As Japan and Singapore celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations, the March 2026 edition of the Japanese Corporates Technology Innovation (JCTI) Launchpad Networking Event brought the cross-border innovation between the two countries to life.
The JCTI Launchpad is helping Singapore SMEs turn global connections into real business outcomes, by partnering them with leading Japanese corporations to co-develop and pilot new solutions.
Hosted at the residence of the Japanese Ambassador and co-organised by IPI Singapore and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the event gathered eight Japanese corporations - BANDO, Mitsui Chemicals Group, Murata Electronics, Nisshinbo, Nitto Denko, Panasonic, RICOH and Toyo Seikan Group - among a room full of Singapore’s SMEs ready to explore co-creation.
Setting the Stage
The Ambassador of Japan to Singapore, Ambassador Hiroshi Ishikawa, opened the event with this year’s bilateral theme: ‘Co-imagine, Co-create and Co-evolve’. He expressed confidence that platforms like the JCTI launchpad exemplify the spirit of this theme by connecting Japanese innovation with Singapore’s entrepreneurial ecosystem in ways that generate tangible outcomes.
IPI Singapore’s CEO Michael Goh followed with a direct address to the SMEs in the room. “What makes the difference are the relationships and connections that we make today, and how we bring this forward into what we want to achieve,” he said.
Goh urged attendees to look beyond the technologies on display and dig deeper into the opportunities for innovations and partnerships. He shared that SMEs who have collaborated with Japanese companies through the JCTI Launchpad have, on average, seen twice the returns in their business. “Whenever I see flux, it means there is opportunity,” he said. “Please make use of this platform to connect, collaborate and discover the technologies you are looking for.”
For SMEs, this means access to technologies and partners they would not typically reach on their own, and the opportunity to turn these into real pilots and collaborations.
The Technologies
The showcase featured eight presentations spanning diverse sectors.
- BANDO introduced a heat-reflective silver coating that can reduce surface temperatures by up to 20 per cent and cut energy consumption in buildings by 40 per cent on sunny days - a particularly helpful proposition for Singapore’s tropical climate. It can also be used in refrigerated transport to reduce the energy required to keep food or medication cold.
- Murata Electronics presented stretchable printed circuits. The soft, flexible bioelectrodes maintain connectivity under bending and stretching and can be applied to next-generation wearable healthcare devices.
- Mitsui Chemicals showcased two advanced polymers—Exfola, a PFAS-free stain-resistant additive that drops into existing manufacturing lines, and Absorbtomer, a temperature-responsive cushioning material with shape-memory properties for wearables and consumer goods.
- Nisshinbo presented Qalmo, a quantum-inspired computing solution that plugs into a standard desktop PC to solve complex combinatorial optimisation problems in logistics and operations without specialist infrastructure.
- Nitto Denko demonstrated its flexible sensor technology, which is durable across multiple bending cycles while staying highly accurate. It can be used for applications in rehabilitation, tyre monitoring and infrastructure safety.
- Panasonic shared how its AI-assisted spatial sensing platform can compress a week-long building survey into a single day, enabling faster decisions in facilities management, factory planning and retail design.
- RICOH presented its electronic nose. The compact odour sensor can detect and map odours with human-level sensitivity without fatigue. It can be deployed in industrial facilities for odour-mapping and monitoring.
- Toyo Seikan introduced nanoFAS, an antimicrobial polymer additive that generates nano-sized metal particles inside resin during processing, delivering broad-spectrum hygiene protection while maintaining material transparency.
Beyond the showcases, the real energy was in the room, with direct conversations exploring what co-development and commercialisation could look like in practice. These interactions build on the JCTI Launchpad’s growing track record, having catalysed 14 co-creation projects and more than 145 technology engagements since 2024 through IPI Singapore’s tech-matching efforts.
Co-Creation in Practice
This momentum is already translating into real-world collaborations. One Singapore SME, Aethify, works to improve indoor environmental quality. Business Development Director, Samuel Sin, described how IPI connected them with RICOH, the research and development team, to validate their filtration and odour management solution in real-world settings. The team hopes to scale up the collaboration into a tripartite partnership to tackle food waste odour in commercial environments.
“Our technology is quite versatile,” explained Sin. “So far, IPI is connecting us with good resources, and we hope to continue to scale up these potential proof-of-concept partnerships.”
As the JCTI Launchpad continues to grow, it is becoming a key platform for translating cross-border innovation into tangible business outcomes. By connecting Japanese R&D strengths with Singapore’s agile and market-driven enterprises, the initiative continues to open new pathways for co-creation, commercialisation and long-term partnerships.