As part of the activities of Japan Desk Lviv, a service operated by the Investment and Projects Office of the Lviv City Council (Invest in Lviv), an online seminar titled “Beyond AlphaFold: Invitation to a Grand Challenge for Autonomous AI-driven Drug Discovery Algorithms” was held to explore the potential of artificial intelligence in the field of drug discovery.

The event opened with welcoming remarks from Tomohiro Yoden, Deputy Director General of JETRO Warsaw, and Andriy Pavliv, Head of the Investment and Projects Office of the Lviv City Council.

The special guest speaker was Akihiro Imura, MD, PhD, founder of the Japanese biotechnology company COGNANO. During the seminar, he presented insights into the next wave of innovation in AI-powered drug discovery and the development of autonomous algorithms.

More than 20 students and researchers from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv joined the event. Participants demonstrated strong interest in emerging technologies and opportunities for future cooperation in biotechnology, science, and artificial intelligence.

The seminar became another step toward strengthening international scientific and business cooperation, including future collaboration between Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and COGNANO.

The event was organized by the Investment and Projects Office of the Lviv City Council, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Deloitte Polska, and COGNANO.