Eyeing Global Deployment of Japan's Revolutionary Technologies and Services, GE Accelerates Technology Partnerships with Japanese Firms
Tokyo, Japan - September 18, 2008 -- GE Japan announced that it is inviting Japanese companies to submit proposals to form technology partnerships as part of its efforts to accelerate the creation of new alliances with Japanese firms. By cooperating with Japanese companies, GE hopes to facilitate the global deployment of Japan's revolutionary technologies and services.
For GE, which operates in more than 100 countries, this marks the first time that solicitations for technology partnership proposals will be offered through its Web site.
Major focus areas for partnership formation are materials sciences, energy conservation, electronics, production and process technologies, and healthcare and biotechnology (please see Supplementary Material 1 for details). GE Japan's Web site invites Japanese companies to submit proposals as outlined below.
Overview of online solicitation
| Start date: | September 18, 2008 |
| Eligibility: | Japanese companies that have publicly available technological information and seek the possibility of deploying their innovative products and services globally through a technology partnership with GE. |
| Web site: | GE Japan |
| How to apply: | Interested parties can submit a proposal by filling out the form at the above link. |
| Selection: | GE will choose from among applicant proposals those that demonstrate a potential for forming technology partnerships based on the GE's selection criteria, which have not been made public. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted directly by GE. |
Since 2004, GE's Japan Technology Initiative (JTI, please see Supplementary Material 2 for details) has made technology partnerships with Japanese strategic focus.
Ms. Juliana Shei, GE Global Research Japan Representative, said, "Pouring more energy than ever before into the promotion of forming technology partnerships with Japanese companies is something that will be immensely beneficial to both Japanese companies and GE. Development of innovative technologies, commercialization of innovative products, and fostering a global sales network require highly sophisticated expertise in all areas. We believe that cooperation with companies that have unique expertise and strengths in specific areas, rather than a single company alone striving to do everything, will dramatically expand the potential of project success and is also an effective means of maintaining global competitiveness."
About GE
GE is Imagination at Work - a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing and media content, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com/. GE has been in operation in Japan for over 100 years. For more information about GE in Japan, please visit the pages at this site.
Press Contact
Corporate Communications
GE Japan
Tel: 03-3588-9500
Major Focus Areas for Technology Partnerships
- Materials
- Materials utilizing nanotechnology (metals, composites and magnets)
- Production of a variety of composite materials
- Membrane separation technologies for use in the treatment of water, gas and biomaterials
- Magnetic materials and shape-memory alloys
- Repair and regeneration of materials
- Others
- Energy conservation
- Lights, ballast, switchgears, circuit breakers, relays and transformers
- Gasification, clean coal and desulfurization
- Energy storage and large-capacity batteries
- Photovoltaic and solar power generation
- Cellulose decomposition by biomass, catalysts and enzymes
- Production of synthesized diesel and gas through catalytic reactions
- Capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide
- Highly-concentrated hydrogen fuels and plasma burning
- Waste gasification
- Others
- Electronics
- MEMS sensors
- Wide bandgap materials, SiC, GaN, and diamond
- High-temperature electronics
- Electronics materials (insulating and dielectric materials)
- Compact wireless communication technologies for use in healthcare
- Others
- Production and process technologies
- Separation processes for use in the treatment of water, gas and biomaterials
- Small-scale X-ray sources
- Laser technologies
- Others
- Healthcare and biotechnology
- Domiciliary care and monitoring
- Less-invasive diagnostic imaging and treatment
- Digital pathology, digital operations and digital endoscopes
- Biochips and biosensors
- Micro flow channels for calibrating and adjusting samples
- Chemical sensing and bio-sensing
- RFID tags
- Drug discovery tools based on genomics and proteomics
- Computational biology and clinical pharmacology modeling
- Others
About Japan Technology Initiative
While making technology partnerships with Japanese companies a priority strategy area, GE has since 2004 implemented the Japan Technology Initiative (JTI), which is designed to facilitate the fostering of mutually complementary partnerships. Specifically, GE carries out activities to seek and form mutually beneficial technology partnerships with Japanese companies, regardless of their size, to deliver innovative products and services to the world's markets.
Last October, GE hosted the Japan Technology Forum, which was the first attempt by GE to seek technology partnerships with small- and medium-sized enterprises in Japan. Forum participants from GE totaled more than 20 people, including GE Global Research Director Mark Little, whose organization oversees four GE R&D facilities around the world, as well as researchers and others from various countries with a focus on operations in the industrial sector, and including individuals responsible for advanced technologies. Participants held discussions about possible partnerships with representatives from the 33 Japanese companies, which met GE's selection criteria and had been selected from among 160 applicants. Talks with four of these companies to explore the possibilities of joint R&D efforts have been carried to an advanced stage with the signing of non-disclosure agreements.
GE Global Research, with its staff of 3,000 researchers, is a center of excellence for GE that plays a central role in the selection of technologies suited to partnerships with Japanese companies and promotion of joint R&D activities. So far GE Global Research has contributed to a small turbofan engine program, developed jointly with Honda Motor to power a new business jet, and a program to develop and commercialize OLED lighting, for which a joint development contract was signed with Konica Minolta. To accelerate such efforts in Japan, Juliana Shei was appointed GE Global Research Japan Representative in January 2008. Until then, Shei had led Japan Technology Initiative from GE Global Research headquarters.
Combining world-class technologies available in Japan with GE's R&D capabilities as well as commercialization know-how opens up an unlimited avenue of possibilities. By uniting Japan's advanced technologies, such as those in the areas of energy saving, superconducting materials and liquid crystal, with GE's technology commercialization capabilities and sales strengths cultivated during the company's long existence, GE is committed to bringing innovative products and services to the world's markets to contribute to the growth of both Japanese companies and GE.
Todd Alhart
GE
[email protected]
1-518-387-7914