IMIC

2020/03/31

Image: Shinanomachi Rengakan

The International Medical Information Center (IMIC) is a Keio University-affiliated General Incorporated Foundation that conducts information business related to medical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, healthcare, etc. Its office is located in the Rengakan on the Shinanomachi Campus. The current President is Yoshiaki Toyama, former Vice-President of Keio University and former Director of Keio University Hospital.

IMIC became independent in 1972, originating from the Keio University Medical Library and Information Center. Since then, it operated as a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, but transitioned to a General Incorporated Foundation on April 1, 2013, based on the Act on Reform of the Public Interest Corporations System.

During the era of the Keio University Medical Library and Information Center, the center copied data related to medical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, and healthcare from the latest domestic and international journals purchased by the library and sold them to pharmaceutical companies.

Since its establishment, IMIC has conducted business activities as a central organization for information activities related to medical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, healthcare, etc. in Japan. Its purpose is to contribute to the improvement of medical and healthcare standards by widely collecting advanced domestic and international medical and healthcare information, professionally analyzing and evaluating it, processing it into useful information, and providing it to pharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as medical and research institutions. It also aims to contribute to the development of a healthy society by providing these results to the public in an easy-to-understand format.

Since its establishment, IMIC had faced difficult financial conditions due to external factors such as the Antimonopoly Act and changes in the needs of pharmaceutical companies accompanying rapid progress in medical sciences and pharmaceutical sciences. However, through the efforts of the President and staff, the accumulated losses were cleared with a surplus in the fiscal 2013 financial results. Since then, the financial situation has improved to the point where it can make donations to Keio University. In fiscal 2018, it recorded sales of 2,631.55 million yen. The number of employees, including fixed-term staff, is currently over 280.

The Academic Information Department, a major organization, is responsible for translation services, paper submission support services, secretariats for academic societies in medical sciences and other fields, contract research, various surveys, and statistical analysis. The Safety Information Department is in charge of domestic drug safety information flash database operations, medical device safety information flash service operations, contract safety assurance operations, and infectious disease flash service operations. The Pharmaceutical Information Department handles literature search and information research operations, information database creation operations, and medical writing-related operations. The Sales Promotion Department is responsible for sales to the academic departments of pharmaceutical companies, copying services for academic literature, and copyright processing.

Although there are strong rival companies, I hope that IMIC will continue to play a leading role in building a healthy society while strengthening cooperation with the School of Medicine.

(Kunio Hara, Keio University Honorary Councilor, former IMIC Executive Director and Secretary General (Officer))