JERA Signs MOU With Rice University to Advance Energy Innovation

TOKYO, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- JERA Co., Inc. today announced that its U.S. subsidiary, JERA Americas Inc., has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with William Marsh Rice University, a comprehensive research university based in Houston, to establish a framework for strategic business and research collaboration. The partnership is designed to accelerate innovation across the JERA Group to develop new business opportunities and business models to meet the challenges and opportunities of the electricity sector of the future.

The new partnership leverages JERA's global energy value chain and deep energy expertise, Rice University's distinguished research capabilities, and Houston's world-class innovation ecosystem. Together, the partners will focus on advancing technologies, developing future industry leaders, and launching new business initiatives that meet the global energy challenges we face today.

JERA's activities under the MOU will be led by JERA Ventures, its corporate venture capital arm, in close coordination with relevant functions across the JERA Group. Rice University's efforts will be led by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, a leading initiative that advances technology commercialization and entrepreneurship by connecting startups, investors and industry partners, while driving innovation and community impact in Houston and beyond.

Under the MOU, JERA and Rice University will explore collaboration across four key areas:

1. Creating new business models and opportunities to address the energy affordability crisis of today and the energy demand needs of tomorrow, leveraging the networks of Rice University and the Rice Alliance.
2. Enabling and commercializing new energy technologies and solutions by integrating diverse technologies and knowledge, leveraging Rice's research strengths in areas such as energy, materials engineering, data science and artificial intelligence
3. Accelerating innovation, ecosystem development and the deployment of solutions through strengthened collaboration platforms and programs between academia and the energy industry.
4. Cultivating future leaders in energy and green transformation, exploring student exchange, internship and career development opportunities.

Takeshi Kodama, Head of JERA Ventures and Managing Partner, said:
"We are living through a period of profound change in the global energy landscape, and addressing this challenge requires partners who share both an innovative mindset and a strong sense of social responsibility. Rice University is such a partner. Located at the heart of Houston, where diverse energy industries converge to shape the future of energy, JERA Ventures looks forward to connecting JERA's global expertise with the next generation of researchers, entrepreneurs and energy leaders. Together, we aim to pursue solutions that go beyond existing paradigms."

JERA's mission is to provide cutting-edge solutions to the world's energy issues. Through JERA Ventures, the company will continue to collaborate with partners that bring new ideas, diverse perspectives with the goal of advancing innovation beyond conventional thinking.

About Rice University:
Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of architecture, business, continuing studies, engineering and computing, humanities and arts, music, natural sciences and social sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy and Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Internationally, the university maintains the Rice Global Paris Center, a hub for innovative collaboration, research and inspired teaching located in the heart of Paris, and Rice Global India in Bengaluru, India. With 4,793 undergraduates and 4,185 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked in the top 10 for best quality of life by the Princeton Review. 

About Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship:
Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship (Rice Alliance) is Rice University's nationally recognized initiative for technology commercialization and entrepreneurship. Rice Alliance supports the creation of new ventures by connecting startups, investors, and corporations, and promotes the development of a cross-sector innovation ecosystem in collaboration with the Ion, Houston's innovation hub.

About JERA
JERA is a global energy leader and Japan's largest power generation company focused on providing cutting-edge solutions to the world's energy issues. Established in 2015, the company produces one-third of Japan's electricity and is one of the largest LNG buyers in the world. JERA has global reach and strength throughout the energy supply chain, including participation in upstream gas exploration and production, LNG projects, fuel procurement and transportation, and power generation globally.
In support of a responsible energy transition, JERA aims to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions from its domestic and overseas businesses by 2050.

About JERA Ventures
JERA Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of the JERA Group, with a strategic investment capacity of USD 300 million.
In addition to investing in startups with cutting-edge technologies and innovative business concepts, JERA Ventures actively collaborates with a broad range of stakeholders across industry, government, and academia that form the startup ecosystem. Through these activities, JERA Ventures aims to drive open innovations in the energy sector.

SOURCE JERA Americas, Inc