Kyoto University and Summit Pharmaceuticals International Corporation (President: Masahiro Sasaki; Head Office: Harumi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, have signed a basic contract to support the national university's efforts to transfer intellectual property held by the university concerning pharmaceutical and medical services to the private sector.

Kyoto University filed 408 applications for patent rights in the 2004 academic year, the year when the university was incorporated, the largest number of such applications among Japan's universities. The transfer to the private sector of technologies for which the patent applications were filed and which could lead to business opportunities, is crucial for building the so-called ''intellectual creation cycle'' between the academic community and industry, and to promote industry-academia cooperation.

In the past, Kyoto University has actively transferred its technologies to the private sector both through its own initiatives and also by signing outsourcing contracts with entities specializing in technology transfer such as Kansai Technology Licensing Organization (TLO) and Shirankai, an incorporated entity.

Now, the university has built cooperative relations with Summit Pharmaceuticals International, judging that its intellectual property can be further utilized in the private sector by taking advantage of the international networks of Summit Pharmaceuticals International in the field of pharmaceutical research and development.

Summit Pharmaceuticals International Corp. is a trading house specializing in research and development of pharmaceuticals. The company has served as a general agent for American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) of the United States, which is the world's largest provider of bio-related resources including genes and cells used for research. The Tokyo-based company has made outstanding achievements in various pharmaceutical and medical service fields: supporting drug development including the sale of chemical compounds used for HTS (High-Throughput Screening technology for selecting at high speeds chemical compounds that may lead to pharmaceutical development), and coordination as an intermediary between pharmaceutical companies both in Japan and abroad and between biotechnology ventures in the fields of business licensing for pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical candidates, research cooperation, and licensing for medical checkups and diagnostic drugs.

Summit Pharmaceuticals International also has provided comprehensive support services to help foster biotechnology ventures, including the provision of funds. As part of such efforts, the company has established an investment fund for biotechnology ventures in partnership with Sumitomo Corporation (President: Motoyuki Oka). Utilizing its diverse functions and comprehensive strengths, the company launched a variety of new businesses in 2003 to appraise the value of intellectual property held by universities while examining corporate needs, to devise business strategies for intellectual property and act as an intermediary between academic institutions and private corporations. Summit Pharmaceuticals International set up experts groups and forged alliances with prestigious Japanese universities, research institutes and TLOs prior to the incorporation of national universities in 2004. The company has been serving as an intermediary between these academic institutions and industry to enable the fruits of institutions' research to be used by companies in industry. In addition, the company has worked with universities to enable their research achievements to be used in incubation businesses and also has helped universities to launch venture companies.

Shirankai, an incorporated entity set up by the alumni association of the Faculty of Medicine of Kyoto University, and Summit Pharmaceuticals International, have signed an outsourcing contract. Based on the contract, Summit Pharmaceuticals International has already begun to market the intellectual property created through scientific achievements in medicine mainly by Kyoto University's Graduate School of Medicine, the Faculty of Medicine and the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Summit Pharmaceuticals International, as a company in the Sumitomo Corporation Group, has supported the management of Incubation Plaza, an entity established by Kyoto University's Graduate School of Medicine and the Faculty of Medicine in 2005, while joining hands with Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd. Through these moves, Summit Pharmaceuticals International is helping Kyoto University to appraise its research achievements with the aim of fostering new business based on the achievements. The business tie-up between Summit Pharmaceuticals International and Shirankai aims to cultivate new business based on research results achieved only by Kyoto University's Graduate School of Medicine, the Faculty of Medicine and related organizations. But the scope of intellectual property to be transferred to the private sector under the latest basic contract between Kyoto University and Summit Pharmaceuticals International covers research achievements in fields of pharmaceutical and medical services by all graduate schools and faculties of Kyoto University.

Kyoto University expects the latest contract to accelerate the transfer of its technologies to the private sector as the university can utilize the global networks and marketing-survey know-how of Summit Pharmaceuticals International as well as the comprehensive strengths of the Sumitomo Corporation Group. Under this contract, Kyoto University wants to promote the transfer of its intellectual property to private businesses not only in Japan but also throughout the world.

Kyoto University and Summit Pharmaceuticals International will promote joint activities involving both universities and business corporations in an organic manner, but with a broad vision that encompasses social contributions by universities, and also acting as an intermediary to ensure that universities' research and development activities reflect the needs of corporations.

Under the new contract, Kyoto University and Summit Pharmaceuticals International will actively promote technology transfer, particularly to overseas companies which has yet to be tapped fully, and the transfer of technologies related to research tools, an area that entities specializing in the technology transfer business have so far shunned in the belief that the market size is too small.


Outline of Summit Pharmaceuticals International

Corporate Name: Summit Pharmaceuticals International Corporation

Establishment: April 9, 1985 (Then named Summit Pharmaceuticals Corporation)
The company changed its corporate name to Summit Pharmaceuticals International
Corporation in 1995 after inheriting the trade rights and assets of Sumitomo
Corporation's New Drug & Biotech Department after its spin-off from Sumitomo
Corporation. Capital: ¥480 million

Annual Sales: about ¥ 3.7 billion

No. of Employees: 51 (as of February 2006)

Main Banks:Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation

Location of Head Office: