NanoFrontier Selected for 'GENIAC-PRIZE' Final Evaluation

NanoFrontier Selected as Finalist for GENIAC-PRIZE

NanoFrontier Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture; CEO: Seiya Inoue; hereinafter “NanoFrontier”) has been selected as a finalist for the NEDO Prize Utilization Program “GENIAC-PRIZE” in Domain 01 “Development of AI Agents for Solving Social Issues Using Domestic Foundation Models, etc.”, Theme I “Formalization of Tacit Knowledge in Manufacturing Industry”. The program is organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Figure: Logo of “GENIAC-PRIZE” (left) and “NEDO Challenge” (right)

About the Selection

GENIAC-PRIZE is a program that widely solicits generative AI applications developed and demonstrated for themes that require solutions through generative AI services, awarding prize money (totaling approximately 800 million yen) based on results. NanoFrontier’s efforts to formalize and automate the tacit knowledge of skilled technicians in the manufacturing industry using AI agents were highly evaluated, leading to its selection as a finalist among numerous applicants.

The final evaluation and award ceremony will be held on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, including online streaming. NanoFrontier will present its demonstration results and social impact on that day.

CEO’s Comment

“We aim to transform materials development, which has relied on the ‘tacit knowledge’ of skilled researchers, into a data-driven approach using AI agents and robotics, accelerating the speed of materials development by more than tenfold. By establishing a research and development foundation that autonomously cycles through experiment planning, execution, analysis, and commercialization, we hope to accelerate solutions to social issues such as PFAS countermeasures and contribute to strengthening Japan’s manufacturing competitiveness. In the final evaluation, we will clearly convey the feasibility and social impact of this realization.”

(Seiya Inoue, CEO)

About GENIAC-PRIZE

This project is a NEDO Prize Utilization Program (NEDO Challenge) with a total prize of approximately 800 million yen, targeting four themes in three areas: social issues, government agencies, and safety, where solutions through generative AI services are desired. It aims to promote development and demonstration by diverse entities from various regions and accelerate the utilization and social implementation of generative AI applications.

[List of Themes]

Social Issues: Development of AI Agents for Solving Social Issues Using Domestic Foundation Models, etc. I. Formalization of Tacit Knowledge in Manufacturing Industry (hereinafter, Manufacturing) II. Improving Productivity in Customer Support (hereinafter, CS) Government Agencies: Development of Generative AI to Improve Efficiency in Review Processes, etc., in Government Agencies Safety: Development of Risk Exploration and Risk Reduction Technologies for Ensuring the Safety of Generative AI

About the Final Evaluation and Award Ceremony

The final evaluation and award ceremony will be held on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, including online streaming. NanoFrontier will present in the morning’s final evaluation session, discussing the demonstration results of their AI agent and its social impact.

[Date, Time, and Method]

Date and Time: Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 12:00 PM - 7:40 PM Method: YouTube Live streaming Streaming URL: YouTube Live　https://youtube.com/live/DE5qId4XXwU?feature=share

Theme I (Manufacturing) Finalists

Finalist Name	Submission Content
NanoFrontier Co., Ltd.	Experiment Automation Using LLM
Daikin Industries, Ltd.	Development of AI Agents to Support Workers in Place of Skilled Personnel
AIST Solutions Inc. / Stockmark Inc.	Bibbidi: An AI Agent Bridging Business and Technology, Specialized for Open Innovation
MotorAI Inc.	Autonomous Motor Design System with Design Agent
Chitose Robotics Inc.	Industrial Robot Orchestration Aligned with On-site Needs Using Domestic AI “PLaMo”
Biomimetics Sympathies Inc. / Ingenta Inc.	Drug Discovery AI that Capitalizes on Failure Data: Autonomous Cooperative Hypothesis Generation System Using Domestic LLM × Graph Technology
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. / Algomatic Inc.	Formalization of Tacit Knowledge through a “Comparison” Approach of Work Videos between Skilled and Unskilled Workers, Using TIG Welding Technology as an Example
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. / NTT DATA Corporation	Tacit Knowledge Transfer System for Passing Down Expert Knowledge to the Next Generation - Formalizing Advanced Judgments in Vibration Design with AI Agents -

*Note: Listings are based on data at the time of application acceptance.

Company Profile

• Company Name: NanoFrontier Co., Ltd.
• Representative: Seiya Inoue, Representative Director
• Address: Room 215, Material Solutions Center (MaSC), Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi Prefecture
• Established: April 7, 2025
• Business Activities:
  • R&D, manufacturing, and sales of reagents and functional materials using organic nanoparticle technologies
  • Contract manufacturing of organic nanoparticles and provision of related technologies
  • Technology licensing and consulting in the field of organic nanoparticle technologies
• Website: https://nanofrontier.jp