Corporate
Profile

[Company strength]
We successfully developed a hydrogel film that serves as soil by applying Japan’s world-leading advanced polymer (hydrogel and film) technologies. With this new technology, called “Imec®,” safe and highly nutritious agricultural produce can be produced even in the desert, or on contaminated soil or concrete, where conventional agriculture is impossible. We are a fabless company mainly committed to R&D. Our profit base is royalties from patents applied for in 130 countries and already registered in 100 countries.

[Business description]
Our company developed the sustainable agricultural technology Imec® to produce safe and highly nutritious agricultural produce. This is the world’s first agricultural application of film and hydrogel technologies developed for medical purposes. Imec® technology was first implemented for tomato production in Japan in 2009. Tomatoes grown using Imec® have a good taste and smell, and are also highly appreciated for their very great sugar content and nutrition.
The area under cultivation is over 14 ha and is still growing. Outside Japan, Imec® is expected to be a solution to such issues as water shortages due to global warming and food shortages due to soil contamination. This technology has begun to spread to the Middle East, China, Africa, and Europe.


[Industry]
Agricultural systems manufacturing

[Strength of products/technologies]
Imec® (film farming) is a world-first technology developed to solve serious issues about food safety, water shortages, and soil contamination. This is a technology for growing plants on thin films made of hydrogel. The film has innumerable nano-size holes that let through only water and nutrients. Contamination by bacteria, germs, and viruses can be prevented, so it can grow safe produce. Plants produce abundant sugar content, amino acids, etc., because their low water absorption from the hydro gel achieves high sugar content and high nutrition.

[Representative's message]
Our company has been introduced in various media, such as TV programs, newspapers, and magazines.
We have spoken at academic and lecture meetings, and participated in overseas expositions. Imec® technology has a history of receiving awards and has been adopted in national projects many times.
We plan to use Imec® technology to revive farmland stricken by major earthquakes and restore the growing amount of land throughout the world that is barren due to global warming.
We hope Imec® technology will create opportunities for employment in areas not suitable for farming and help economies to recover and people to regain hope.

[Company structure for market development/overseas expansion]
Staff in the business development division attend to new clients.
Inquiries from overseas companies are received via our website (contact@mebiol.co.jp) and handled by the staff in charge of overseas businesses.
Researchers in the R&D division are in charge of technical consulting and visit clients directly to solve issues as required.
The president takes charge of support for new clients including information collection and management, and we also provide sincere support for overseas clients.

[Awards and media coverage]
[Awards]
INDEX: Award 2013 Finalist; Fuji Sankei Business-I Award (2007); Kanagawa High-Tech Grand-Prix “Local Environmental Technology” (2007).

[Media]
More than 30 appearances on TV, including: TBS, “Hiruobi!” (November 18, 2013); TV Tokyo, “Gaia-no Yoake” (September 3, 2013); TV Asahi, “Kiseki no Chikyu Monogatari” (August 25, 2013); BS11, “Mirai Vision: Innovative Agricultural Technology from Japan” (August 6, 2013); and TBS, “Business Click” (June 12, 2013). Many appearances in newspapers and magazines.

[Authorization/Certification]
Kanagawa Standard certification.

[Joint research and development]
METI Support Project for Product Demonstrations by Monozukuri SMEs (2009); Okinawa Innovation Creation Project, Okinawa Industry Promotion Public Corporation (2007); METI’s Development Support Project for the Implementation of Industrial Technologies (NEDO) (2006); and Cabinet Office Support Project for Research & Development by Bio-Ventures (2004).

[Main Clients / Business History (domestic)]
Major companies who have adopted the Imec® system are Nomura Securities, Sojitz, Kintetsu, Daiwa House Industry, and so on.

[Main Clients / Business History (overseas)]
Concluded a sole agency contract in the Middle East with Agricel, a company established in Dubai, UAE.

[Exhibition History/Information]
Official Event “African Fair 2013” at Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V); “Agri-frontier 2012” sponsored by METI and MAFF; The Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP17, Side Event 2011; and World Future Energy Summit 2009 and 2008.