Case Study: Technology Assessment and Partnering for Kaneka Corporation

Background

Kaneka Corporation, a Japanese international chemical manufacturing company based in Osaka, has developed two patented plant transformation technologies that can be applied to different crop plants and which have application in the agbiotechnology sector. These technologies are novel and can be combined with emerging genome editing techniques such as CRISPR.

 

Objectives

Kaneka Corporation wanted to evaluate and understand how to most effectively progress their technologies. As part of these efforts IP Pragmatics and our Japan-based partner, Japan IP Networks were appointed by Kaneka Corporation to carry out a technology assessment, to identify the market pull for the technologies, and in parallel to identify and approach potential licensees/partners.

Approach

IP Pragmatics performed a comprehensive IP analysis of related technologies in order to identify any competing or synergic approaches and the general IP landscape in terms of trends, filing rates, and priority countries.

Subsequently, we carried out a technology and market assessment. The assessment identified the additional proof of concept data that should be generated prior to any collaboration or licensing discussions and benchmarked Kaneka’s technologies against competing methods.

Once a market for the technologies was identified, IP Pragmatics utilised its extensive contact network to approach companies that could serve as potential licensees and business collaborators to gauge their level of interest in these novel technologies.

 

Result

As a result of the company approaches organised by IP Pragmatics, discussions have been opened globally with a number of companies in the ag-bio field in order to discuss potential out-licensing of the technologies.

Several of these have progressed further, with confidential discussions and material transfer agreements under way. As these discussions progress, IP Pragmatics will be providing deal negotiation support to Kaneka Corporation.