The Medical Industry Development Project promoted by Kobe City is an innovative initiative aimed at forming an intellectual cluster in Kobe. In the cluster, researchers and venture firms create new knowledge, while private companies working in cooperation with local authorities and citizens, use their know-how and technology to apply and commercialize such newly obtained knowledge. This pioneering project is the first of its kind in Japan.

Participating in the project since fiscal 2001, ArBlast is a leading runner in the intellectual cluster.
Through R&D in highly advanced medicine, the cluster aims to improve citizen welfare and vitalize the local economy. The cluster is also designed to function in close partnership with universities and research institutions in the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area, the Saito life science cluster development project in Osaka, and Harima Science Garden City. Eventually, these ongoing projects will be integrated into a “super cluster” specializing in life science, which will help promote the structural reforms of the Japanese economy and enhance the country’s competitiveness in the international market.