NAIST was founded in 1991 with the establishment of the Graduate School of Information Science and the University Library, followed by the Graduate School of Biological Sciences the next year. The first master's students were admitted in 1993, and doctoral students were first admitted in 1996, which is also the year the Graduate School of Materials Science was established. The establishment of the Venture Business Laboratory and the Intellectual Property Division in 2003 furthered the university's drive to utilize research results to secure patents and licenses, and form new businesses. In 2004, along with all of Japan's national universities, NAIST became an independent university corporation.
| Month/Year | Events |
|---|---|
| October 1991 | Nara Institute of Science and Technology established Graduate School of Information Science established University Library established |
| April 1992 | Graduate School of Biological Sciences established Information Technology Center established |
| April 1993 | Research and Education Center for Genetic Information Master's students admitted to the Graduate School of Information Science |
| April 1994 | Master's students admitted to the Graduate School of Biological Sciences |
| June 1994 | Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology established |
| April 1995 | Doctoral students admitted to the Graduate School of Information Science Health Care Center established |
| April 1996 | Doctoral students admitted to the Graduate School of Biological Sciences |
| May 1996 | Graduate School of Materials Science established |
| April 1998 | Master's students admitted to the Graduate School of Materials Science Research and Education Center for Materials Science established |
| April 2000 | Doctoral students admitted to the Graduate School of Materials Science |
| April 2002 | Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics of the Graduate School of Information Science established |
| October 2003 | Intellectual Property Division established |
| April 2004 | Nara Institute of Science and Technology National University Corporation established Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration Group established |
| September 2009 | Gender Equality Promotion Office established |
| December 2009 | Center for International Relations established |
| July 2010 | Information Technology Center closed Information Initiative Center established |
| August 2010 | Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology closed Center for Frontier Science and Technology established |
| April 2011 | Department of Information Science, Graduate School of Information Science established Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Biological Sciences established |
| April 2013 | Career Services Office established |
| October 2013 | Institute of Research Initiatives established |
| April 2015 | Center for Strategy and Planning established Center for International Relations closed Institute for Educational Initiatives established Institute of Research Initiatives closed Institute for Research Initiatives established |
| April 2017 | Data Science Center established |
| April 2018 | Department of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology established and students accepted (The Graduate Schools of Information Science, Biological Sciences and Materials Science merged together) Center for International Students and Scholars established |
| January 2021 | Center for Digital Green-innovation established |
| April 2021 | Regional Co-creation Office established |
| January 2023 | Life Science Collaboration Center established Research and Education Center for Genetic Information closed Center for Material Research Platform established Research and Education Center for Materials Science closed |
| April 2023 | Technical Services Office established |
| April 2024 | Medilux Research Center established Gender Equality Promotion Office closed Office for Diversity and Inclusion established |
