CMD® Workshop : Future Issues

Hisazumi Akai

Professor Emeritus, Osaka University / Director, Groningen Center for Education and Research, Supervisory Office for Overseas Centers for Education and Research, Osaka University (at that time)

Looking back on the 20 workshops that have been held up to now, it seems to me that almost all of the lectures and hands-on sessions have been limited to the stage of quantum simulation. Quantum simulation is the process of elucidating the functions and physical properties of existing materials. In contrast, what we have set as a goal is computational materials design (CMD®) ̶ quantum design in which materials and structures with newly desired functions and physical properties are designed theoretically.
From now on, I think we need to have a greater awareness of this “design” in hands-on practice and implement it at a higher level. Naturally, it is not possible for us to “design” something in hands-on sessions that cover a period of only five days. After all, this is something that is only rarely achieved even after many years of research. The CMD® Workshop should be a place where researchers learn design techniques and approaches and pick up hints on how to proceed, and then take these back to their own workplaces and laboratories to pursue research.
Another issue that we need to consider from now on is how to create a mechanism to publicize our research achievements widely to ensure that they are used in society. The software used in the CMD® Workshop handson sessions is all freeware, so it can be used by anyone. There are many different approaches to the release and dissemination of scientific and engineering software, but in our community
we use “CMD® Copymart®,” a contract model for the distribution of digital contents. Unlike conventional rights management in which copying is prohibited, Copymart®, proposed by Zentaro Kitagawa, a professor emeritus at the Kyoto University, establishes a mechanism by which the agreement permits copying as long as permission has been obtained from the copyright holder in advance. Research on this type of copyright mechanism began even before the CMD® Workshop, and many discussions were held at the International Institute for Advanced Study.
CMD® Copymart® was adopted in the lectures beginning with the 12th CMD® Workshop in an effort to popularize its use. We think CMD® Copymart® could be considered as one possible model to create such a mechanism because it is crucial to enable our research achievements to benefit society as widely as possible.

Interviewer: Masaaki Geshi (Project Associate Professor at Institute for NanoScience Design, Osaka University)