MANA's Journey So Far
Since its establishment in 2007, MANA has been striving to become an international platform for nanotechnology research. This timeline is not only a record of the growth of the institute but also a record of the development of the new concept of "Nanoarchitectonics." Moving forward, MANA will continue its efforts to refine and advance "Nanoarchitectonics," leading the world of nanotechnology.
- 2007
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The Inception of MANA
The "International Center for Nanotechnology Architectonics (MANA)" at NIMS was selected as one of the centers for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), and MANA was established in October of the same year.
Under the leadership of the first director, Masakazu Aono, a number of innovative initiatives were carried out, leading to numerous achievements. Additionally, in the same year, MANA introduced the "Independent Researcher System," which is one of its unique research programs. From the very beginning, MANA has also focused on nurturing top-tier researchers capable of working at the global level.
- 2008
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The 1st MANA International Symposium
The 1st MANA International Symposium was held at the Tsukuba International Conference Center. Invited lectures and oral presentations by renowned researchers from both Japan and abroad, along with poster presentations of MANA's research achievements, generated active discussions and exchanges. Since then, the MANA International Symposium has been held annually and continues to significantly contribute to the advancement of research in the field of nanotechnology.
- 2008
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MANA satellite Lab established
MANA introduced the " Satellite" system to implement the internationalization of our r esearch e nvironment. We invited prominent researchers as Sa tellite PIs, and established MANA satellites at each research institute to strongly support world-class research of MANA.
At the time of its establishment, collaboration was formed with six research institutions: the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT), Tokyo University of Science, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Hokkaido University, and the University of Cambridge.
- 2009
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Publication of MANA's Newsletter "CONVERGENCE"
Through coverage of MANA's latest research activities and projects, as well as interviews with renowned scientists, the "current state" of Nanoarchitectonics was widely communicated in both English and Japanese, in both print and online formats.
- 2010
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WPI-MANA Building Construction Begins
- 2011
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"Prof. Rohrer’s Science Class 2011" was held by Dr. Heinrich Rohrer.
MANA hosted "Prof. Rohrer’s Science Class 2011" at Namiki Site on March 5th, 2011. Dr. Heinrich Rohrer, 1986 Novel laureate in Physics gave a lecture for 80 junior-high school students from nearby Tsukuba to help them to understand joys and fun of science.
- 2011
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Great East Japan Earthquake
- 2011
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Online news “Research Highlights” Distribution Starts
At MANA, notable research achievements are published several times a year in the form of "Research Highlights." These are not only shared domestically but also released as press releases for North America, receiving wide media coverage.
- 2012
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MANA Phase 2 Begins
- 2012
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WPI-MANA Building Completed
The WPI-MANA Building was constructed as a research facility where MANA researchers, researchers from universities and research institutions, and engineers from companies both domestically and internationally can gather to conduct world-class materials and nanotechnology research.
The building was designed with consideration for fostering communication among researchers and engineers, and was developed as a "melting pot environment" to promote collaborative research and interdisciplinary interactions.
In addition to considering energy conservation and CO2 reduction, the building introduced Japan's first microgrid system, which integrates and controls multiple power sources, including solar power, emergency generators, and storage batteries, in a network. This system ensures a reliable setup even in emergencies.
The building received the highest rating of S rank in the "CASBEE" environmental performance evaluation system.
- 2013
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Summer Science Camp Held for High School Students
- 2013
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Exhibited at Science Agora 2013・Smart Polymer Rangers in Action
Japan's largest science exchange event, "Science Agora," was held, and MANA's Composite Biomaterials Group presented an exhibit and demonstration on "Smart Polymers: Future Materials for Diagnosing and Treating Diseases." During the event, the researchers dressed up as "Smart Polymer Ranger" to convey the wonders and excitement of smart polymers and science, successfully sharing their achievements with a wide range of visitors of all ages.
Over the following years, Smart Polymer Ranger continued to host science shows at events such as the NIMS Open House and the Tsukuba Science Festival, sharing the wonders and excitement of science with many children and students. In 2016, Michihiro Ebihara, the MANA Associate Senior Researcher (at the time) who created Smart Polymer Ranger, was recognized as a "Tsukuba Science Education Meister," a high honor acknowledging his significant contributions.
