At Hokkaido University, partnerships for promoting research and education activities between the University and external parties are considered as two separate categories: comprehensive partnerships with industrial circles aimed at transferring the University’s technology to the business community, and cooperative partnerships with independent administrative institutions such as national research institutes (at or in collaboration with HU). The Center for Innovation and Business Promotion is in charge of the former category, while the latter category is handled by the University’s Industry-Academia Relations and Research Cooperation Section (Executive Office of Education and International Affairs in the main administration office) together with the Research Support Office of CRIS. The external parties with whom the cooperative partnerships exist are listed below.

• Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
• National Institute of Materials Science, Japan (NIMS)
• National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan (AIST)
• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
• Hakodate National College of Technology
• Tomakomai National College of Technology
• Kushiro National College of Technology
• Asahikawa National Colleges of Technology
• High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK)