TRANSLATIONAL ACCELERATOR PROGRAM
JAPAN'S PATH FROM LAB TO LAUNCH
More than a program: a growing community for drug discovery in Japan.
Curious about drug discovery?
Whether you're a researcher or not, feel free to drop by Nakanoshima Qross in Osaka or BioLabs Tokyo and say hello.
A non-dilutive, two-phase accelerator that takes an academic drug-discovery asset from an idea worth pursuing to an IND-ready, partnerable development program, built on Stanford SPARK's philosophy of starting from unmet medical need. The first BioLabs Academy program in Japan, launching November 2026 in Osaka, then Tokyo.
Overview
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Academic scientists in Japan who own the core technology behind their program and have filed, or plan to file, a patent on it. Drug discovery (small molecules, antibodies and biologics, peptides, and drug-discovery platforms) and regenerative medicine (cell therapy, gene therapy, tissue engineering) are both welcome. The bottleneck in Japan is not the science. It is the team around it. This program is built for you if:
You hold top-tier research results, but have no intention of running a company yourself
You are interested in commercialization, but have no team yet: no CEO, no development lead
You have approached pharma before, but the conversation always stalls halfway
This is not a competition over how finished your science is. Eligible applicants are accepted up to capacity, about 10 scientists per cohort. Market size and business plans are not assessed, because designing them is what the program is for.
Non-dilutive · 0% equity taken · Free for academic researchers
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Open cohort · 8 sessions + Demo Day
Every session: practitioner lecture → work on your own asset → 1-on-1 mentoring.
01 Translational research and unmet medical need
02 Case studies: what worked, what failed, and why
03 Drug discovery process and TPP design
04 IP strategy for university-originated technology
05 GMP and CMC fundamentals
06 Regulatory and filing strategy (Japan / US / EU)
07 Nonclinical development: ADMET, PK/PD, biomarkers
08 Clinical trial design (Phase I–III) and operations
09 Demo Day: English pitch to pharma and investors, and selection into Phase II
You leave with a Target Product Profile you can defend and a development story a pharma partner will sit through.
Observers, mainly prospective CEOs and business professionals, can join the lecture sessions, including partway through the program.
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Mentorship from pharma industry leaders on partnering strategy, clinical development, and commercialization.
Takes the same asset from Phase I all the way to a deal conversation, closed to the assets selected at Phase I Demo Day.
Selected assets only · 6 sessions + Demo Day · Begins right after each Demo Day
01 IP deep dive: freedom to operate for your asset
02 IND-enabling strategy: nonclinical package, CMC plan, study design
03 Regulatory pathway mapping (Japan / US / EU)
04 Market access, pricing and health economics
05 Business model and financing strategy
06 Partnering strategy and live BD negotiation
07 Demo Day: partnering-ready presentation
Alongside the sessions: 1-on-1 consultations with early-phase clinical development physicians, former regulators, CRO and CDMO experts, and IP counsel, plus introductions to CEO/CxO candidates and BioLabs' US and European network.
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One test: is your asset an Investable Target? That is the point at which an investor or pharma partner can decide to fund the next stage gate.
Step 1 · Product design and unmet need: a TPP draft
Step 2 · Ready for IND-enabling work: a development plan and a working network
Step 3 · Ready to out-license and build a team: a deal thesis and a team plan
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Osaka: Nakanoshima Qross, a regulatory-science and industry–academia hub
Tokyo: BioLabs Tokyo, a shared-lab platform within the global BioLabs community
With our partners LINK-J, AbbVie, Kyoto University, and the MHLW Drug Discovery Cluster Campus program, within which Phase I sits.
Operated by BioLabs Japan, part of the global BioLabs network of shared-lab campuses in the US, Europe and Japan.
APPLY OR TALK TO US
BIOLABS ACADEMY JAPAN · INAUGURAL COHORTS
FROM ACADEMIC DISCOVERY TO A DEAL CONVERSATION.
Two phases, two cities. Each session is worked through against your specific asset, from data package to deal terms.
OCT 16
OSAKA APPLICATIONS CLOSE
NOV 2026
OSAKA PROGRAM BEGINS
DEC 2026
TOKYO APPLICATIONS OPEN
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
How it Works
Two cohorts run in sequence, each with about 10 scientists. Phase I is open to all eligible applicants; Phase II continues with assets selected at each Demo Day.
WHY DON'T YOU JOIN US?
BioLabs Academy Japan is building a community of scientists, future founders and industry experts around drug discovery. Whether you're ready to apply or just curious, we'd love to meet you. Applications for the Osaka cohort close October 16, 2026. Tokyo applications open in December.
OUR partners
