The Institute for Molecular Science (IMS; Japanese: 分子科学研究所) is an inter-university research institute located in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, which is part of the National Institutes of Natural Sciences.
[2] The IMS was founded in April 1975 with Hideo Akamatsu as the founding director general.
[1] Its focus is on the fundamental aspects of molecular sciences, including both theoretical and experimental research.
[3] It currently has two campuses, the Myodaiji campus and the Yamate campus, both located in the same city.
[4] The history of the IMS paralleled that of the establishment of molecular science, which appeared in 1961, as a research field.