# Nara Institute of Science and Technology

> higher education institution in Nara Prefecture, Japan

**Wikidata**: [Q843253](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q843253)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nara_Institute_of_Science_and_Technology)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/nara-institute-of-science-and-technology

## Summary  
The Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) is a Japanese national university‑level research institute founded in 1991 and located in Ikoma, Nara Prefecture. It specializes in graduate education and cutting‑edge research in science and technology, especially computer science, information science, and biological sciences.

## Key Facts  
- **Founded:** 1991 【inception】  
- **Location:** Ikoma, Nara Prefecture, Japan (postal code 6300192)【located_in】【postal_code】  
- **Coordinates:** 34.732222 N, 135.7325 E【coordinates】  
- **Official names:** 奈良先端科学技術大学院大学 (Japanese) and “Nara Institute of Science and Technology” (English)【official_name】  
- **Type:** University and academic publisher【instance_of】  
- **Identifiers:** ROR 05bhada84, GRID grid.260493.a, ISNI 0000000092272257, VIAF 135230142, DOI prefix 10.5868【ror_id】【grid_id】【isni】【viaf_id】【doi_prefix】  
- **Web presence:** Main site https://www.naist.jp/ (Japanese) and https://www.naist.jp/en/ (English)【website】; Twitter @NAIST_MAIN_EN; Facebook naist.jp.en【twitter】【facebook】  
- **Affiliated notable scholars:** Satoshi Nakamura, Suguru Yamaguchi, Kazumi Saitō, Kōji Torii, Hideo Fujiwara, Inui Kentaro, Tadao Kasami, Xiaodong Liu, Satoru Takabayashi【Affiliated with】  
- **Member of:** ORCID, Inc. (as of 2023)【member_of】  

## FAQs  
### Q: When was the Nara Institute of Science and Technology established?  
A: NAIST was inaugurated in 1991 as a national graduate university in Japan.  

### Q: Where is NAIST located?  
A: The campus sits in the city of Ikoma, within Nara Prefecture, at latitude 34.732222 N and longitude 135.7325 E.  

### Q: What is the official website for NAIST?  
A: The institute’s primary website is https://www.naist.jp/ (Japanese) with an English portal at https://www.naist.jp/en/.  

### Q: Which research fields is NAIST known for?  
A: NAIST is renowned for computer science, information science, natural‑language processing, deep learning, and biological sciences, reflected in its faculty roster.  

### Q: Does NAIST have any international identifiers?  
A: Yes. It holds a ROR ID (05bhada84), GRID ID (grid.260493.a), ISNI (0000000092272257), VIAF ID (135230142), and a DOI prefix (10.5868).  

## Why It Matters  
NAIST plays a pivotal role in Japan’s high‑technology research ecosystem. As a graduate‑only university, it concentrates resources on advanced scientific inquiry and the training of researchers who drive innovation in fields such as artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, and bioinformatics. Its faculty includes several pioneering computer scientists and information theorists whose work has shaped global standards in natural‑language processing and deep learning. By maintaining strong international collaborations and publishing through its own academic press, NAIST amplifies Japan’s contribution to cutting‑edge science and technology. The institute’s strategic location near Osaka and Kyoto further integrates it into a vibrant regional innovation cluster, fostering industry‑academic partnerships that translate research breakthroughs into commercial applications.

## Notable For  
- **Graduate‑only focus:** Offers only postgraduate programs, emphasizing research depth over undergraduate breadth.  
- **Computer‑science leadership:** Home to leading experts in NLP, deep learning, and information theory (e.g., Satoshi Nakamura, Inui Kentaro).  
- **Extensive identifiers:** Early adopter of global research identifiers (ROR, GRID, ISNI, VIAF, DOI prefix) enhancing discoverability.  
- **Academic publishing:** Operates as an academic publisher, contributing scholarly output directly from the institution.  
- **Strategic location:** Situated in Ikoma, providing proximity to major Kansai research and industrial hubs.  

## Body  

### History  
- Established in 1991 as part of Japan’s effort to create a world‑class graduate research university.  
- Initially organized around three schools: Information Science, Biological Sciences, and Materials Science.  

### Campus and Location  
- Campus lies in Ikoma, Nara Prefecture (postal code 6300192).  
- Coordinates: 34.732222 N, 135.7325 E.  
- Facilities include modern lecture halls, research labs, and a dedicated plant laboratory.  

### Governance and Membership  
- Operates under the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).  
- Member of ORCID, Inc. (recorded 2023).  

### Academic Profile  
- **Institution type:** University and academic publisher.  
- **Degree offerings:** Master’s and doctoral programs across science and technology disciplines.  
- **Research output:** Publishes through its own press; many faculty hold high‑impact publications in AI and bioinformatics.  

### Research Strengths  
- **Computer Science:** Pioneering work in natural‑language processing, deep learning, and information theory.  
- **Biological Sciences:** Advanced studies in genomics and computational biology.  
- **Materials Science:** Innovative research on nanomaterials and sustainable technologies.  

### Notable Faculty and Alumni  
- **Satoshi Nakamura** – Computer scientist, professor, and doctor of engineering (b. 1958).  
- **Suguru Yamaguchi** – Computer scientist (b. 1964).  
- **Kazumi Saitō** – Computer scientist (b. 1963).  
- **Kōji Torii** – Computer scientist (b. 1938).  
- **Hideo Fujiwara** – Computer scientist.  
- **Inui Kentaro** – Professor and computational linguist.  
- **Tadao Kasami** – Information theorist (b. 1930).  
- **Xiaodong Liu** – NLP and deep‑learning researcher.  
- **Satoru Takabayashi** – Japanese programmer.  

### Identifiers and Digital Presence  
- **ROR ID:** 05bhada84.  
- **GRID ID:** grid.260493.a.  
- **ISNI:** 0000000092272257.  
- **VIAF ID:** 135230142.  
- **DOI Prefix:** 10.5868.  
- **Social media:** Twitter @NAIST_MAIN_EN, Facebook naist.jp.en.  
- **Web feed:** https://www.naist.jp/atom.xml.  

### External Links  
- Official website (Japanese): https://www.naist.jp/  
- Official website (English): https://www.naist.jp/en/  
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nara_Institute_of_Science_and_Technology  

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Nara Institute of Science and Technology",
  "description": "A Japanese national graduate university founded in 1991, located in Ikoma, Nara Prefecture, specializing in science and technology research.",
  "url": "https://www.naist.jp/",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nara_Institute_of_Science_and_Technology"
  ],
  "additionalType": "University"
}

## References

1. GRID Release 2017-01-10
2. Japan Search
3. Virtual International Authority File
4. CiNii Research
5. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20231020113811/https://orcid.org/members)
6. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
7. GeoNames
8. [Source](http://api.crossref.org/members/3940)
9. [Source](http://www.naist.jp/en)
10. GRID Release 2015-12-14
11. GRID Release 2016-12-06
12. [Open Funder Registry](http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100015321)
13. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions
14. Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph
15. HAL
16. [2004](http://kikakurui.com/x0/X0408-2004-01.html)
17. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)