Interim Report Compiled by the Special Committee on Measurement Standards and Intellectual Infrastructure-Promotion of the Program to Develop and Promote the Utilization of Intellectual Infrastructure-

1. Intellectual infrastructure including measurement standards, microbial genetic resources, and geological information, is a "soft infrastructure" that must be developed under the responsibility of the national government, along with the development of social infrastructure. Based on the 2nd Science and Technology Basic Plan (decided by the Cabinet on March 30, 2001), Japan set a goal for the development of the intellectual infrastructure aiming for the world's highest level targeting 2010, and has reached a level similar to that of the Western countries from a viewpoint of quantity.

2. Considering the call for the formulation of a new intellectual infrastructure development plan based on the 4th Science and Technology Basic Plan (decided by the Cabinet on August 19, 2011), METI has been identifying and streamlining users' needs and problems through hearings and opinion exchanges on intellectual infrastructure, by obtaining cooperation from about 230 related organizations and more than 500 users and experts in total, from August 2011, ahead of the discussion by the special committee.

   Many of the users, mainly small- and medium-sized companies say that they "do not know/use intellectual infrastructure," but also say that "intellectual infrastructure is important and want to use it if provided" after being individually told about it. Based on such condition, it was recognized that it is now necessity to review the past development, which focused more on logic on the developers' side, and to resolve the insufficient PR, and improve and reinforce the measures to promote the utilization of intellectual infrastructure, in order to ensure the convenience of users.

3. Under such a background, the Special Committee on Measurement Standards and Intellectual Infrastructure has held discussions four times in total since April 2012, and has compiled an interim report that includes new policies and specific measures to develop and promote the utilization of intellectual infrastructure.

The interim report was streamlined as the "Program for the Development of and the Promotion of the utilization of Intellectual Infrastructure," which systematically compiles specific measures that should be newly taken in the process from the development/ provision of intellectual infrastructure to the promotion of its utilization. The particularly important issues are as follows:

(1) Development of intellectual infrastructure based on various needs (selection and concentration)

(i) Extract users' needs, create a flexible and sustainable mechanism to be included in the development /promotion of utilization policy, and operate the mechanism (enhancement of the PDCA cycle).

(ii) Since it is difficult to ensure resources, build a mechanism to develop intellectual infrastructure flexibly and promptly through cooperation with private institutions.

(2) Advancement of measures to promote the utilization of intellectual infrastructure

(i) In order to raise the awareness of users, publicize "Intellectual Infrastructure Utilization Examples" broadly and intensively.

(ii) Creation of the "METI Intellectual Infrastructure Portal Site" that will combine the intellectual infrastructures that are dispersed and scattered, to ensure convenience for users.

(iii) Creation of the "Monodzukuri Infrastructure Platform" that will provide a website environment to utilize information/ data on intellectual infrastructure in an integrated way, which is currently provided piece-by-piece.

(3) Advancement of measures to develop and promote the utilization of intellectual infrastructure in each of development area

(i) Measurement standards

• Development of a system to provide measurement standards, such as ensuring the prompt provision of measurement standards 
• Improvement in terms of the volume and quality of reference materials for environmental analysis (reactions against regulation)
• Creation of the "Measurement Standards Integration Database" (tentative name)
• Comprehensive development (such as reference materials, measuring instruments, measuring methods, database, etc.)

(ii) Microbial genetic resources

• Full-fledged start of the development of information infrastructure related to microbe-risk evaluation
• Collaboration with the project for life science database integration, called the "National Bioscience Database Center (NBDC)."
• Provision of functional information as an innovation infrastructure

(iii) Geological information

• Reinforcement of the development of geological information through the implementation of reference drilling and the integration of information
• Unified consolidation of drilling data that are dispersed and scattered among different municipalities 
• Development of a geological information database that is easy to understand and use

(4) Promotion of the utilization of intellectual infrastructure information that is common to all development areas

(i) Response to information technology

• Promotion of the secondary use of intellectual infrastructure information/data based on the open data strategy for electronic administration of the IT Strategic Headquarters
• Building and provision of the "METI Intellectual Infrastructure Portal Site" and the "Monodzukuri Infrastructure Platform" (reposted)

(ii) Consideration of making rules for opening up public data (intellectual infrastructure information/data) that can be used in actual business activities

Based on the interim report, METI will continuously consider a specific development plan and measures to promote the utilization of intellectual infrastructure in each of the areas of measurement standards, microbial genetic resources, and geological information.

As for this fiscal year, "Intellectual Infrastructure Utilization Examples" will be publicized intensively for the diffusion of intellectual infrastructure, and the website of the "METI Intellectual Infrastructure Portal Site" will be launched to promote the utilization of intellectual infrastructure.

Further, after FY 2013, METI will carry out the comprehensive development of intellectual infrastructure, including the development of the "Monodzukuri Infrastructure Platform" which will serve as the innovation infrastructure supporting the manufacturing and R&D of small- and medium-sized companies, promoting the secondary use of open public data, and the integrated development of measurement standards, measuring methods, and databases.

List of members of the Special Committee on Measurement Standards and Intellectual Infrastructure

• Full text of the report(PDF:6,129KB) (in Japanese)
• Summary of the report(PDF:879KB) (in Japanese) English version is under preparation

August 15, 2012

Measurement and Intellectual Infrastructure Division, Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau