Press Release: Europe's Leading Innovative Technical University (DTU) Partners with Innovation Dojo Japan to Advance Skin Nanotexture Biometrics Assessment in Japan

Innovation Dojo Japan is pleased to announce a new collaboration agreement with the MIDAS group at Technical University of Denmark (DTU), named the best technical university in the EU by EngiRank (*), to support research, development, and innovation partnerships with Japanese companies. As part of this initiative, a bilingual representative for DTU in Japan has been appointed, with business development professional Junik Bae taking the role.

Through this partnership, Innovation Dojo Japan and DTU will bridge Japanese companies with MIDAS cutting-edge health technology. The focus will be on promoting DTU's skin nanotexture biometrics (SNB) technologies—noninvasive tools for assessing skin barrier  function using high-speed dermal atomic force microscopy (HS-DAFM). These technologies, developed by Prof. Edwin En-Te Hwu and his team at MIDAS Research Group, enable precise evaluation of skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, and UV-induced damage, with applications in clinical trials for the Japanese medical and cosmetics industries.

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Direct Benefits for Cosmetics and Health Users

• Consumers and clinicians alike will see faster, more accurate assessments of skin health, enabling personalized skincare recommendations that target your unique skin barrier status.
• Cosmetics users can look forward to formulations tailored by real-time SNB data—soothing sensitive skin more effectively and reducing trial-and-error in selecting the right products.
• Healthcare providers will benefit from reliable biomarkers that track treatment progress, ensuring patients receive the most effective therapies sooner.

Early collaborations facilitated by Innovation Dojo Japan will connect SNB with Japanese pharmaceutical and cosmetics firms to explore joint clinical trials, leveraging SNB for personalized skincare formulations and dermatological diagnostics.

DTU, recognized as the top technical university in the EU by EngiRank (assessing 226 institutions across 27 EU countries, Switzerland, and Norway), excels in research, education, and innovation. This marks the second time DTU has achieved this #1 ranking, based on criteria including research, innovation, internationalization, interdisciplinarity, and alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goal 9. DTU also leads in multiple subject rankings, such as Chemical Engineering (#1), Civil Engineering (#1), Environmental Engineering (#1), and Mechanical Engineering (#1). 

This collaboration will provide Japanese enterprises with direct access to DTU's world-class healthtech research, including spin-offs in nanotechnology and biometrics, fostering business opportunities in precision medicine and sustainable skin assessment.

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Prof. En-Te Hwu, Head of the MIDAS Research Group at DTU, commented:

"DTU's expertise in health technology, particularly in noninvasive skin assessment via SNB, holds immense potential for Japan's advanced medical and cosmetics sectors. Partnering with Innovation Dojo Japan allows us to expand our impact, enabling clinical trials that could revolutionize personalized dermatology and skin barrier function diagnostics."

“Japan’s cosmetics market is valued at over ¥2.5 trillion, and its healthcare sector invests more than ¥40 billion annually in digital diagnostics,” noted Junik Bae, Program & Business Development Manager at Innovation Dojo Japan. “With 80% of Japanese consumers prioritizing data-driven skincare choices, we’re proud to help DTU translate their lab-bench breakthroughs into solutions that deliver measurable ROI for both businesses and end users.”

Joshua Flannery, CEO of Innovation Dojo Japan, added: "Accessing DTU's groundbreaking research in skin biometrics and ECTI opens exciting possibilities for Japan's innovation ecosystem. We look forward to seeing how this partnership strengthens Japan-Denmark ties and drives real-world applications in health and beauty."

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(*) EngiRank 2024: DTU ranks #1 overall among technical universities in the EU, based on recognized EU data sources including research and innovation metrics.

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About DTU (Technical University of Denmark)

• Organization: Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
• Representative in Japan: Junik Bae
• Founded: 1829
• Employees: Approximately 6,000 staff / 12,000+ students
• Location: Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
• MIDAS URL: https://www.healthtech.dtu.dk/research/research-sections/section-idun/group-midas

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Full release here (Japanese)

English auto-translation here