- 2016
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Visit by the Science and Technology Ministers of the G7 Countries
The G7 Science and Technology Ministers Meeting was held in Tsukuba. During the meeting, ministers from each country made a visit to MANA to get firsthand experience of Tsukuba’s latest science technologies.
- 2017
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MANA joins ”WPI Academy”
Starting in 2017, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) established the “WPI Academy” to lead the internationalization of Japan‘s research environment and other reforms, aiming to accelerate and expand the international circulation of intellectual talent. Having worked on the WPI program for 10 years and achieving significant development as one of the world's prominent WPI centers, MANA also transitioned to the "WPI Academy," further advancing its high research standards and research environment.
- 2017
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Takayoshi Sasaki, Fellow, Appointed as the Second Director of MANA
Takayoshi Sasaki, Fellow, has succeeded the inaugural Director, Masakazu Aono, as the second Director of MANA. While serving as a Director at NIMS and as the Group Leader of the Soft Chemistry Group, he energetically led MANA as its Director for five years until 2021.
- 2017
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NanoCar Race
The world’s first international race using molecular cars, the “Nano Car Race,” was held in Toulouse, France. The NIMS-MANA team participated as representatives of Japan but was forced to withdraw due to two failures with the control PC and software of the equipment. However, through their participation in the race, the team successfully achieved valuable research outcomes, including the precise control of deformation and movement of "soft molecules," which had previously been difficult to manipulate.
Despite being struck by equipment failures, the team persisted in recovery efforts instead of giving up initially, and when the second issue occurred, they chose to withdraw in order to avoid negatively affecting other teams. In recognition of their sportsmanship, the Japanese team was awarded the "Fair Play Award."
- 2020
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The MANA International Symposium 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2021
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The MANA International Symposium 2021 was held in an online format.
In the early 2020s, when the global spread of the coronavirus limited international travel and large gatherings, the MANA International Symposium, which had been held annually since the year after its establishment, was forced to be canceled once. However, in 2021, the symposium was held online.
Presenters were located all around the world, with live streams from Tsukuba, Tokyo, Canada, the UK, France, the US, and China. Discussions and Q&A sessions spanned thousands of kilometers, making the symposium even more internationally expansive, taking full advantage of the strengths of the online format.
- 2022
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NanoCar Race2・NIMS-MANA First Place
On March 24-25, 2022, the “NANOCAR RACE 2”, the race of the smallest cars in the world was held at CEMES/CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique) in Toulouse, France. The NIMS-MANA team avenged their previous defeat and achieved a remarkable victory, winning first place.
- 2022
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Takashi Taniguchi, Fellow, Appointed as the Third Director of MANA
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Takashi Taniguchi, Director of MANA, has been awarded Clarivate Citation Laureates 2022
Takashi Taniguchi (Fellow and MANA Director) and Kenji Watanabe (Chief Researcher, Research Center for Functional Materials) has been awarded Clarivate Citation Laureates 2022. The Clarivate Citation Laureates are the award that is sent to researchers who have made significant contributions to science community, based on the number of citations in the Web of Science.
- 2023
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“MANA” Renamed to the Nanoarchitectonics Materials Research Center
Under NIMS' 5th Medium-Long Term Plan, the previous structure of six research centers was reorganized, and seven new research centers were established. MANA has been renamed from the "International Center for Nanotechnology Architectonics" to the "Nanoarchitectonics Materials Research Center." While the abbreviation "MANA" remains the same, significant reforms were made to the research structure. This change enables MANA to continue achieving world-class results in materials science while actively contributing to foundational research required by the industry, advancing NIMS' vision.
- 2024
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Joint workshop LANL/NIMS Quantum and Functional Materials and MANA International Symposium 2024
This 17th edition of the symposium was organized as a joint workshop between Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and NIMS. During the event, alongside valuable lectures from invited speakers both domestically and internationally, a lab tour for the invited speakers was held, and poster presentations by MANA's young researchers were also conducted. Active discussions and exchanges of ideas took place, contributing to the future direction of research activities.