President's Greeting

This year, NIMS marks the 25th anniversary of its founding. We also mark the significant milestones of the 70th anniversary of the National Research Institute for Metals (NRIM) and the 60th anniversary of the National Institute for Research in Inorganic Materials (NIRIM), our predecessor organizations. I would like to express my deepest respect and gratitude to the many pioneers who built this illustrious history and to all our partners and stakeholders who have supported our institute over the years.

Our journey began with these two research institutes established with the mission of contributing to Japan's post-war recovery and industrial development. NRIM, with its two research pillars of "developing new materials" and "establishing material reliability," commercialized numerous materials indispensable to society, such as superconducting materials and heat-resistant superalloys, thereby supporting the backbone of our industry. Meanwhile, NIRIM led the world in materials science and technology by creating new value from the pursuit of basic science, with achievements like diamond synthesis and high-functional ceramics. In 2001, amidst the new wave of nanotechnology, these two institutes merged to make a fresh start as NIMS. Throughout this 70-year history, we have consistently responded to the needs of society and inherited the aspiration to contribute to the advancement of human life and civilization through materials research.

Today, the world faces complex and difficult challenges, including environmental issues, energy and resource constraints, and rising geopolitical risks. In such an era, the role of materials science and technology, which underpins all of society's foundations, is becoming ever more crucial. Building on the foundation of this history, we are accelerating our efforts to confront the challenges of the future.

At the core of these efforts is the innovation of materials research driven by AI and robotics. We aim to realize " autonomous self-driving experimentation" systems that organically integrate data with automated experiments by advancing our accumulated data infrastructure and "Smart Lab" technologies. This will dramatically improve the speed and quality of materials development, transforming the conventional research and development process itself. Furthermore, in the field of next-generation semiconductors, which is key to our nation's industrial competitiveness, we will promote forward-looking basic research. In the energy and environmental fields, we will strengthen research on hydrogen-related materials and materials that contribute to carbon neutrality, thereby helping to realize a sustainable society.

At the heart of all our endeavors are people. We aim to become an international research hub that attracts, nurtures, and supports diverse and talented individuals from around the world. By deepening our collaboration with universities and research institutions in Japan and abroad, and by creating an environment where young researchers, in particular, can devote themselves to their work without financial anxiety and spread their wings on the global stage, we will build an ecosystem for human resource circulation that will carry the future of materials science and technology.

Taking our 25th anniversary as a new starting point, we will continue to be a research institution that creates the future with society, pursuing the infinite possibilities of materials with pride in our history and a sense of responsibility for the future.

We sincerely ask for your continued warm support and guidance.