The design of industrial processes requires the availability of reliable thermochemical and phase equilibrium data. In recent years there has been growing recognition that computers have enormous potential in the application of such information. CALPHAD was established in order to promote this field through development of models to represent thermodynamic properties for various phases which permit prediction of properties of multicomponent systems from those of binary and ternary subsystems, critical assessment of data and their incorporation into self-consistent databases, development of software to optimise and derive thermodynamic parameters and the development and use of databanks for calculations to improve understanding of various industrial and technological processes. This work is disseminated through the CALPHAD journal and its annual conference. Contributions of high quality in these or related fields are welcome.