Overview

RIKEN was established in 1917 for scientific research that would contribute to the development of Japanese industry. Since then, as Japan’s only comprehensive research institute for the natural sciences, RIKEN has been promoting basic and applied research in various fields such as physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, and medical science. RIKEN is headquartered in Wako City, Saitama Prefecture, and has nine other locations in Japan and five overseas.

In 1984, RIKEN opened our Tsukuba Campus, the first of its nine domestic locations, in the Tsukuba Science City, where national research institutes and corporate research facilities are concentrated. At its establishment, our campus was conducting research on the safety evaluation of genetic recombination technology that was in its dawn. Since 2001, we have collected, preserved, and provided bioresources, essential research materials for promoting life science research.

We provide approximately 15,000 bioresources annually to researchers around the world as well as Japanese universities, research institutes, and companies. These bioresources contribute to research and development to solve various problems, such as health, medicine, food, and environmental issues, that human society faces.