Outline

The five institutes established under NINS − National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), the National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB), the National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS) and the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) −are Japan’s center of excellence of academic research in respective fields. These institutes, associating with each other beyond the borders of academic fields, cooperate actively as a base for interdisciplinary research in the field of natural science with universities, university-affiliated research institutes and inter-university research institutes to promote the formation of new research communities. NINS also collaborates with institutes in the U.S., Europe and Eastern Asia, for the purpose of forming a base for international research coordinating reputable researchers on a worldwide basis.

In order to promote the formation of such interdisciplinary and international bases across fields of study, NINS established the “Research Cooperation and Liaison Committee” under the authority of the President, to discuss and plan matters of research cooperation. It has also established the Research Cooperation and Liaison Office, which is in charge of setting specific plans made by the “Research Cooperation and Liaison Committee”, and is implementing liaison activities including symposiums. From FY2005, the Research Cooperation and Liaison Office has set “Imaging Science” and “Hierarchy and Holism in Natural Science” as themes for cooperation across fields, and is promoting symposiums and other projects under these themes.

Offices and Institutes Contact Address National Institutes of Natural Sciences Executive Office Liaison and Planning Division TEL +81-3-5425-1890/2034 FAX +81-3-5425-2049 E-mail Kamiyacho Central Place 2F, 4-3-13 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0001 Japan