Industrial Technology Research Institute

To enhance the development of startups and their international ties, ITRI has partnered with Daicel Group, Japan’s century-old chemical company, to launch the DAICEL Accelerator program. The 2024 program attracted over 30 startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from around the world to participate, with ITRI spinoff FlowVIEW Tek winning the Grand Prize for its liquid AI particle imager detection technology.

The DAICEL Accelerator program provides participating teams with technical mentors from Daicel Group, access to the Group’s global distribution channels, and the opportunity to conduct joint R&D for proof of concept (POC) on advanced materials and chemical technologies. FlowVIEW Tek, spun off from ITRI in 2017, is an expert in nano-scale liquid sample inspection and AI-based image recognition. Its accomplishment in this year’s program exemplifies the success of Taiwan-Japan collaboration on supporting startups and entrepreneurship.

Lewis Chen, General Director of ITRI’s Commercialization and Industry Service Center, noted that the DAICEL Accelerator program marks the first collaboration between ITRI and Daicel Group. He emphasized that FlowVIEW Tek’s achievement underscores the power of partnerships between startups and international companies and that ITRI is committed to forging these collaborations and creating industry value with global partners.

“The program leverages ITRI’s capacity in building Taiwan’s startup ecosystem, industry connections, and technological strength, along with Daicel Group’s deep-rooted expertise in chemistry and materials. This collaboration fosters technological innovation and business growth while facilitating opportunities for Taiwan’s startups and SMEs to work with Daicel Group,” he said.

Daicel Group, specializing in cellulose chemistry, organic synthesis, and polymer chemistry, is a global leader in the manufacturing of acetate filament and related materials. The Group recognized the value of the DAICEL Accelerator program, expressing its belief that partnering with startups can bring about new opportunities. It also acknowledged that FlowVIEW Tek’s ability to address industry pain points has demonstrated Taiwan’s strength in innovation, and looks forward to collaborating with more startups in the future.

ITRI will continue to expand its collaboration with Daicel Group and focus on fields such as AI, semiconductor materials, biotechnology, optics, and net zero emissions. Each year, ITRI will select 7 to 10 startups as core teams to facilitate collaboration with Daicel Group on POC projects, deepening the Taiwan-Japan industrial connection and boosting innovation to drive industry growth.