TOKYO, Japan–December 22, 2020
Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) announces that it will invest in the Daiwa Taiwan-Japan BioVenture Investment Limited Partnership II (the “Fund”), which was established by DCI Partners Co., Ltd. on December 15, 2020. The scope of the Fund’s investment activities covers Japan and Taiwan, and includes as yet unlisted drug discovery and regenerative medicine biotech startup companies, and candidate drugs developed by universities, research institutes, and private corporations. With this investment, Yokogawa Electric aims to accelerate the expansion of businesses related to pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs, and contribute to the realization of a healthy and thriving society.
In addition to investing in biotech venture companies that have already launched, the Fund has adopted a venture creation model whereby it takes the lead in activities such as technology seed discovery, human resource acquisition, research and development, and support for company establishment. This means that the scope of investment can be expanded, and the number of investment opportunities increased. With this investment, Yokogawa will be able to swiftly obtain the latest information on companies involved in life sciences, expand its network to include venture companies, experts, and other such parties, and rapidly link up with promising companies. The investment will support the development and expansion of new projects in Yokogawa’s life innovation business and will lead to an expanded and enhanced portfolio in this area.
Yokogawa provides confocal scanner units that allow pharmaceutical developers to observe live cells in 3D and high content analysis systems that perform automated evaluation experiments for drugs using cultivated cells. Yokogawa also provides comprehensive quality control, manufacturing, production management, and other solutions to the pharmaceutical industry. The company believes that such solutions are highly compatible with the activities of drug development biotech venture companies working on regenerative medicine and biopharmaceuticals in Japan, which are one target of the Fund’s investment. In Taiwan, many drug discovery biotech startups have appeared in recent years, and Yokogawa also aims to connect with such companies. The excellent drug development platform in Taiwan makes it easier to carry out initial clinical trials, and to transfer development to other regions. In addition, its geographical advantage as a clinical development hub in Asia makes it an ideal entry point into the American and Chinese markets, and Yokogawa is targeting global business expansion with the Taiwanese market as a foothold.
About Yokogawa’s Life Innovation Business
Yokogawa formally launched its life innovation business in FY2018 with the aim of contributing to the achievement of well-being for all, which is one of Yokogawa’s “Three goals” for sustainability. In this business, the company provides platforms for the effective utilization of human intelligence in research related to life sciences, biotech, and pharmaceutical and foodstuff production processes through high-level linking with information from observation and measurement, and autonomous control utilizing the results of analysis of this information. Along with its customers, the business aims to enable a world of Bio Industrial Autonomy.
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About Yokogawa
Founded in 1915, Yokogawa engages in broad-ranging activities in the areas of measurement, control, and information. The industrial automation business provides vital products, services, and solutions to a diverse range of process industries including oil, chemicals, natural gas, power, iron and steel, and pulp and paper. With the life innovation business, the company aims to radically improve productivity across the pharmaceutical and food industry value chains. The test & measurement, aviation, and other businesses continue to provide essential instruments and equipment with industry-leading precision and reliability. Yokogawa co-innovates with its customers through a global network of 114 companies spanning 62 countries, generating US$3.7 billion in sales in FY2019. For more information, please visit www.yokogawa.com.
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