Poland at Expo 2025 Osaka: The EU and Japan together for the future of medicine

Poland’s EU presidency marked by health and solidarity

The conference brought together representatives of leading European medical technology companies, scientific research institutes, and Japanese partners interested in modern healthcare solutions. The presence of delegations from various countries and continents confirmed that health and medical innovation are topics that unite the global community.

The event was attended by representatives of key institutions and authorities essential to European-Japanese cooperation, including the Ambassador of Poland to Japan, Paweł Milewski, and the EU Ambassador to Japan, Jean-Eric Paquet. One of the keynote speakers was Peter Burke, Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Trade, Tourism, and Employment. The conference also welcomed representatives from Poland’s Ministry of Health, including Undersecretaries of State Marek Kos and Urszula Demkow.

The first part of the conference was dedicated to examples of cooperation between the EU and Japan in the field of healthcare.

Dr. Tomasz Rutkowski, an artificial intelligence researcher at the RIKEN AIP center in Japan, spoke about the experiences of the Japanese research institute where he works, as well as about projects developed in collaboration with European partners.

Arita Dubņika, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology at Riga Technical University, presented the research and collaboration opportunities offered by the Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence.

Meanwhile, Professor Katsuhiko Shirahige from the Institute for Quantitative Biosciences at the University of Tokyo presented the UTokyo-KI LINK program, which aims to advance innovation in chromatin science for the purposes of precision medicine.

Following the pitching session featuring representatives of leading European companies from the medical sector, a panel discussion took place on new technologies in the field of medical devices and drug discovery research.

The discussion on how to collaborate and compete to improve human health featured Prof. Dagnija Loca from the Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering at Riga Technical University, Alvaro Rios Poveda, Executive Director at KAWATEK, Dr. Artur Zaczyński, Head of the Humanitarian-Medical Team at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and Chief of the Neurosurgery Clinic at the Ministry of Interior and Administration, as well as Reiko Onodera, Board Member and Auditor at Alivexis, Inc.

Joint medical innovations of the EU and Japan

Łukasz Gwiazdowski, Vice President of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, emphasized that the event’s theme perfectly aligns with the priorities of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the EU:

“Protecting the lives and health of citizens is a key element of our future. Poland, through events like this conference, actively supports dialogue and cooperation at the international level.”

As part of the conference, experts from the EU and Japan presented innovative research and development projects in the fields of medicine, biotechnology, and digitalization of healthcare services.

An important topic was also the issue of supply chain resilience and the availability of medicines.

Maksymilian Świniarski, CEO of TZF Polfa S.A., noted:

“Securing the supply of medicines and access to critical products requires closer cooperation between the EU and Japan.”

Poland at Expo 2025 Osaka as a bridge of innovation

The event was an opportunity to present concrete cooperation offers between partners from Europe and Japan. The meeting demonstrated the strength of international dialogue, with Poland serving as a bridge between East and West.

Conference organizers

The co-organizers of the event were:

• The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tokyo;
  
• The EU–Japan Industrial Cooperation Centre;
  
• The Delegation of the European Union to Japan;
  
• Osaka Prefectural Government;
  
• The Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).

World Expo 2025 Osaka – a place for international dialogue

The conference “United to Save Lives,” organized as part of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, took place alongside the Japan Health Expo. The event served as an important platform for developing technological and medical cooperation between Europe and Japan. The meeting was held at the Grand Prince Hotel Osaka Bay, located right next to the expo grounds. The conference was one of many examples demonstrating that Expo 2025 Osaka is a space for open, international dialogue about the future of the world.

After the conference concluded, the speakers and panelists visited the Expo site, where they participated in a dedicated tour of the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion and the EU Pavilion. The day ended with a formal presentation of Polish cuisine at Poland Pavilion’s restaurant, combined with a tour of the pavilion’s exhibition.