NEDO Unicorn Promotion Program (UPP)

NEDO Unicorn Promotion Program (UPP) sits under NEDO and targets Japanese deep-tech scale-ups. It provides grant support of ¥5 million to ¥20 million, with a median actual award around ¥8 million and an annual cycle. Eligibility is for-profit only, with TRL 5-8, a 50% match requirement, and a deeptech breakthrough focus. The record frames the route as scale-up support for breakthrough technology, and the notes place the total support envelope at up to ¥3 billion, about $20 million. That combination signals a program for companies that are past the earliest proof stage and need public capital to keep advancing. UPP fits best for teams with demanding hardware, materials, or advanced engineering work where private capital alone would be slow or too expensive. The strongest applications will already have a credible technical base, a clear path to scale, and a request sized to a specific development phase rather than broad company overhead. As a grant route, it is more useful for concentrated technical leaps than for general operating support.

No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Annual.