Join us for an evening spotlighting the power of global collaboration in healthcare innovation. University of Tsukuba Night 2026 brings together eighteen innovative ventures in the fields of MedTech and Biotech, including university startups and pre-startup teams.
University of Tsukuba is one of Japan's leading national universities, with more than 16,000 students, a vast campus in Tsukuba Science City, and a long tradition of academic excellence dating back to 1872. In 2024, the University established its Malaysia Campus, further strengthening its commitment to international education, research, and innovation.
The participating ventures represent not only individual technological breakthroughs, but also the growth of a global startup ecosystem built upon collaborations among universities across Asia, Europe, North America, and Central Asia. This event aims to strengthen connections between the Japanese and U.S. innovation communities while fostering new partnerships among entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and industry leaders.
The participating ventures include startups and entrepreneurial teams emerging directly from the University of Tsukuba's research pipeline, alongside ventures affiliated with partner universities worldwide, including the University of Bordeaux, National Cheng Kung University, The Ohio State University, IIT Bombay, Ruhr University Bochum, and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
University of Tsukuba Night 2026 is more than a startup showcase. It highlights the important role that global university partnerships play in advancing healthcare innovation and translating research into real-world impact, demonstrating how universities, research institutions, entrepreneurs, investors, and innovation ecosystem partners can work together across borders to address some of the world's most pressing healthcare challenges.
View the event's poster here!
Presented by TIPA (Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs), KEIT (Korea Planning & Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology), and KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute), Korea Biohealth R&BD Night brings together Korean government agencies, researchers, and biopharma dealmakers for an evening focused on the funding, writing, and business strategies driving research and business development (R&BD) forward. The evening unfolds across sections running in the Havana and Santo Domingo rooms: a look at Korean agencies' 2027 investment priorities, a hands-on grant-writing seminar for researchers navigating both U.S. and Korean funding pathways, and a dealmaking conversation covering both sides of the biopharma negotiating table. Together, they trace the full arc from funding strategy to proposal writing to closing the deal.
This evening is especially geared toward early-stage biotech and health-tech companies: think pre-go-to-market, pre-CRO, and looking to raise their seed round. Where these partnerships have traditionally formed with more established companies, this event is a deliberate effort to reach companies sooner, connecting them with Korean funding pathways and dealmaking partners early in the growth cycle.
Also, pick up an event passport at check-in and collect stamps throughout the evening for a chance to win a prize!
