Global Innovation Collaboration: Nissha Medical Technologies to move global engineering and innovation center to Vanderbilt’s Nashville campus

Nissha Medical Technologies, the medical devices business unit of Japan's Nissha Co. Ltd, is moving its Engineering & Innovation Center of Excellence to Vanderbilt under a long-term lease agreement announced in a news conference on campus. The extended collaboration is a research and economic milestone for the university, the city and the company, and it creates opportunities to develop medical devices and technology-a key research area for the university.

"Hosting Nissha Medical Technologies at the former site of our Stadium Club on West End Avenue will give our faculty and students extraordinary new opportunities to work with a leader in advancing medical devices-a strategic research priority for Vanderbilt and our region," Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said at the event. "This partnership also shows what is possible when companies, governments and universities engage in what we at Vanderbilt call radical collaboration-working together in common purpose across sectors and areas of expertise."

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, Chancellor's Executive Director for Science and Technology Strategy Padma Raghavan, Deputy Governor, Nissha CEO Sam Heleba and Commissioner for Economic and Community Development Stuart McWhorter talk before the news conference announcing Nissha's R&D Center for Excellence is relocating to Vanderbilt.
Photo: Harrison McClary/Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt being the new home of Nissha Medical's R&D Engineering Center of Excellence is also the product of innovation. Initially, the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering's record of surgical innovation drew Nissha Medical Technologies' interest. The university's integration of academic research and clinical practice, including its close relationship with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, offers a clear path for translating ideas into impact, making Vanderbilt a natural fit for this collaboration.

Bob Webster welcomes more than 70 people to campus for the news conference announcing Nissha's more direct partnership with Vanderbilt.
Photo: Harrison McClary/Vanderbilt University

EndoTheia, a startup led by Bob Webster, the Richard A. Schroeder Chair in Mechanical Engineering and senior associate provost for commercialization and technology transfer, also caught Nissha Medical Technologies' attention; the companies announced a capital and business partnership in 2023. Now, they intend to build on their efforts of the past two years in close cooperation with teams from VU and VUMC. U.S.-based EndoTheia specializes in designing and developing endoscopic devices. Its efforts have greatly enhanced the maneuverability and precision of endoscopic tools, and its patents hold promise for improving patient outcomes with conventional and robotic platform endoscopic devices.

Leading up to the partnership, Nissha Medical Technologies and Vanderbilt representatives met with city and state economic leaders to explore how the collaboration can support Nashville's goal of fostering innovation and economic growth.

Nissha Medical Technologies CEO Sam Heleba dons a Vanderbilt hat to celebrate 38 new jobs and $4.5 million investment through the company's growth in Tennessee.
Photo: Harrison McClary/Vanderbilt University

"By relocating our Engineering & Innovation Center of Excellence to Vanderbilt, we are not only investing in cutting-edge research, but also in the future of health care innovation," said Sam Heleba, president and CEO of Nissha Medical Technologies. "Our newest location and partnership will enable us to work closely with some of the brightest minds in the field, fostering an environment where groundbreaking medical technologies can thrive."

Deputy Governor and Commissioner for Economic and Community Development Stuart McWhorter told those gathered about his team's efforts to ensure Nissha Medical's move to Tennessee and their plans to share incubator space for research and development at Vanderbilt University.
Photo: Harrison McClary/Vanderbilt University

"We are proud to welcome Nissha Medical to Tennessee and can't think of a better location than Nashville with its world-class health care ecosystem and research assets like Vanderbilt," Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner and Deputy Governor Stuart C. McWhorter said. "Under Governor Lee's leadership and through historic investments in innovation, we are committed to advancing health care and driving economic growth across the state by projects like Nissha that we are announcing today."

NMT's engineering relocation to Vanderbilt's campus is expected to create opportunities for faculty-industry collaboration and develop transformative health care solutions-just like they are doing with EndoTheia. The company's R&D Engineering Center of Excellence will include an incubator space and lab space and will be the new home of EndoTheia.

"This strategic move underscores our commitment to pioneering medical advancements and solidifies our role as a leader in the global health care landscape," said Junya Suzuki, chairman of the board and CEO of Nissha Co. Ltd. "By partnering with Vanderbilt, we are poised to accelerate innovation and bring transformative medical technologies to market faster than ever before."

The partnership will create opportunities for student internships and hands-on learning, and researchers will get direct access to specialized equipment, market insights and new industry connections. NMT could also support Vanderbilt-licensed technologies and startups and contribute to the innovation ecosystem that the university is in the early stages of developing on the west side of campus.

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, Mayor Freddie O'Connell, Deputy Governor and Commissioner for Economic and Community Development Stuart McWhorter and Nissha CEO Sam Heleba at the announcement that Nissha Medical's research and development center for excellence is moving into a space on Vanderbilt's campus. The move will create 38 new jobs and invest $4.5 million through the project with plans to share incubator space for research .
Photo: Harrison McClary/Vanderbilt University

"Industry collaboration is a contact sport, and having Nissha Medical Technologies on campus will provide enhanced collaboration opportunities that would not otherwise be easily replicable," said Alan Bentley, assistant vice chancellor for technology transfer and intellectual property development. "Our Industry Collaborations teammates have already begun developing deep relationships with NMT's leadership, and our office is poised to work with NMT on translational R&D projects to ready new surgical products and other medical device technologies for the marketplace."

Several university offices helped establish this collaboration, including the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization, Vanderbilt's Office of Industry Collaborations, Vanderbilt University Real Estate and the Office of Research and Innovation.

City and state partners, including Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Tennessee Valley Authority and the Nashville Innovation Alliance, also were key contributors.