Our History

• National Research Institute for Metals (NRIM) established under auspices of the former Science and Technology Agency.

• National Institute for Research in Inorganic Materials (NIRIM) established under auspices of the former Science and Technology Agency.

• NIRIM becomes the first national research institute to be relocated to Tsukuba.

• NRIM opens Tsukuba Office, 3 research departments relocated.

• NRIM relocation to Tsukuba completed.

First Mid-term (5-year) Plan

• Merger of NRIM and NIRIM in April, becoming an Independent Administrative Institution called National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS).
• Teruo KISHI, the 1st president of NIMS (April, 2001 - June, 2009).

• 3 research centers and 1 research station opened in April.

• Nanotechnology Support Project Center established in June.
• International Center for Young Scientist (ICYS) program launched in September.

Second Mid-term (5-year) Plan

• 20 research centers, 2 laboratories and Department of Materials Infrastructure were reorganized in April.
• The Rolls-Royce Centre of Excellence for Aerospace Materials established in June. (Closed in 2011)

• NIMS Center for Nanotechnology Support Network and Nanotechnology Innovation Center newly established in April.
• International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) established as one of the 5 WPI (World Premier International Research Center Initiative) centers in October.

• "Open Research Institute" program started.
• NIMS-TOYOTA Materials Center of Excellence for Sustainable Mobility established in July.
• ICYS reorganized as the new "International Center for Young Scientists".

• Rebuilding organization in May.
• Sukekatsu USHIODA, the 2nd president of NIMS (July, 2009 - December, 2015).
• Global Research Center for Environment and Energy based on Nanomaterials Science (GREEN) established in November.

• NIMS Office of ICNSEE at EMPA established in July.
• NIMS Saint-Gobain Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials established in September.
• Center of Materials Research for Low Carbon Emission in December.
• Tsukuba Innovation Arena (TIA) Promotion Office in December.

Third Mid-term (5-year) Plan

• 3 research division and 1 research center (total 37 units) were reorganized in April.
• TU-NIMS Joint Research Center (TU: Tianjin University) established in September.

• Construction of New Research Complex, "NanoGREEN/WPI-MANA Bldg." completed in March.
• Research Center for TIA Nano-Green Open Innovation established in April.
• Elements Strategy Initiative Center for Magnetic Materials (ESICMM) established in August.
• Center for Nanotechnology Platform established in August.
• Promotion Office for Microstructural Characterization Platform established in August.
• NU-NIMS Joint Research Center (NU: Northwestern University) established in September.

• NIMS-DENKA Center of Excellence for Next Generation Materials established in June.
• NIMS Open Innovation Center established in June.
• LG-NIMS Center of Excellence for Materials Science established in July.
• NTU-NIMS Joint Center for Materials Science established in July.

• Magnetic and Spintronic Materials Center established in April.
• GIANT-NIMS Collaborative Research Center established in September.
• Research Center for Structural Materials (RCSM) established in October.
• Tsukuba Open Plaza for Advanced Structural Materials (TOPAS) established in October.

• Innovation Center for Advanced Phosphors established in January.
• Construction of New Research Complex, "The Advanced Structural Materials Bldg." completed in March.
• The Independent Administrative Institution(IAI) system reestablished as the system of the National Research and Development Agency in April.
• Center for Materials Research by Information Integration (cMi2) established in July.
• JEOL-NIMS Center of Excellence for Analytical Technology established in October.
• Bioadhesive Materials Technology Center established in October.
• SAIT-NIMS Innovation Center established in December.
• MCC-NIMS Center of Excellence for Next-generation Functional Materials established in December.

Fourth Mid-long-term (7-year) Plan

• Kazuhito HASHIMOTO, the 3rd president of NIMS (January, 2016 - March, 2022).
• 7 research center and Research Network and Facility Services Division were reorganized in April.
• Center for GaN Characterization and Analysis established in April.
• LINK Center established in April.
• MSS Technology Center established in April.
• Hitachi Metals-NIMS Center of Excellence for Next-generation Materials established in July.
• NIMS promoted to a Designated National Research and Development Institute in October.
• Panasonic-NIMS Center of Excellence for Advanced Functional Materials established in November.

• Amano-Koide Collaborative Research Lab established in March
• Established Research and Services Division of Materials Data and Integrated System (MaDIS) in April, reorganized into 6 research centers and 1 research division.

• Softbank-NIMS Advanced Technologies Development Center established in April.
• Center for Functional Sensor & Actuator established in June.
• CAMECA-NIMS 3DAP Laboratory established in June.
• L'ORÉAL-NIMS Materials Innovation Center for Science and Beauty established in July.

• Saint-Gobain CNRS NIMS International Collaboration Center established in January.
• Construction of New Research Complex, "M-Cube Bldg." completed in February.
• Cryogenic Center for Liquid Hydrogen and Materials Science(CLean) established in April.

• Global Networking Division established in April.
• Mitsubishi Materials-NIMS Center of Excellence for Materials Informatics Research established in June.

• IITH-NIMS Joint Center for Materials Science established in April.
• Center for Advanced Battery Collaboration established in June.

• Kazuhiro HONO, the 4th president of NIMS (April, 2022 - present).
• Digital Transformation Initiative Center for Magnetic Materials (DXMag) established in November.

Fifth Mid-long-term (7-year) Plan

• Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials (RCMB) established in April.
• WD-NIMS Center for Storage Frontier established in April

• Construction of Hydrogen explosion-proof testing facility for hydrogen-related materials completed in October
• TAISEI-NIMS Development Center for Innovative Eco-Materials established in December