Menicon Co., Ltd. (Head Office: 3-21-19, Aoi, Naka-ku, Nagoya; President and COO: Koji Kawaura) is pleased to announce that we have taken residence at “STATION Ai,” the largest open innovation base in Japan, located in Tsurumai, Nagoya, in February 2025 for the purpose of creating new business possibilities.
“STATION Ai” Japan’s largest open innovation base, was opened in Tsurumai, Nagoya, in October 2024. More than 700 domestic and overseas start-up companies, partner companies, supporting organizations such as venture capitals (VCs), and universities are participating in “STATION Ai” and working to create new businesses.
While our company develops our Vision Care Business with the contact lens-related business at the center, we are also focusing on creating New Businesses to nurture a business that can be our second pillar. As new businesses in the agricultural and livestock industry, thus far, we have developed and released products unique to our company, including environment-related products such as rice straw decomposition facilitators and composting promoters using a vegetable fiber-digesting enzyme produced from the development process of contact lenses and biostimulant products that are expected to alleviate the high-temperature injury of agricultural products. Moreover, in the medical device field, we are developing new products using self-assembly peptides and obtaining pharmaceutical approval for a new medical device in the ophthalmologic field in 2024. We are also developing applications in the field of orthopedic surgery, etc.
In order to explore the possibility of further creating new businesses in the future, we have taken residence at “STATION Ai” and will accelerate co-creation with start-ups and other industries.
In addition, the second floor of “STATION Ai” has a permanent installation of “Aichi Founders Museum,” which exhibits the achievements, etc., of founders and managers who created innovative businesses located in Aichi Prefecture; Kyoichi Tanaka, the founder of our company, is a part of the exhibition.
Our company will succeed with “Creation, Originality, and Challenge,” which were valued by our founder and constitute our management principles, and aim at achieving the creation of more social values at “STATION Ai” under our Vision2030 slogan, “New Vision of ‘Miru’ for the World.”
- Menicon “New Businesses” introduction website
https://www.menicon.com/corporate/aboutus/sdg/environment - Official “STATION Ai” website
https://stationai.co.jp/en
- “Aichi Founders Museum” website
https://www.founders.museum.pref.aichi.jp/en/