Bayer AG (Bayer), and RIKEN Innovation Co., Ltd. (RIKEN Innovation), have entered into a strategic collaboration agreement to jointly explore novel drug discovery opportunities across indications. The collaboration aims to identify potential joint research projects combining RIKEN Innovation’s expertise in academic basic research with Bayer’s global experience in drug discovery and development.

Under the terms of the agreement, both partners will jointly explore potential drug targets, utilize basic drug discovery technologies as well as assess disease mechanisms, leveraging on research insights from RIKEN Innovation. In cases where a path for novel drug target is identified for specific partnering opportunities, RIKEN Innovation will coordinate the advancement of the potential project.

“The key to discovering and developing new therapeutic options for patients around the world is a collaboration between industry and competent partners in academia. We are extremely honoured to be able to pursue innovation together with RIKEN, one of the world’s top national research institutes. We firmly believe that this partnership will help to advance science to the benefit of patients suffering from severe disease conditions,” said Dr Joerg Moeller, Member of the Executive Committee of Bayer AG's Pharmaceuticals Division and Head of Research and Development.

The partnership will be facilitated by Bayer’s Open Innovation Center Japan in Osaka and RIKEN Innovation, a new company established and wholly owned by RIKEN of Japan to advance industry-academia partnerships and translate RIKEN’s research achievements into social value for the public, in close collaboration with its parent organization. With over

100 years of history, RIKEN is Japan’s largest national research organization with over 3,500 employees across 10 research sites including Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo, Harima, Yokohama and Wako. RIKEN Innovation’s efforts span a diverse range of scientific disciplines including cell and developmental biology, neuroscience, immunology, and AI technology, and various interdisciplinary fields, producing about 2,500 publications annually.  

“This partnership will enable collaboration between scientists at RIKEN and at Bayer, a global company that has contributed to healthcare innovation in Japan for more than 100 years,” said Hiroshi Matsumoto, President of RIKEN. “The newly established RIKEN

Innovation will support this partnership’s advancement by seamlessly connecting the scientific expertise and resources of both Bayer and RIKEN.” 

“Our company was founded as an external entity to support RIKEN in promoting and facilitating industry-academia collaboration,” said Yoshihiro Aburatani, President of RIKEN Innovation. “Our purpose is to expedite the process of putting RIKEN’s research achievements to work for society, and to enable collaboration with industry partners. Our partnership with Bayer is a meaningful first step in growing our industry-academia scientific collaboration. We will work closely with RIKEN and do our best in advancing this partnership.”