The 7th round of "Shimane Advanced Metal Materials Base Creation Project Conference" (B Conference) was held on 22 December 2021. This Conference is held twice a year for discussions for the Project of Subsidy for Regional University / Regional Industry Creation, "Creation of a Global Base for Advanced Metals -Next Generation TATARA Project-".The conference was held online the same as the previous time, connecting Shimane University, the collaborating researchers in the UK, including Professor Roger Reed of the University of Oxford, the Director of the Next Generation Tatara Co-Creation Centre (NEXTA), the Cabinet Office in Tokyo, and other related organizations.

At the beginning of the conference, Mr. Mouri, the project manager, gave the opening remarks, saying “Finally, next year will be the final year. It is necessary to keep our achievements firmly in our minds and prepare for self-propelling. It is an important time for us. Although we are under changes in many ways, I think we came to see things that have to be done. I hope we will be able to summarize our activities as well as achievements and have active discussions toward self-propelling. “

During the conference, the leaders from the Aircraft Project, Motor Project and Human Resource Development Project made a presentation of their achievements as well as the plan for the next fiscal year. The committee members especially appreciated the activities of outreach to the local junior high and high school students using the NEXTA research building and they expressed expectations toward the further activity. The attendees also reaffirmed the continued importance of cooperation with each other for the further development of the project.

 At the end of the conference, Professor Roger Reed, the director of the NEXTA, remarked “It seems to me, in the modern world, you can now contribute to the global growth, by working locally which means you don't necessarily have to live close to the big cities. So I think this kind of vision has expanded in the NEXTA and our project. Actually, it’s happening now, not seeing the pandemic necessarily as a terrible thing but offered also possibilities for reengineering our societies. So we can contribute globally while working locally. So I am optimistic actually about the future of the project.”
 The next B-conference is scheduled for July 2022.

Contact
NEXTA Project Promotion Office