Vol.23 No.1
MissionMissions of the Research Network and Facility Services Division Platforms
#1
Materials Fabrication and Analysis Platform
Platform Director
Satoshi Kawada
Breakthroughs Enabled by Advanced Shared Equipment and Robust Technical Support
The Materials Fabrication and Analysis Platform supports R&D activities of materials scientists by providing access to the wide range of cutting-edge instruments for materials fabrication, analysis and evaluation in NIMS. External users can utilize these equipment through two different services: NIMS Open Facility (NOF) and NIMS-ARIM.
While general equipment sharing services are offered by many other organizations, NIMS stands out for the dedicated support provided by engineers with specialized expertise. This support goes beyond basic operation and maintenance—NIMS engineers tackle advanced challenges, such as developing new measurement techniques and collaborating on data analysis. As an eminent materials research facility, NIMS receives inquiries about a broad range of cutting-edge materials. To accommodate these demands, NIMS engineers continuously update their technical knowledge by keeping abreast of the latest research trends. The platform is committed to finding solutions to issues encountered by materials researchers, thereby further enhancing the quality and efficiency of their research.
The NOF website provides information on the NIMS shared equipment. Users can easily search by category for instruments suited to their objectives (e.g., intended purpose and instrument location). It also allows users to check whether instruments of interest are available through the NIMS-ARIM service.
#2
Materials Data Platform
Platform Director
Satoshi Minamoto
Dedicated research support through efficient data utilization
NIMS has been accelerating materials development through digital technology by developing a “digital ecosystem” to collect, accumulate, distribute, and utilize high-quality materials data from industry and academia. Initially operated as an internal data platform within NIMS, the system expanded, forming the foundation of “Materials DX Platform initiative”, a national strategy for data-driven materials R&D in Japan. NIMS is the sole organization implementing the MDPF—one of three key projects driving this initiative. As part of this project, NIMS is enhancing MatNavi—one of the largest materials databases in the world—and developing a materials data analysis platform.
The engineers of the Materials Data Platform play a key role in the MDPF project, developing advanced systems with leading-edge data science techniques, such as machine learning and image recognition. They have been working to enhance research support by optimizing DX in materials development through close communication with researchers who generate and use the data.
Another key mission of this platform is to generate high-quality materials data. It conducts long-term and continuous tests, including creep, fatigue, and corrosion tests. In 2024, new programs were launched to test materials in low-temperature hydrogen environments. The platform also operates a supercomputer, which is essential for generating data through large-scale numerical simulations within NIMS. The data generated from these tests and simulations, and the digital ecosystem, have been driving DX initiatives.
Materials DX Platform initiative
The initiative is to advance DX in materials research under the leadership of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, based on the Cabinet Office’s “Materials Innovation Strategy.” It aims to facilitate collection, accumulation, distribution, and utilization of materials data from industry, academia, and research institutions through a three-pronged operation model. Managed within RNFS, it ensures close collaboration in establishing operational rules and developing systems.
project 01
ARIM Japan
Under the government’s shared equipment initiative, advanced instruments have been established at universities and research institutions across Japan. “ARIM” inherits this initiative while also collecting and accumulating materials data from these instruments. Starting in FY2025, these data will be shared. NIMS acts as the “Central Hub,” overseeing operations and optimizing management. Additionally, NIMS operates “NIMS-ARIM” as the access point for its own advanced equipment.
The advantage of using shared equipment through NIMS-ARIM is that users can access the same equipment at a lower cost compared to using it through the NIMS Open Facility (NOF). However, users are required to submit usage reports via the ARIM website. Data provision is optional, but if agreed, the lowest usage fee is applied.*
* Some equipment does not support data provision.
project 02
DxMT
The DxMT was launched to facilitate materials development by leveraging and generating high-quality data. Five organizations serve as DxMT research centers: Tohoku University, the University of Tokyo, the Institute of Science Tokyo, Kyoto University and NIMS. Each center focuses on its own target materials and is conducting data-driven research.
The NIMS-led “DxMT Collabo” facilitates coordination among these five centers by identifying common issues, promoting the development and sharing of versatile data-driven techniques, and standardizing measurement conditions. The DxMT Collabo also organizes seminars and events to train researchers interested in data-driven techniques. With these activities, NIMS is driving the DxMT project, contributing to realizing the Materials DX Platform initiative.
