Green Business Mission in Japan 2025: call for applications

Are you a European business supporting the Green Transition? Have you been looking for a chance to exhibit in Japan? If so, the EU-Japan Centre can help. Apply to our Green Business Mission and get a chance to showcase your company at the Decarbonization Expo in Tokyo in February 2025. 

Selected applicants will enjoy a dedicated space on the EU-Japan Centre’s booth, at no cost. Translation of the companies’ profiles and English-Japanese interpreters on-site are also part of the package. Finally, the centre’s will organise extra B2B activities before the fair itself, to maximise your visibility with Japanese companies.

ABOUT THE MISSION

Mission participants will exhibit and participate in the Decarbonization Expo 2025, which is part of the Green Transformation Week & Smart Energy Week, taking place at the international exhibition center Tokyo Big Sight. With nearly 70,000 professional visitors and close to 1500 exhibitors, the fair is one of the biggest Green Technology events in Japan. Sectors of interest at the Smart Energy Week are hydrogen, batteries, photovoltaics, smart-grid, wind power, and biomass, while the focus at the Decarbonisation Expo is on carbon-zero solutions in general.

This three-day exhibition from February 19 to 21, 2025, is an excellent opportunity to engage with Japanese business partners. Many Japanese corporations send delegations and have booths at the fair. On the EU-Japan Centre booth, Japanese-language posters will be provided based on the materials from mission participants, and Centre staff and professional interpreters will help to promote mission participants’ products, technologies and assure maximum exposure with visitors of the exhibition. A networking event on the day before the fair will increase the opportunities to connect with potential business partners and clients.

SCHEDULE

OBJECTIVES

• Explore partnering opportunities with Japanese companies
• Meet and network with potential business partners in Japan
• Create new business opportunities and partnerships with Japanese companies
• Gain valuable insights and knowledge about the Japanese market to become more competitive on a global scale as an SME
• Prepare the ground for practical cluster cooperation with Japanese counterparts as a cluster

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

This call for applications targets individuals working for SMEs (*) (small and medium enterprises, start-ups) or Clusters (**) from the European Union, or a country associated to the Single Market Programme, SME Pillar (***), specialised in the Green Technology sector.

Clusters and companies providing carbon-neutral solutions in the fields of Renewable Energy, Manufacturing, Construction and Transport are particularly well suited to the Decarbonization Expo.

 (*) Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are companies that meet the standard criteria set by the European Commission to be classified as SMEs.

(**) Clusters are those who are registered in the European Cluster Cooperation Platform (http://www.clustercollaboration.eu). Registration on that platform is free of charge.

(***) Please check the status of your country here. Eligibles are EFTA countries and countries that have signed an agreement to participate in the Competitiveness of SMEs strand.

ELIGIBILITY

The applicant must:

• work for a Cluster or an SME based in the European Union, or a country associated with the Single Market Programme, strand for ‘Competitiveness of SMEs (***)
• The headquarters of the company must be located in an EU/SMP country (***)
• be supported by their employer through a signed letter (in case they do not belong to senior management)
• be able to participate in the entire programme.  A representation in the same trade fair in other ways (in a stand-alone booth or as part of a national/regional pavilion) is not permitted
• have a good command of English (recommended level B2 or higher)

Companies or clusters that are not relevant to the sector-specific business mission will be rejected.

Companies and individuals are allowed to participate multiple times. Applicants may be declined if, they have previously cancelled their participation, were absent during part of a prior mission without a valid reason, or have in any other way acted contrary to the guidelines of the mission, local laws, customs, and regulations or have disobeyed the instructions of Centre staff.

SELECTION

The Centre will evaluate applicants based on the following selection criteria:

• Company's strategy and potential regarding Japan
• Relevance for the topic of the mission and the targeted fair
• Professional background of the applicant

Priority will be given to new applicants. Applicants applying again for the same mission can be selected if they can convincingly explain why another participation would be beneficial for their business with Japan.

The mission will welcome 12 companies.

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

The EU-Japan Centre will cover the expenses for one representative per selected company/cluster for:

• Individual display stand in the joint EU-Japan Centre booth
• Support by EU-Japan Centre staff and professional interpreters at the joint EU-Japan Centre booth
• Translation of poster and company profile, as well as printing of the poster for the exhibition
• Participation in networking sessions
• Access to online networking platforms
• Participation in an interactive webinar with a Japanese Market Expert prior to the mission.

COSTS

Mission participants are responsible for covering:

• Flight and other travel expenses to Tokyo and the trade fair venue
• Accommodation in Tokyo
• Other living expenses in Japan, including local transportation and meals

DEPOSIT

Participants who have been selected for the mission are required to pay a deposit of €1000 to secure their spot in the mission. After a brief post-event report is submitted, the deposit will be refunded. Before applying, please ensure you are committed, as cancelling after confirming your participation will result in a forfeiture of the deposit. Failure to show up at the booth every day will also result in the loss of the deposit.

TIMELINE

Call opening: September 16, 2024

Application Deadline: December 6, 2024