Stream Outline
The Startup Accelerator Stream plays a cross-cutting role, contributing to all three targets—Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, and Healthy Environment—through support for startups that deliver solutions in each area. It aims to translate research outcomes into real-world solutions and foster a globally competitive startup ecosystem. Unlike the other R&D Streams that focus on long-term scientific inquiry, the Startup Accelerator is designed as a dynamic, one-year kick-off mechanism for researchers and entrepreneurs with a clear intent to commercialize their inventions. Its mission is to establish best practices for incubating global bioconvergence startups and to serve as a model for other academic institutions that seek to bridge discovery and delivery.
The Startup Accelerator Stream builds on OIST’s intrinsic strengths—its basic research, international network, and entrepreneurial talent—and provides the infrastructure, mentoring, and funding support necessary to convert innovative research into scalable ventures. It complements the Healthy Society Stream by not only leveraging knowledge, but also by channeling researchers’ intrinsic motivation into the creation of companies that address pressing social and environmental challenges in real time.
R&D Leader
Gil Granot-Mayer（OIST, Executive Vice President for Innovation and Outreach, Vice CEO）
Project
Development of a business development platform through the "Startup Accelerator”
• Develop a platform for startup creation grounded in bioconvergence R&D, serving as a foundation for commercialization and social implementation.
• Foster a hybrid startup creation model by engaging international entrepreneurs and investors, strengthening OIST’s role as a global hub.
• Build robust entrepreneurship education in collaboration with business schools and industry leaders, equipping founders with the skills to scale globally.
• Establish industry networks and secure investment, connecting startups with sponsors, testing facilities, mentors, and investors to ensure long-term sustainability.
• Provide proof-of-concept pathways that enable researchers to validate, refine, and launch solutions that directly impact society.
This Stream ultimately empowers researchers to transition from innovation to impact, ensuring that discoveries at OIST become tangible ventures with local, national, and global relevance.
PI: Gil Granot-Mayer (Leader)
The OIST Innovation Accelerator is a comprehensive program for early-stage deep technology startups, combining entrepreneurship training, competitive bootcamp activities, and incubation support. Startups worldwide compete for a year-long residency at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan. Participants gain access to educational resources, networking opportunities, personalized coaching, and advanced research facilities at OIST. The program equips deeptech startups with the time and resources needed to transition their innovations from the lab to the market.
