National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) is a Japanese scientific research organization that promotes the development of science and technology through basic and applied research. NINS was established in 1877 as the Tokyo Academy of Physics, which became the Institute for Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) in 1934. In 2003, RIKEN merged with the National Institute of Biological Sciences to form NINS. The organization has its headquarters in Tokyo and consists of five institutes: RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Wako Institute, Advanced Science Institute, and Ajinomoto Company Foundation Bioindustry Building. NINS also operates several facilities outside of Japan, including the Kavli IPMU in Dallas, Texas; J-PARC Center in Tokai, Ibaraki; KEK Tsukuba in Tsukuba, Ibaraki; SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research in Utrecht; and SESAME synchrotron radiation facility Near East.
The mission of NINS is to contribute to science and technology through world-class research that takes on challenging topics at the forefront of knowledge. To this end, NINS supports a broad range of programs from fundamental physics to medicine and life sciences. One example is muon science—a field pioneered by Yoshio Nishina who established the institute bearing his name—which seeks to unlock mysteries about some of the most enigmatic particles in nature using techniques that were developed at RIKEN accelerator facilities. Other areas include cosmology & astrophysics, materials science & engineering nanotechnology , quantum information & communications , Earth observation & environmental sciences , health care & medical sciences
In recent years NINS has been working to increase its international presence through collaborative programs with other leading research organizations around the world. These efforts are aimed at furthering scientific progress by sharing resources and expertise while also providing opportunities for young scientists to gain experience working on cutting-edge research projects. One such program is the International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research (ICAMR), which was launched in 2015 with support from Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation ,and other companies . ICAMR aims to create new manufacturing technologies that are environmentally friendly and energy efficient while also being able to meet the ever-changing needs of customers .
another area where nins active internationally is rare isotope science . This field holds great promise for advances in nuclear medicine , material science , environmental studies ,and many other disciplines . In order to accelerate progress in this area , nins has teamed up with Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)in New York State as well as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory(LBL)and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory(LLNL)in California within united states as part forming Rare Isotope Science Project(RISP). RISP will make use state-of -the art accelerators at each location produce rare isotopes beams that will be used by researchers investigating wide variety phenomena .
With more than 1 000 employees including over 600 researchers NINS is one Japan’s largest public research organizations It plays an important role not only conducting groundbreaking scientific work but also nurturing future generations talent through its commitment education training youth