Japanese University to Open Tech Transfer Office in N.C.

Raleigh, N.C. — Nagoya University is opening a technology transfer office in North Carolina in partnership with the state’s Department of Commerce, Gov. Mike Easley announced Friday.

The state and the university hopes the Nagoya University Tech office will serve as a gateway for increased international business.

The office’s staff will be housed at the Department of Commerce initially, but the university is expected to acquire space in the Research Triangle later this year.

Nagoya University will pay the cost of the office, according to Easley.

“North Carolina will gain new business from this partnership while Nagoya University benefits from our state’s strong academic and research communities,” Easley said in a statement. “It is another way that we are building on our state’s strengths and planting the seeds for future success and job growth in the global economy.”

The center is designed to serve as a bridge between developers of technology and patents in Japan and companies in North Carolina.

Nagoya University is located near Tokyo.

Other partners in the effort include North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

To help kick off the opening of the office, a “University-Industry Collaboration: From Japan to the World” seminar is set for March 3 at the N.C. Biotechnology Center.