2008.09.01
Two projects launched to make KEK more interactive with outside societies

We prepared KEK Project Roadmap for upcoming years last fall and the proposal was examined by the International Roadmap Review Committee last March. The Committee not only approved it but also strongly recommended to pursue wide variety of future projects on High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, Material and Life Science in the proposed Roadmap. We have put priorities on these projects based on each timeline. Here we have to take seriously into account on securing various supports from the society. This is why accelerator science is becoming bigger and bigger both in the project scale and the budget size. We are proceeding for the past two months including two activities that are interactive with outside societies.

One is the advanced accelerator technology forum for the cooperation between industry and research institutes led by KEK and several companies. The main objective is to aim for a quantum leap in science and technology by developing advanced accelerator technologies. In particular, this forum sets the international linear collider project (ILC) as the pillar project for developing advanced accelerator technologies, and reinforces the cooperation between industries and KEK. We hope to initiate joint-workshops inside KEK, combining the best knowledge and expertise of industries and KEK. The promoters of this forum are the CEO's of Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, Hitachi, Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric companies and the DG of KEK. On June 11th, the start-up meeting was held, inviting Prof. Masatoshi Koshiba, Mr. Kaoru Yosano (Minister of Economic and Fiscal Policy in the present cabinet), Mr. Takeo Kawamura (former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology : MEXT) along with senior staff members of MEXT, and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Mr. Takashi Nishioka, the CEO of Mitsubishi Heavy Industry was elected as the chairperson of this forum. About 60 industries and 30 research-institutes and universities joined this forum.

The other forum was proposed by Mr. K. Yosano. He well understands the importance of promoting fundamental science. The purpose of this forum is to consolidate a bid-to-host activity of the ILC, and on top of that, to foster the human-resource to engage in cutting-edge researches on Science and Technology. This forum also recognizes that particle physics, as a research field with no ethnical, national or ideological borders, is the essence of the nation's science research strategy. This forum comprises the ~ 50 members of Congress in almost all political parties. This is so-called the federation of suprapartisan Congress members, and the extension of the former federation by the members of Liberal Democratic Party. The kickoff meeting was held on July 31st. Mr. Kaoru Yosano as the chair was approved.

Based on the tight interplays among two forums and KEK, KEK pushes forward to realize the Roadmap.

Fig.1 Establishing the forum for industries and KEK cooperation.
Fig.2 Starting up the federation of suprapartisan Congress members.
Fig. 3 Visiting KEK by the former federation of Congress members (2006)