Japan Patent Office Opens 8th IP BASE Award for Startup Applications
The session shows the patent office promoting IP strategy as management infrastructure to startups, using past award winners' experiences to urge companies past doubts about paperwork and screening criteria.
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
The Japan Patent Office held an online information session on September 7 for the 8th IP BASE AWARD, a startup recognition program that opened applications on August 3, 2026. Kazuya Minato of the office's Startup Support Team spoke about IP strategy, then Part 1 featured a keynote from Yosuke Ozawa, CEO of AI biotech startup Epistra, and Part 2 featured presentations from three award-winning companies.
The Japan Patent Office ran the session online on September 7 to draw applications for the 8th IP BASE AWARD, applications for which opened on August 3. The office's Kazuya Minato said many companies hesitate to enter because of the paperwork burden and anxiety about screening criteria, and he asked participants to use past winners' efforts as reference when putting their own selling points into words.
Part 1 paired a keynote by Yosuke Ozawa, CEO of Epistra, which won the Grand Prix in the 7th award's Startup Category, with a panel on early-phase IP investment. Part 2 followed with company presentations from three award-winning companies and a panel on IP strategy tied to business growth.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.