Unlocking Curiosity, Advancing Societal Impact
A Co-Creation Research and Development Hub in Yokohama Kannai:
“SS-F Lighthouse Lab” is launched
A “lighthouse of knowledge” where new research is born through the intersection of individuals beyond existing frameworks
YOKOHAMA, Japan, April 17, 2026 — STELLAR SCIENCE FOUNDATION (located in Yokohama, Kanagawa; Representative Director: Takanori Takebe; hereafter “SS-F”) announces the opening today of a new research base, “SS-F Lighthouse Lab” (hereafter “the facility”), located on the 6th floor of the BASEGATE Yokohama Kannai Tower.
This facility is a new type of research and development hub that generates projects from individual intellectual curiosity. While collaborating with and complementing existing research infrastructure, it aims to build an ecosystem that connects “original ideas” born from the intersection of different fields to social implementation.
1. Background and Purpose: Toward an environment that unlocks researchers’ curiosity and fosters new challenges
Universities and public research institutions, which support modern science and technology, have long played a role in deepening specialized knowledge and ensuring reliability under organizational structures built over many years.
On the other hand, within highly optimized existing research environments, there are aspects that make it difficult to generate early-stage challenges with uncertain outcomes or cross-disciplinary exploration based purely on curiosity.
In response to this situation, SS-F presents a framework for research in which the curiosity of each individual researcher is unlocked, and new inventions (discoveries and creations) are generated through interaction with people from diverse fields.
This facility is the first physical base that embodies SS-F’s concept of “People-Centric” (born from people, connected through people, expanded by people). It complements the conventional approach of assigning researchers to specific projects and implements, in Kannai, Yokohama, a flexible system in which “people gather first, curiosity collides, and new projects naturally emerge.”
In this area, where diverse functions such as sports facilities, educational institutions, and businesses are concentrated, researchers do not remain confined within the lab but operate in an environment connected to society. Encounters in this context serve as a catalyst to create new partnerships across disciplines and aim to lead to the creation of inventions that move society forward.
2. Concept: A modern “lighthouse of knowledge” lit in Kannai, a historic port district
Kannai in Yokohama has, since the opening of the port in 1859, served as a “frontline of civilization and enlightenment,” rapidly accepting new ideas and technologies from abroad and spreading them throughout Japan.
This facility inherits the city’s DNA of “welcoming external knowledge and implementing it in society” and carries it into modern research and development. It aims to elevate the intellect and curiosity of researchers gathered from around the world into invention in this city, and to illuminate future possibilities as a new “lighthouse” that bridges science and society.
The name “Lighthouse” embodies the following three intentions:
| Guidance A light that shows direction |
Presenting new directions in science to society |
| Connection A light that connects different worlds |
Mediating between research and society, academia and industry |
| Visibility A light that opens to society |
Creating a place where citizens can experience and participate in science |
3. Key Features: A “People-centric Ecosystem” that accelerates invention (discovery and creation)
This facility implements a “co-creation environment” where diverse perspectives intersect and new projects begin autonomously, built upon a foundation of advanced analytical infrastructure.
(1) A co-creation mechanism that “initiates” projects from individual curiosity
This facility departs from the conventional approach of assigning researchers to specific projects and instead emphasizes a people-centered process in which “projects emerge autonomously as people come together.”
To embody this concept, the following three “co-creation approaches” will be developed:
| Inventor × Inventor[1] | Researchers active at the forefront of different fields interact on a daily basis, creating seeds of new inventions. The intersection of diverse ideas generates new questions that could not be reached within a single laboratory. |
| Talent × Opportunity | Early-career researchers aiming for independence are provided with a free research environment and networks for social implementation. While supporting autonomous research, the facility fosters the next generation of research leaders. |
| Invention × Society | Set in Yokohama Kannai, where diverse urban functions are concentrated, the facility presents an “open place” where anyone can participate in research as an extension of daily life. By incorporating diverse perspectives from the conceptual stage before projects are formalized, it deepens partnerships and promotes the social implementation of research. |
[1] At SS-F, we refer to researchers who combine uniquely distinctive perspectives with imagination, and who aspire to pursue ambitious scientific research, as “Inventors.”
(2) An analytical environment integrating seamlessly from cells to the individual (human)
The most distinctive feature of the facility is a vertically integrated analytical platform that completes processes from the molecular and cellular level to the individual (human) level within a single location. It provides a research foundation capable of seamlessly acquiring data across different layers that are typically fragmented.
The BSL2-compliant wet lab is fully equipped with incubators and clean benches supporting iPS cell and organoid culture, as well as molecular and cellular biology equipment such as confocal laser microscopes, real-time PCR systems, and cell sorters. In addition, a high-quality biobank function is provided through a low-temperature room of approximately 40 square meters, ultra-low temperature freezers, and liquid nitrogen storage systems.
