Convening of Japan Healthcare Business Contest (JHeC) 2021 Determined

August 3, 2020

Aiming to develop a foundation and an environment in which a new, next-generation healthcare industry is created, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), in collaboration with funds, private companies, associations, event organizers and other entities, has been striving to establish an ecosystem in the field of healthcare through funding necessary for creating businesses and organically bonding awards programs for recognizing outstanding cases and other initiatives. As part of this effort, METI has been holding the Japan Healthcare Business Contest (JHeC) program since FY2015.

As the sixth contest, METI will hold the JHeC 2021 on January 28 (Thur.), 2021.

The JHeC program aims to [i] recognize outstanding individuals, associations, companies and other entities taking on solutions to social challenges in the field of healthcare in order to raise social awareness of their activities and [ii] encourage such outstanding individuals, associations, companies, etc. to facilitate their self-sustaining growth through efforts for promoting business matching with large companies, venture capital firms or others businesses.

Outline of the contest

Date and time: January 28 (Thur.), 2021; from 13:00 to 18:00 (tentative)
Venue: Otemachi Mitsui Hall (3rd floor, Otemachi One; 1-2-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo)
Note: This contest may be held online depending on the situations involving the novel coronavirus disease.

Call for applicants for speakers from companies and individuals

The JHeC 2021 consists of two events: the Business Contest Category and the Idea Contest Category. METI will start a call for applicants for speakers from companies and individuals in both categories.

Business Contest Category

Applicants for this category are called from new businesses targeting the entire field of healthcare, e.g., health, medical care and nursing care, which deploy business activities for the purpose of achieving new societies, such as a society based on: disease prevention, health-degradation control or coexistence with diseases. Applications are acceptable regardless of types of businesses, namely services, applications (software) or apparatuses (hardware).

How to apply: Visit the application website, download the entry sheet for the business contest category, as well as confirming the guidelines for application, and send an email with the completed entry sheet attached to the address below before the closing date.

Idea Contest Category

Applicants for this category are called from a wide variety of people who have new “bright ideas” that may solve challenges in healthcare, medical care or nursing care. Applications are acceptable regardless of types of ideas, namely services, applications (software) or apparatuses (hardware).

How to apply: Visit the application website download the entry sheet for the idea contest category, as well as confirming the guidelines for application, and send an email with the completed entry sheet attached to the address below before the closing date.

Call for support associations and collaboration events

As part of this program, around in the fall of 2020, METI will start a call for [i] support associations which are companies or associations willing to support venture businesses that will present speeches at the JHeC 2021 in developing business or growth and [ii] collaboration events related to healthcare to encourage venture businesses and other companies to grow, such as contests, symposiums and incubation activities.