In November 2023, the Emilia-Romagna Region carried out an important mission to Japan led by President Bonaccini together with the Councillors for Economic Development, Colla, and Agriculture, Alessio Mammi, with the involvement of many actors, including ART-ER /Invest in Emilia-Romagna, the regional cluster associations (Clust-ER Mech, Agri-food, Health and Green Tech), the regional universities, Cineca, etc.
Among the topics at the center of the agenda: ecological and digital transition, big data, aerospace, agri-food and research in agriculture, healthcare, climate change. The objectives of the mission also included the promotion of foreign investments and the internationalisation of regional companies.
The delegation strengthened relationships with important Japanese multinationals that are investing in Emilia-Romagna, including:
- Mitsubishi Chemical Group is investing around 350 million euros in the Modena-based CPC Group, a company integrated into the regional automotive value chain of the Motor Valley.
- NTT Ltd., already present in Bologna, which has announced a major investment in the context of the regional Data Valley.
- JSP which has a stake in GHEPI S.r.l. in the province of Modena
- DNP Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd. which is a strategic partner of the company Wipak Italia in the province of Piacenza
The regional innovation ecosystem has strengthened its relationships with leading Japanese players, such as: the JAXA Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the University of Tsukuba, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), the Riken Center for Computational Science in Kobe, the KOBE Biomedical Innovation Cluster, Osaka Prefecture for EXPO 2025, etc.
Another meeting involved the United Nations University, which will soon be located in the Tecnopolo Manifattura Data Valley Hub in Bologna.
Country focus Emilia-Romagna / Japan: https://www.investinemiliaromagna.eu/country-focus/japan
