ORGANIZATION OF THE INSTITUTE

The National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB) is an Institute in the Okazaki National Research Institutes (ONRI) that are composed of three independent organizations, NIBB, the National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS) and the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS). They located on a hill overlooking the old town of Okazaki. NIBB was established in 1977 and its activities are supported by Monbukagaku-sho (the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: Mext) of Japan. The Division of Development, Differentiation and Regulation in the Center for Integrative Bioscience that was established as a common facility of the ONRI in 2000 began in 2001. The Center for Integrative and Computational Biology began in NIBB in April, 2001.

Policy and Decision Making

The Director-General oversees the operation of the Institute assisted by two advisory bodies, the Council and the Advisory Committee for Programming and Management. The Council, comprised of distinguished scholars representing various fields of science and culture, advises the Director-General on principles and policies governing the activities and operations of NIBB. The Advisory Committee, comprised of professors within the Institute and an equal number of leading biologists outside NIBB advises the Director-General, upon his request, on planning joint research programs and other important matters in NIBB, as well as on the scientific activities of the Institute. The Council makes a nomination of Director-General and Committee also makes recommendations on the Director-General and on faculty appointments, the Institute?fs annual budget and future prospects.

Administration

Administration of the Institute is undertaken by the Administration Bureau of the Okazaki National Research Institutes under the direct auspices of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Research

The Institute conducts its research programs through three departments and one laboratory subdivided into 17 divisions and the Center for Integrative and Computational Biology.

Each division has its own research project and is staffed by a professor, an associate professor and two research associates in principle. A division forms an independent project team. Six of the divisions are adjunct and headed by professors who hold joint appointments with other universities. Adjunct divisions have a resident research associate. This arrangement facilitates exchange in research activities in Japan. The Technical Department manages the activities of research technicians and helps to promote research activities of each division and to maintain the common research resources of the Institute. The Department also undertakes the technical education of staffs.

Several members of the Center for Integrative Bioscience jointly work with the NIBB.

Research Support Facilities

The research support facilities of the NIBB consist of the Large Spectrograph Laboratory, the Tissue and Cell Culture Laboratory, the Computer Laboratory, the Plant Culture Laboratory, the Plant Cell Culture Laboratory, the Experimental Farm, the Laboratory of Stress-Resistant Plants and the Center for Transgenic Animals and Plants. In addition, five facilities are operated jointly with NIPS; they consist of the Electron Microscope Center, the Center for Analytical Instruments, the Machine Shop, the Laboratory Glassware Facilities and the Low-Temperature Facilities. The Radioisotope Facilities, the Computer Center and the Animal Care Facilities became common facilities of ONRI.

Campus

The Okazaki National Research Institutes covers an area of 150,000m² with four principal buildings. The NIBB's main research building has a floor space of 10,930m². Two-thirds of the space was completed in 1982 and the remaining third in June, 1983. The buildings which have the research support facilities were also completed in 1983. A building for the Laboratory of Gene Expression and Regulation (2,577m²) was built in 1996.