Furthermore, the facility supports human-level data acquisition using body composition analysis equipment and related tools. This enables the connection of cellular and tissue-level analysis with individual-level physiological data, creating an environment capable of promoting integrated life science research from basic research to translational research.
| Research Layer | Key Capabilities |
| Cellular & Molecular | Confocal laser microscopy, real-time PCR, microplate reader, cell sorter |
| Tissue & Culture | iPS cell & organoid culture, BSL2-compliant sterile environment |
| Storage & Biobank | Ultra-low temperature freezers, liquid nitrogen systems, sample storage room (low-temperature room of approximately 40 m²) |
| Individual (Human) | Precision physiological assessment using DEXA (body composition and bone density evaluation), etc. |
4. Spatial Design: A mechanism that creates creative “sparks” where different curiosities intersect
The space of this facility is designed as a single “circulating body of knowledge,” in which all processes are seamlessly connected, allowing insights generated from interdisciplinary intersections to be elevated into new social value.
■ Design code that runs throughout the facility
The space reflects shared design principles to promote co-creation:
| Dissolve boundaries | Symbolize intersection | Connect movement |
| Full glass design removes physical barriers and ensures visual transparency. The ability to naturally see neighboring research and conversations stimulates cross-disciplinary curiosity.
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Cross-shaped lighting installed on the ceiling visualizes the process in which different expertise intersects to create new value. It serves as a symbolic design element that reinforces co-creation throughout the facility.
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All functions, from lounge to lab, are connected through a single-line design. This embodies the concept that insights born from dialogue flow seamlessly toward experimental validation.
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Two functional zones that accelerate the thinking process
The space is divided into the following two zones:
① Collision Zone: Where collisions of knowledge generate new questions
A space where different expertise and ideas collide, generating insights beyond individual boundaries. Ideas born from daily conversations are elevated into cross-disciplinary questions, initiating the next invention.
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Lighthouse Lounge[2]：A hub space integrating events, presentations, and meetings, centered around an open café area that encourages spontaneous and creative communication. |
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Inventor Lounge ：A space for interaction among people from different fields, where new ideas emerge and collaboration begins. |
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Stellar Hallway[3]： A space embodying the idea that innovation begins with casual conversations in hallways. Informal desks and standing spaces are embedded in circulation paths to encourage unplanned dialogue. |
[2] These two areas are common spaces located within the New Industry Innovation Hub on the 6th floor of BASEGATE Yokohama Kannai.
[3] Same as above
②Invention Zone: Where insights become hypotheses and are validated
A space where questions identified in the Collision Zone are immediately translated into scientific hypotheses and verified.
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Stellar Science Studio： A high-spec workspace dedicated to data analysis and research strategy. |
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Stellar Science Lab： A BSL2[4]-compliant integrated wet lab that connects ideas generated through dialogue directly to experimental validation. |
[4] BSL2(Biosafety Level 2):Safety management standards for laboratory facilities handling infectious microorganisms. The facilities comply with internationally established design and operational requirements for environments dealing with pathogens of moderate risk.
5. Facility Overview
| Facility Name | SS-F Lighthouse Lab |
| Address | 6F BASEGATE Yokohama Kannai Tower, 1-1-1 Minatcho, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan |
| Access | 1 min walk from Kannai Station (JR Negishi Line); 1 min walk from Kannai Station (Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line); 7 min walk from Nihon-odori Station (Minatomirai Line) |
| Operator | STELLAR SCIENCE FOUNDATION (SS-F) |
| Website | https://ss-f.org/ |
Through this facility, SS-F will unlock the creativity of each researcher and accelerate innovative research born from cross-disciplinary dialogue.
Through co-creation with companies, municipalities, and citizens, SS-F will continue to take on the challenge of realizing an ecosystem where inventions that transcend existing boundaries are created and sustainable innovation continues to emerge.
About STELLAR SCIENCE FOUNDATION (SS-F)
The STELLAR SCIENCE FOUNDATION(SS-F) is a Japan-based organization aiming to build mechanisms that promote the sustainable creation of disruptive discoveries and inventions by focusing on the power of the people who drive forward scientific discovery. We aim to contribute to society by promoting scientific research in Japan by supporting free research activities of scientists and generating world-changing discoveries and inventions. Guided by its philosophy of being “People-Centric”—Start with people, connect people, empower people—SS-F works to build an ecosystem where individual researchers can collaborate and connect across companies, organizations, and scientific disciplines. Through these efforts, SS-F strives to generate continuous breakthroughs and drive innovation.
Website：https://ss-f.org/
Media Contact
Stellar Science Foundation
Marketing & Communications
（Ms.）Fujiwara / Terushita
E-mail: marcomm@ss-f.org
