At the Institute of Material Structure Science (IMSS), we pursue cutting-edge researches in wide research fields by producing advanced quantum beams, such as synchrotron light, neutron, and muon beams, which have been developed in accordance with the evolution of particle accelerators. Our mission is to perform optimization of experimental apparatuses/measuring systems and to provide them to many researches of universities and research institutes. In addition, it is of a great importance that the institute members be given opportunities to carry on leading-edge researches in the related fields. For this purpose Structural Biology Research Center (SBRC) in IMSS was established and has been successfully working.

The research environment of the IMSS is now largely changing. New researches utilizing the world's strongest neutron and muon beams have just started at J-PARC. The 2.5 GeV Photon Factory (PF) ring and the 6.5 GeV Advanced Ring (PF-AR) ring have been strategically improved by the introduction of mini-pole undulators to the straight sections of the storage ring and by the rearrangement of the beamlines. This suggests that it is timely to establish Condensed Matter Research Center (CMRC) whose framework has been discussed for many years. The two centers, SBRC and CMRC, will lead the advanced researches in life and material sciences, and strengthen the presence of the IMSS in the global natural science community.

The mission of the CMRC is to provide cutting-edge research opportunities and be a center of excellence in materials structure science by taking advantage of multi-probes (synchrotron light, neutron, muon etc.) and by building tight collaboration with many researchers at universities and other institutes in the world. The CMRC (Director: Youichi Murakami) is established under the IMSS director (Osamu Shimomura). The advisory committee is set up to give scientific counsel and performance evaluation. The fields promoted at the CMRC are: 1. Strongly Correlated Electron System, 2. Surface and Interface, 3. Soft Matter, and 4. Matter under Extreme Condition. The research projects will be driven by the collaboration with domestic and international leading researchers. The interdisciplinary subjects will be pursued and developed.