
JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Seiichi Murayama) last year launched an accelerator program* aimed at promoting new business creation, “Innovation challenge for the Next Generation” (“the Program”), jointly with Agorize** (Head Office: Paris, France; CEO: Charles Thou). Now that the final selection for the Program has been held on March 13, we are pleased to announce the top three companies in the contest.
The Program invites ideas for new businesses from start-ups with the aim of commercializing such ideas. Prioritizing nonferrous metal-related innovation, the Program is seeking ideas in a wide array of nonferrous metal domains including resources development, and smelting and refining, with a particular focus on advanced materials, high-performance and multifunctional materials, and recycling technologies. The Program has been carried out in cooperation with our Group companies H. C. Starck Tantalum & Niobium GmbH, Toho Titanium Co., Ltd., and TATSUTA Electric Wire & Cable Co., Ltd., with which we are pursuing synergies with our businesses in downstream fields.
Through this Program, a total of 71 start-ups from Europe and many other parts of the world proposed a wealth of innovative ideas. The final selection was conducted for the five companies that passed the screening interviews last November. From these, the top three were chosen as winning especially high appraisal from the standpoints of the innovativeness of their technology, the appeal of their business, and the potential for synergy with the business of our Group. (See the attachment for details of the winning companies.) It is planned to invite the winners to Tokyo later to take part in an awards ceremony. The possibilities of various forms of partnership with each winning company will be considered, including joint development, funding assistance, capital alliance, provision of materials, and provision of sales channels.
JX Nippon Mining & Metals is determined to promote the active co-creation developments with corporations, universities, research institutions and other outside partners in Japan and abroad for joint creation of new businesses, as well as in-house developments. Through continuing to pursue the further potential of nonferrous metals, we will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.
*An accelerator program enables companies to use a contest format to invite ideas and proposals from start-ups with a view to cooperation or investment.
**Agorize is a company with operating bases in France as well as Japan and other worldwide locations. It carries out open innovation challenge programs of many different kinds all over the world.
Selection Results
|
Rank |
Company name |
Country |
Business plan |
|
1st Prize |
RadiSurf |
Denmark |
Development of technology that improves the adhesion of resin film to metal surfaces |
|
2nd Prize (Runner-up) |
GenesInk |
France |
Manufacture and sale of nano-ink and other products for printed electronics |
|
3rd Prize |
AddiFab |
Denmark |
Development of parts using Freeform Injection Molding (technology combining the advantages of additive manufacturing and injection molding) |
|
Honorable Mention |
MAROMA Technologies |
Russia |
Development of high value-added cermet based on titanium carbide alloy |
|
Honorable Mention |
Leyden Jar Technologies |
Netherlands |
Development of porous silicon anode material for lithium-ion batteries |
Reference Materials (Photos)
The founders of RadiSurf, which got the 1st Prize
Special program website