1. What is Regional Industry Tie-up (RIT)?

　The Regional Industry Tie-up program (RIT) is a program where Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) supports business tie-ins of SMEs between industrial clusters in Japan and other countries.

2. Fukushima Prefecture’s RIT program

　Fukushima Prefecture is a leading Japanese prefecture of medical device production. Taking advantage of this strength, Fukushima Prefecture conducts the RIT program with the objective of facilitating regional economy by creating various tie-ins such as import/export, technological collaboration and joint product development between firms in Fukushima Prefecture and North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Germany, where a number of medical device related firms and research institutions are located.

　Another objective is to demolish harmful rumors against our industrial products, which have been spreading due to a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Nuclear plant, by promoting the outstanding technologies of firms in Fukushima Prefecture worldwide.

3. Activities

　Fukushima Prefecture conducts the following activities to achieve business tie-ins between firms in Fukushima Prefecture and NRW.

(1) Training sessions/events in Japan

　Conduct training sessions and/or networking events in Fukushima Prefecture for participating firms from Fukushima Prefecture and NRW

(2) Basic overseas research

　Research needs and/or innovations of medical device related firms in NRW

(3) Field research

　Advisors delegated by Fukushima Prefecture visit NRW to discuss tie-ins with Fukushima Prefecture as well as introduce firms in Fukushima Prefecture

(4) Invite key person(s) from NRW

　Invite key person(s) heading a cluster of institutions, where medical device related firms in NRW belong to, to Fukushima Prefecture for the objective of promoting firms in Fukushima Prefecture to them

(5) Dispatch a mission group consisting of firms in Fukushima Prefecture

　Participating firms in Fukushima Prefecture visit NRW to have business meetings and networking events

(6) Invite a mission group consisting of firms in NRW

　Invite firms from NRW, who have interests in the technologies of firms in Fukushima Prefecture, to Fukushima Prefecture to have business meetings and networking events

(7) Conduct other projects for enhancing tie-ins among both municipal governments

4. Past activities

[November 2011]

　A Director-General of Commerce, Industry & Labour Department of Fukushima Prefecture visited NRW to exchange views with a representative of NRW’s Ministry of Economy as well as to visit “Bochum”, one of medical device clusters in NRW.

[March 2012]

　NRW’s Minister of Economic Affairs Harry K. Voigtsberger (at the time) and a Director-General of Commerce, Industry & Labour Department of Fukushima Prefecture had a discussion in Fukushima Prefecture regarding business tie-ins between firms in NRW and Fukushima Prefecture.

[April 2012]

　Fukushima Prefecture was approved to conduct RIT preliminary survey on industry structure, etc. targeting the region for the objective of utilizing RIT projects and initializing regional tie-ins.

[August 2012]

　NRW’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Garrelt Duin, and the Governor of Fukushima Prefecture exchanged views in Dusseldorf, Germany and agreed that both municipal governments will cooperate on networking activities among firms in both regions to achieve the RIT project.

　The Governor also visited a city of Aachen, a leading cluster in NRW.

[November 2012]

　“Medical Technologies as Pacemaker for R&D Co-operation and Business in Fukushima and NRW” was held as a kick-off event of cross-border communication between Fukushima Prefecture and NRW. Firms from both regions presented their own technologies in the seminar: E.S.Q Ltd. (from Yabuki City, Fukushima Prefecture) and CYBERDYNE Inc. (HQ: Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, research center: Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture) and Philips GmbH from NRW.

　Message from the Director-General of Commerce, Industry & Labour Department of Fukushima Prefecture

　Message from a representative of the Ministry for Innovation, Science and Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

　100 or more participants

　Presentation by a firm in Fukushima Prefecture

　Presentation by a firm in NRW

[November 2012]

　As a part of the RIT preliminary survey, Fukushima Prefecture discussed cross-border cooperation with NRW’s 4 medical technology clusters, and all of them agreed on cross-border cooperation with us. We will research the needs and/or characters of firms in NRW to match business activities with firms in Fukushima.

　Business introduction to Cologne Bonn cluster

　Business introduction to Aachen cluster and institution responsible for cluster coordination

　Meeting on the business scheme of the next fiscal year

[March 2013]

　Fukushima Prefecture applied for the RIT project based on the preliminary survey.

[March 2013]

　The RIT project among Fukushima Prefecture and NRW was adopted.