Open Innovation That Supports Drug Discovery
Even before the widespread use of the term “open innovation”, ONO was already involved in the discovery of new drug seeds through partnerships with universities and other research institutions, and had been using these seeds as a starting point to create innovative new drugs. The Discovery Research Alliance Department and the Business Development Department cooperating with Research Centers and Development Divisions are presently taking the lead in collaborating on research with world-class researchers and forming drug discovery alliances with biopharmaceutical companies with a focus on our priority research areas, and are actively in-licensing various drug candidates. We are working on these collaborative activities with a sense of urgency in order to obtain cutting-edge research data before our competitors and leverage this data in expedited drug discovery. We have sent Japanese researchers with practical experience in drug discovery to our locally incorporated subsidiaries in the US and UK, and they are visiting world-leading researchers and biopharmaceutical companies in Europe and the US to launch more new partnerships.
Ono Pharma Foundation
Ono Pharma Foundation in the U.S. was established in 2017. The Foundation funds academic research that will generate breakthroughs in the life sciences and promotes the creation of a community of researchers. Currently, it is focusing on the area of “chemical biology,” which is of global interest as an area that integrates chemistry and life sciences and is expected to lead to the creation of innovative new drugs.
Ono Venture Investment, Inc.
In FY2020, we launched a U.S. subsidiary, Ono Venture Investment, Inc. We expect to further enhance our competitiveness in drug discovery and R&D via strategic investments in research on drug targets and advanced technologies that lead to breakthrough new drugs.
ONO PHARMA FOUNDATION has research grant programs for prospective researchers who may bring about innovations in the future.
Ono Venture Investment invests in early stage biopharma startups for the purpose of drug target identification and in-licensing or partnering of cutting-edge technologies to discover innovative drugs.