Outline of the Materials Open Platform(MOP) to be implemented by NIMS and thechemical industry
June 19, 2017
National Institute for Materials SciencePresident Kazuhito Hashimoto

1Society 5.0 (super-smart society)-Japan’s “Society 5.0” initiative
Super-smart society: a society resulting
from the elaborate integration ofcyberspace and physical spaceSociety 5.0 (super-smart society) service platform
Service platform for Society 5.0(super-smart society)Fundamental cyberspace-related
technology

Fundamental technology
Fundamental
software-related
technology

Functional and integrated services

Cloud

Cybersecurity

System ABig data analysis
technology
SData accumulation, extraction and application

AI technology

InternetOrganization

UserComponent

DComponent

Device technology‫ڸ‬Network technology
Fundamentaltechnology related
to physical space

System BActuators
Sensors

Interface‫ۅ‬‫ۅ‬‫ڸ‬
‫ۈ ڶ‬

‫ۈ ڶ‬

‫ۈ‬Component

‫ڸ‬

‫ڸ‬
‫ڶ‬

‫ۈ‬

Human interfaces
PhysicalRobotics
Materials
systemComponent

‫ۅ‬

‫ڶ‬
‫ۅ‬

These materials were prepared by partially revising the materials
distributed at the fourth CSTI meeting to discuss how to promote
fundamental technologies, held on October 19, 2015.

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Industry expectations for universities and national R&D institutes
Transforming industry-academia collaboration from“individual-to-organization collaboration” to“organization-to-organization collaboration”
Industry will increase investment in, information sharing andpersonnel exchanges with universities and R&D institutes, iforganization-to-organization collaboration frameworks similar
to those in Europe and the US can be built.

Companies

Investments to strengthen educationaland research foundations
Providing high-quality research results
and dispatching highly-skilled researchers

Source: The February 16, 2016 report of the Japan Business FederationUniversitiesR&D
institutes

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Japan’s national innovation system
National research institutes to serve as platforms for industry-academia
collaboration2014 Japan Revitalization Strategy

Universities

Nationalresearchinstitutes

Industries

NationalUniversities research Industries
institutes
R&D institutes will play a greater role in facilitating collaboration.

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NIMS as a designated national R&D institute1955 1960

2001

2016

1956~

National Research Institute for Metals(NRIM)

National Institute for
Research in Inorganic Materials

1966~

National Institutefor Materials
Science(NIRIM)

Establishment of NRIM2016

2016.10~2001~

Establishment of NIRIM
Establishment of NIMS

(NIMS)

Designated National
Research andDevelopment Institute(NIMS)

60th anniversary
50th anniversary
15th anniversary

Promoted to a Designated National R&D InstituteMissions of designated national R&D institutes (source: MEXT website)
Said institutes will:
1. Provide strong leadership for Japan’s innovation system by creating venues which bring together
human resources from industry, academia and government, as well as knowledge and funding.
2. Promote the production, popularization and use of world-class R&D accomplishments.
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NIMS proposition: New framework forindustry-government-academia collaboration—Open innovation at NIMS through collaboration between private companies in same industrial sector—[Combining horizontal and vertical collaboration]
Verticalcollaboration

Company Company CompanyCompanyCompanyCompany
ABCFDE

Exclusive contracts

Bilateral collaboration
Open to multiple companies

Companies A, B, C, D, E and F

NIMS NIMS NIMS NIMS NIMS NIMS

Horizontal collaboration
NIMS

Involving as many companies as possible
Japanese industry will increase R&D investment efficiency(thereby strengthening international competitiveness)

7Materials Open Platform (MOP)—Developing a venue for transformational innovations in materials: linking basic research with theneeds of private companies—‫؞‬NIMS has received vast amounts of investment from the national government. It should therefore effectively use these national
resources to secure Japan’s international competitiveness.
‫؞‬NIMS, as a designated national R&D institute, will establish industrial-sector-specific open platforms to facilitate collaboration
between industries and universities to carry out mid- to long-term R&D projects leading to transformational innovations.
‫؞‬The key to the success of an open platform is determining attractive, far-sighted research themes. If industry, academia andgovernments join force to pursue these themes, their efforts can be expected to strengthen the competitiveness of Japaneseindustry.
NIMS determined MOP research themes in the chemical field after holding 27 discussion sessions with chemical companies.

Users of new technologies
Data platform
Effective use of data science (MI*)

Chemical industry

Crossappointment

Meeting the needs of users
Mid- to long-term R&D
Industrial-sector-specific open platform

Collaboration

Dramatic increase in
R&D investment
efficiency

Collaboration

Steel industry੸঻৑৴௚‫ق‬ॡট‫ش‬६ॻ‫ك‬Competition

Competition

Development intobilateral (exclusive)
collaboration

Participation of universities andresearch institutes throughout Japan

Development intobilateral (exclusive)
collaboration
8* MI: materials informatics (a field of study wherein big data is applied to materials research)

Common research themes for the first fiscal year:(1) Gathering basic data on polymers(2) Structuring databases and estimating physicalproperties of materials using MI*

Projects subject to collaboration and competition
Projects subject to competition(bilateral collaboration)*

Projects subject tocollaboration

Material design based on intended usage

Acquisition of basic data

Enhancement and optimization of multiple
functions

Reliability, openness, standardizationAdvanced technology to analyze
physical properties and structuresof materials

Safety, reliability, environmental
adaptability
Production simulator

Predicting the methods of efficiently
manufacturing high-quality products, taking
account of the fundamental physicalproperties of raw materials.

Computational science
Simulation, modelling,materials informatics

Use of AI

Creation of next-generation products
using the IoT

Collaborators jointly hold rights toproperties produced under the MOP
in the chemical field.

Each company will decide its own
direction in line with its businessstrategy.

* Rules concerning the competition that follows the completion of chemical MOP projects will be determined in future discussions.

9Future prospects of the Materials Open Platformin the chemical field[Expected effect of pursuing the FY2017 common themes]
Enhanced polymer material performance may offer potential solutions to someglobal issues and bring about dramatic and positive future changes in society.
Lighter and stronger polymers э

Fuel-efficient automobiles and aircraft

Polymers that absorb optical, thermal,
vibrational or sound energyэComfortable clothing and living spaces

Polymers capable of controlling gas
or ion permeability

эAdvanced medical treatments, solutions toagricultural/food problems, and thedevelopment of energy/water resources

NIMS and the four participating companies will lead the creation of new paradigms in
the chemical industry by researching various types of materials. The goal of theinitiative is to bring wealth and comfort to society in the future.

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