Recent years have seen rapid growth in semiconductors, medical care, and other advanced industries, with numerous parties and industries further involved in research and development in these fields. This has spurred a trend toward the formation of unique industrial zones and the placement of research and development bases as starting points for urban planning.
Begun in 1998, the KOBE Biomedical Innovation Cluster is an initiative by the city of Kobe to bring together research institutions, hospitals, corporations, and other players in the medical industry. With over 350 related companies coalescing and growing into one of Japan's largest medical industry clusters, KOBE Biomedical Innovation Cluster is a leading example of Mitsubishi Corporation's vision of urban planning with cutting-edge industries at the core.
Making its first expansion outside of its Shonan base, the iPark drug discovery and bio-research facility determined that KOBE Biomedical Innovation Cluster was an ideal fit and concluded a land transaction agreement to begin development.

Located within KOBE Biomedical Innovation Cluster, the second Phase of Kobe Port Island, the planned site will be connected directly by a deck to the Keisan Kagaku Center Station on the Kobe New Transit Port Island Line. The site can be accessed from Sannomiya Station, the largest commercial area and traffic junction in Kobe, in about 16 minutes and from Kobe Airport Station in about 6 minutes.