Dutch nanotech sets firm foot on Japanese soil. Partly thanks to Eindhoven high tech companies like AMSYSTEMS Center, DoMicro, Holst Centre, SCIL and Simbeyond, the Dutch nanotech industry has put a firm foot on Japanese soil. Earlier this month the Holland High Tech trade mission visited the Nanotech Expo2017 in Tokyo.

In collaboration with the innovation network of the Dutch embassy, the companies presented their products with pitches in the “Holland High Tech” pavilion at the international exhibition. The Dutch top sector High Tech Systems & Materials took care of positioning the nanotech proposition. With over 1,400 exhibitors and 50,000 visitors, the Nano Tech Expo in Tokyo is one of the world’s largest trade fairs focused on nanotechnology; it is, moreover, an access to the Asian market.

Carina Weijma, a representative of the City of Eindhoven and a member of the International Team of the top sector High Tech Systems and Materials, was part of the Dutch delegation. She is very satisfied with the outcome of the mission. “The Eindhoven corporations were able to make new contacts with Japanese companies, businesswise as well as for further research. But they still have to get to know each other’s quality as well. Thus, the trip also helped to start collaborating even more closely in Eindhoven as well.”

Innovation Council Jan-Hein Chrisstoffels of the Dutch embassy in Tokyo sees great opportunities for further cooperation between the Dutch and Japanese nanotech industry, mainly because the two complement each other. “The Netherlands is known for his pragmatic attitude, smart application of technology, and because of the partnerships between industry, knowledge institutions and the government. Japan has a large high-tech industry and annually invests €150 billion on R&D.”

According to Dick Koster, Managing Director NanoNextNL, the purpose of this mission (“showing the new nanotechnology-based products and services of Dutch companies and research centers”) has certainly been achieved. “A visit to the Nanotech 2017 was – especially for start-up entrepreneurs – a chance to make direct contact with the Japanese market and the wider Asian business culture and thus make a faster and more conscious step into this sizeable market. Representatives of major potential Japanese companies, such as Hitachi, Panasonic, Sharp and several distributors have expressed interest in the product portfolio of the companies.”

Nanotechnology

With nanotechnology, it is possible to work with particles in the size order of nanometers (nm). This is one billionth of one meter. In many areas, the application of nanotechnology is possible. In health care, for example, for the production of pharmaceuticals of new materials on a nanometer scale. Dutch companies and research institutions play a prominent role here. This way cancer cells can be killed without causing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. And nanotechnology can detect pneumonia quickly and cheaply. In ICT, nanotechnology can contribute to the improvement of computer chips. Also in production of food nanotechnology plays a role.